Purpose Of PBIS

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a system used in many schools today to help create a positive learning environment and is used to address behavioral issues that many teachers and students face in the classroom. PBIS was created to address behavior problems amongst students with developmental disabilities and provide positive reinforcement instead of punishment for real struggles these students face. Now, PBIS has expanded into a school-wide program for all students, not just those faced with disabilities. The goal in this has been to create an environment that is supported by positive behavior. According to their website, “The broad purpose of PBIS is to improve the effectiveness, efficacy and equality of schools and
Overall this seems like a productive change for any given classroom. Out of school suspensions are not necessarily helpful, especially when there is a lack of parental involvement at home. Nevertheless, when the alternative to suspension is creating a system to keep the students in the classroom, you begin seeing learning disruptions, violence in the classroom, or students refusing to stay in class. When there is more pressure on the teachers to keep their students in their classroom, it’s not only the student causing problems suffering. Now, the teacher is no longer able to teach and the other students are not able to learn with a distraction. Rather than having the student causing the distraction removed from the classroom and removing his or her audience and can try to regroup and reenter the classroom when they are ready. When students learn there is no true punishment for their negative behavior there is little to no motivation for positive behavior. PBIS does not address how to help students who have a deeper-rooted issue. Instead of yet another school wide initiative to solve the behavior issues of a particular school, there needs to be more support for these students. A lot of times these behaviors exhibited are a cry for help or attention. It would be more productive to provide these students with language to express themselves. Why does Johnny get upset as soon as he is told to open his math book? Why does Sarah refuse to stay in her Physical Education class? When patterns like these are realized, providing gold stars are not going to help discover the true issue that is preventing