Do School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Not Exclusionary Discipline Practices

Abstract

All educators will inevitably face unwanted student behavior that they need to address. A ubiquitous response to unwanted behavior is exclusionary discipline practices, including timeout, office discipline referrals, and suspensions. However, extensive research has demonstrated that these practices are associated with negative outcomes, including increased likelihood of further unwanted behavior, decreased achievement, and racial/ethnic discipline disparities. In this chapter, we provide a preventative alternative to exclusionary practices, school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS). SWPBIS is an evidence-based framework for implementing systems to reduce unwanted behavior and increase prosocial behavior, decreasing the need for exclusionary practices.

Null Effects and Publication Bias in Special Education Research

“…Null effects can, obviously, establish that a practice is ineffective. For example, studies with null effects have been the basis for concluding that practices such as facilitated communication (see Travers, Tincani, Thompson, & Simpson, 2016), weighted vests (see Barton, Reichow, Schnitz, Smith, & Sherlock, 2015), and exclusionary discipline practices (e.g., office discipline referrals, suspensions; see Nese & McIntosh, 2016) do not generally result in improved learner outcomes. Studies with null effects, then, play a critical role in objectively establishing that policies and practices are ineffective and should not be implemented.…”