Issues in Sustainability:Integrating Competing Initiatives

Rob HornerUniversity of Oregon

OSEP TA Center on Positive Behavior Supportwww.pbis.orgwww.swis.org

Goals Define four major areas affecting

sustainability of school-wide PBIS.

Focus on process for dealing with “competing initiatives” Use “bully-proofing” and “early literacy” as

examples.

District Impact on Sustainability:Four common areas Competing initiatives

Integrate/braid Fund/support

Data use for continuous regeneration Require regular review of fidelity and outcome Cycle of review needs to fit cycle of impact.

Efficiency If it works now, make it easier to do next year

Stability/Leadership Job descriptions, etc.

Managing competing initiatives The challenge

Multiple expectations from multiple sources Everything sounds good Without clear direction and focus it is easier to

add something than to adapt something The cost of adoption is usually high, but fundable

through “off the table” resources… However the cost to sustain must be embedded in regular budget.

Managing competing initiatives Two major categories:

Multiple initiatives focused on the same goal/outcome

Multiple initiatives focused on different goals/outcomes

Managing competing initiatives When competing initiatives have a common

goal Dissect “programs” into “practices” Look at what practices you already do to achieve

the target goal: Never stop doing what already works Always look for the smallest change that will produce

the largest effect Never add something new without defining what you

will STOP doing to create the needed resources

Managing competing initiatives When competing initiatives have common

goals. Invest in the systems to support effective

practices Team development Trainer/ coach support Data systems Allocation of time for team/staff to succeed.

Combine training/orientation requirements

Managing competing initiatives When competing initiatives have common

goals. Braid (combine) common initiatives into a

unified implementation effort for staff.

Example:Adding Bully-Proofing to SWPBIS Context:

You have just invested two years in building SWPBIS in your district/schools, and the school board or legislature mandates (and provides funding) for you to adopt “Bully-proofing” as a new initiative in your school/district.

What do you do?

Compare: Goals, Practices, Systems Bully Proofing Goal: Reduce bullying Practices:

Define and teach school-wide expectations

Teach bully alternative social skills

Establish consequences for bullying

Teach victim and bystander to remove rewards for bullying

School-wide PBIS Goal: Improve social and

academic success Practices:

Define and teach school-wide Expectations

Reward appropriate behavior

Consistent consequences Use of data Continuum of interventions

Compare: Goals, Practices, Systems Bully Proofing Goal: Reduce bullying Practices:

Define and teach school-wide expectations

Teach bully alternative social skills

Establish consequences for bullying

Teach victim and bystander to remove rewards for bullying

School-wide PBIS Goal: Improve social and

academic success Practices:

Define and teach school-wide Expectations

Reward appropriate behavior

Consistent consequences Use of data Continuum of interventions

Compare: Goals, Practices, Systems Bully Proofing Systems

Staff training ?

School-wide PBIS Systems

Administrator role Team structure and

training Data system Coaching Trainer role

Bully proofing within SW-PBIS Example

Note: Braiding of initiatives (vision, purpose, roles) Focus on “practices” rather than “program” Common in-service format Use of existing “systems” for both Use of common data system for both initiatives Emphasis on efficiency

Your Turn:Compare: Goals, Practices, Systems School-wide PBIS Character Education

Character Counts DARE Substance Abuse

Prevention Drop out prevention Violence free zone Diversity celebration

Define a competing initiative and your assessment of how it might best be integratedwith your current SW-PBIS efforts

Define a competing initiative you alreadyhad in place when youconsidered adoption ofSW-PBIS, and how toadapt SW-PBIS to fitwith the existing initiative

Managing competing initiatives When initiatives have different goals.

Consider “systems” needed to support both initiatives Coaching supports

Consider ways to combine training Define what you will stop doing to add the new

initiative.

Example:Adding Early Literacy to SW-PBIS Oregon, Michigan

Kent

Jorge

Summary Administrative decisions at district/school level

affect sustainability of SWPBIS. Four major areas of impact

Managing competing initiatives Data use for continuous regeneration Efficiency efforts Stability/Leadership

To manage competing initiatives Operate differently with initiatives focused on similar vs.

different goals