The author focuses on positive psychology as an important approach to supporting the psychological well-being of students with gifts and talents. Research has identified protective factors that can counteract risk factors for suicidal behavior. These protective factors may be found within the individual, the family, peers, the school, the…

The National Center on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provides professional development and technical assistance to more than 27,000 schools nationwide (OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, 2021). Although much has been documented on the impact of Tier I PBIS implementation with…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an interdependent group-oriented contingency management system successfully used in school settings to promote positive student behaviors. As a classroom management intervention, there is a large body of evidence for it increasing desirable classroom behaviors and decreasing problem behaviors across a range of…

There has been significant progress in our understanding of school-based social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) assessments since the last special issue on this topic a decade ago. This commentary provides a discussion of how each of the articles exemplifies the progress that has been made to advance the science of SEB assessment within…

The demonstration of positive impact has accelerated the adoption of the PBIS [Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports] framework across the country in different school settings. The purpose of this evaluation brief is to provide an initial descriptive snapshot of the current status of PBIS implementation in rural schools.

Teachers can use a variety of classroom management practices to help foster a classroom environment in which all students can learn. "Good Behavior Game" is a specific classroom management strategy that aims to improve social skills, minimize disruptive behaviors, and create a positive learning environment. Teachers place students into…

Teachers can use a variety of classroom management practices to help foster a classroom environment in which all students can learn. "Good Behavior Game" is a specific classroom management strategy that aims to improve social skills, minimize disruptive behaviors, and create a positive learning environment. Teachers place students into…

Despite the fact that schools remain incredibly safe spaces for children and youth to spend time, the occurrence of mass school shootings, although rare, is a pressing issue for our society. In this paper we discuss the importance of action, advocacy, and research related to mass school shootings. Specifically, we discuss research-based actions…

Post-pandemic, there has been a rise in verbal and physical fights and bullying as well as a greater number of students who are failing to engage in the classroom. While the pandemic contributed to the struggles that children are experiencing, inconsistency in schools has added to the challenge. The collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic…

All interventions -- whether academic, behavioral, or social-emotional -- should be consistently delivered as planned to realize desired student outcomes. In other words, they should be delivered with fidelity. School psychologists can address this concern by monitoring fidelity and providing support for intervention implementation. In this final…

Less punitive alternatives to exclusionary discipline such as restorative justice are gaining in popularity in schools. These approaches take a more positive, relationship-based, problem-solving approach to discipline, focused on improving behavior by building community and belongingness, and eschewing exclusionary discipline for most infractions.…

The importance of reducing restraint and restrictive interventions in special schools has been recognised across the four nations of the UK. Government guidance for England and Wales, and recommendations produced by Restraint Reduction Scotland, both reference Positive behavioural support (PBS) as an evidence-based approach that can be used to…

As the public health framework has been implemented in schools through multi-tiered systems of support, as in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a prominent interpretation has been that 80% of students will benefit from universal or Tier 1 schoolwide behavior support, around 15% will require added selective or Tier 2 targeted…

Research suggests that students are more invested in behavior interventions when they are involved in the development process. Tier 2 behavior interventions in a positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) framework can be tailored to embed student involvement and meet individual student needs. The purpose of this article is threefold.…

While disability is recognised by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as an evolving concept, the language of positive behaviour support has not kept pace with the current human rights-based approach. The widely-used terms 'challenging behaviour' and 'behaviours that challenge' imply that the behaviour…