Public schools are no longer focusing on just reading, writing, and arithmetic. Hoping to improve the social environment on campus, many school leaders are implementing evidence-based positive behavior programs that support both student well-being and academic success.
Every day, millions of elementary, middle, and high school students walk through the hallways and classrooms of public schools across the country. According to the Center on PBIS, transitions between classes, lunch periods, recess, and other shared spaces help shape a school's climate. The way students interact during these times plays a significant role in determining whether the environment feels safe, respectful, and welcoming.
Public school behavior programs encourage students to build healthy relationships, develop positive behavior, and foster a shared responsibility among the school community. These factors contribute to a more productive campus environment and can support stronger academic outcomes for individual students.
This video explains positive support.
Demanding a Change: Why Schools Need Positive Behavior Strategies
Problems with negative student behavior occur at every grade level and can have lasting effects on students' confidence, sense of safety, and academic success. According to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics, many students continue to report avoiding certain school spaces or activities because they feel unsafe, underscoring the importance of maintaining positive school climates.
While negative behaviors undoubtedly impact a school's overall climate and each student's comfort level, studies continue to suggest that student behavior is one of the factors affecting teacher retention. Educators frequently cite classroom management challenges and disruptive behavior as contributors to job-related stress and decisions to leave the profession.
Parents evaluating schools may also find Public School Review's article, How to Spot a School Climate Problem Before Enrolling, helpful for identifying signs of a healthy learning environment.
Exploring Positive Behavioral Strategies
Because negative behavioral problems can contribute to an array of school-wide challenges, researchers have developed systematic strategies that can improve both student behavior and academic achievement.
For example, the University of Oregon, one of the leading universities studying positive behavior models, has conducted extensive research into school-wide behavior support systems. As program leaders have noted, "Investing in the social behavior of students is central to achieving academic gains."
Building on this belief, researchers have studied the effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS), more commonly referred to today as PBIS. The framework emphasizes teaching positive behaviors, reinforcing expectations, and creating consistent school-wide practices rather than relying primarily on punishment.
Research has found that:
- Early studies involving elementary schools demonstrated improvements in student reading achievement when positive behavior supports were implemented consistently.
- Studies involving high schools found that PBIS was most effective when administrators, teachers, and students all committed to the program. Schools with inconsistent implementation generally experienced weaker results.
Today, PBIS has been adopted in thousands of schools across the United States. According to the Center on PBIS, schools implementing PBIS with fidelity frequently report improvements in school climate, reductions in office discipline referrals, and increased instructional time.
Parents interested in evaluating schools beyond discipline statistics may also find Public School Review's article, How to Compare Public School Value Beyond Test Scores, useful when comparing educational environments.
This TEDTalk explains how positive support works.
How Schools Are Shifting Their Behavioral Practices
The EMSTAC, the Elementary and Middle Schools Technology and Assistance Center, outlined several core strategies for successfully implementing positive behavior programs in schools. While specific frameworks have evolved, these recommendations remain consistent with today's PBIS implementation practices.
Schools are encouraged to establish leadership teams that oversee behavior initiatives, involve teachers, parents, and administrators throughout the planning process, develop school-wide expectations that are clearly communicated to students, provide ongoing professional development for staff, and regularly review behavioral data to evaluate progress and identify areas for improvement.
Behavior plans should also remain flexible. As student needs change, schools should refine their strategies, evaluate outcomes, and adjust interventions accordingly. This continuous improvement process helps ensure that behavior programs remain effective and responsive to the needs of the school community.
The Center on PBIS emphasizes that successful implementation depends on ongoing coaching, data-driven decision-making, and consistent support for educators throughout the school year.
Parents interested in understanding how school leadership evaluates overall school performance may also find Public School Review's article, What Happens During a School Inspection? A Parent's Guide, useful.
Why PBIS Continues to Grow
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has become one of the most widely adopted behavior frameworks in American public schools. Rather than reacting to inappropriate behavior after it occurs, PBIS emphasizes teaching students clear behavioral expectations, recognizing positive choices, and creating a consistent school culture where expectations are understood by everyone.
Schools implementing PBIS often report improvements beyond discipline. Many experience increased instructional time, fewer office referrals, improved attendance, and stronger relationships between students and staff. These outcomes contribute to a learning environment where students are better able to focus on academics while developing important social and emotional skills.
Families evaluating schools may also wish to read Public School Review's article, Do Expulsion and Suspension Work in Public Schools?, which examines how many schools are balancing accountability with proactive approaches to student behavior.
Information About PBIS from the Minnesota Department of Education
The Minnesota Department of Education continues to describe PBIS as a framework designed to create positive, predictable, and supportive learning environments for all students.
According to the department, research shows that when school environments are positive and predictable, students generally feel safer, demonstrate stronger academic performance, make better behavioral choices, and benefit from increased instructional time. Schools implementing PBIS also commonly report reductions in office discipline referrals, suspensions, and referrals to special education for behavior-related concerns.
The department also explains that PBIS is not a curriculum. Instead, it is a framework for planning and problem-solving that includes the direct teaching of behavioral expectations alongside academic instruction. Schools establish consistent expectations and provide proactive, research-based supports that can be used by students, teachers, support staff, volunteers, families, and community members.
Parent involvement remains another key component of successful PBIS implementation. Families provide valuable insight into their children's strengths, needs, and learning styles. When schools and parents work together to reinforce positive expectations both at school and at home, students are more likely to demonstrate positive behavior, maintain stronger attendance, and experience greater academic success.
The Bottom Line
Public schools increasingly recognize that academic success and student behavior are closely connected. Creating safe, respectful, and supportive learning environments benefits not only individual students but entire school communities.
Positive behavior frameworks such as PBIS encourage schools to move beyond reactive discipline by teaching expectations, reinforcing positive behaviors, and involving educators, families, and students in building a positive school culture. Research conducted over the past two decades continues to support these approaches, and many districts have integrated PBIS into their broader school improvement efforts.
For parents evaluating schools, positive behavior programs should be viewed alongside academics, school climate, leadership, and student support services. Schools that invest in fostering respectful relationships and consistent behavioral expectations are often creating environments where students are better positioned to succeed both socially and academically.
