The Challenge
Research shows that Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) lead to decreases in the time spent on discipline issues, decreases in dropout rates, and increases in the perception of school safety. Stakeholders in Philadelphia are looking to create an infrastructure within the School District that will continue to support PBIS as a sustainable model and a system-wide strategy to address school climate and discipline issues.
The Project
Through her Emerging Leader Fellowship, Kelly Siegel worked with Public Citizens for Children and Youth‘s (PCCY) education and behavioral health teams to implement an advocacy agenda to support the adoption of PBIS as a system-wide strategy in the School District of Philadelphia. She worked closely with leadership at the District and state levels to advocate for PBIS implementation. As a result, the School District’s strategic plan included the promise of support for PBIS, and state and nonprofit funding was secured to assist with training facilitators for its roll-out. Kelly and PCCY also helped to craft job descriptions for new positions at the District to help sustain the implementation of PBIS moving forward.
