Examining Barriers to Sustained Implementation of School-Wide Prevention Practices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if an experimental five-item measure of barriers to implementing and sustaining school-wide prevention practices, the Assessment of Barriers to Implementation and Sustainability in Schools (ABISS), would relate to objective measures of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) implementation fidelity. The ABISS was administered to individuals in 704 U.S. schools implementing SWPBIS across 11 states, and scores were compared with school demographic variables and SWPBIS fidelity of implementation. Results showed acceptable model fit for the ABISS, partial measurement invariance, and statistically significant relations, after controlling for school demographic variables, with SWPBIS fidelity of implementation, except for schools implementing SWPBIS for 5 or more years. These patterns indicate substantial but decreasing relations of perceived barriers to implementation fidelity as schools continue to implement SWPBIS. Implications are discussed in terms of how assessment of perceived barriers can support implementation and sustainability of school-wide prevention practices.

Cultivating a Professional Culture of Peace and Inclusion: Conceptualizing Practical Applications of Peace Leadership in Schools

“…Whether this gap is due to resistance to new ideas or systemic implementation challenges or a combination of both is unclear. Given the reality that most school-wide socialemotional and behavioral prevention systems are implemented alongside competing efforts, such as academics (Turri et al, 2016), it is important for these knowledge components to be embedded cohesively into school culture and organizational habits. As school-wide supports are most effective when operative within a well-established MTSS framework, intentional efforts must be made to consistently make systematic connections between all efforts.…”

“…When educators approach their roles as critical parts within the larger systems, their potential impact exceeds the immediate environment and can improve even disrupt problematic social patterns within the larger societal context (Wheatley, 2006;Castells, 2010). The application of system thinking into school environments is not new, as a plethora of research has been dedicated to both school-wide interventions to achieve systems change (e.g., professional development, SWPBIS, SEL, RJ), as well as to understand the conditions needed for effective and lasting systems change in schools (Adelman and Taylor, 2007;Astor et al, 2010;Cavendish et al, 2016;Turri et al, 2016). Furthermore, the decades of research supporting the use of MTSS and similar frameworks within schools (California Department of Education, 2017), only solidifies the need for collective systems thinking for implementation of these support structures with fidelity.…”

“…Distributed leadership, as envisioned in the IPPL, is another unique contribution to the conceptualization of systems change work in schools. Since one of the most common barriers to effective and sustaining systems change is the frequency in leadership turnover within schools (Turri et al, 2016;Snodgrass Rangel, 2018), it is important to consider alternative approaches to leadership empowerment and distribution within systems change efforts. New distributed and networked models of leadership no longer see a single leader at the top of a pyramid, but identify the values of sharing roles and responsibilities throughout the school (Castells, 2010(Castells, , 2012.…”

“…While most systems-level prevention programs and national educational leadership standards also include general goals of promoting equity and social justice in schools, they typically do not include explicit or cohesive leadership development processes to guide these implementation efforts (Minkos et al, 2017). Haphazard and disjointed implementation efforts have also resulted in overwhelmed educators, limited teacher buyin, and high leadership turnover (Adelman and Taylor, 2007;Turri et al, 2016). Further, school-wide program implementation efforts often lack critical system variable considerations, such as intentional and clear processes to integrate culturally responsive practice, continuous leadership development and support, and ongoing collaborative community building opportunities (Kincaid et al, 2007;Banks and Obiakor, 2015).…”

The Responsible Inclusion of Students Receiving Special Education Services for Emotional Disturbance: Unraveling the Practice to Research Gap

“…Third, research should investigate the alignment between student needs, professional expertise, and allocation of resources that is necessary for students with ED to benefit from inclusive placements. Similarly, schools must be able to identify and respond to potential implementation barriers such as changes in education policy, staffing levels and expertise, and resource allocation (Turri et al, 2016). These related lines of research will require strong researcher-practitioner partnerships, which are particularly salient when considering the implementation of complex practices (see Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005) such as inclusive instruction for students with ED.…”