Evans Bryant

10/05/2023 · Elementary School

Introduction For those school personnel implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) but who have disproportionality in their data, it is time to add another layer to address this issue. According to the Elementary and Middle Schools Technical Assistance Center (n.d.), disproportionality "refers to the over- or under-representation of a given population group, often defined by racial or ethnic backgrounds, but also defined by socioeconomic status, national origin, English proficiency, gender, and sexual orientation, in a specific population category". Specifically, African American males have been disproportionately represented in disciplinary sanctions among ethnic groups (Bradshaw, Mitchell, O'Brennan, \& Leaf, 2010; Skiba, Michael, Nardo, \& Peterson, 2002; Vincent, Randall, Cartledge, Tobin, \& Swain-Bradway, 2011). The premise of this article is to challenge SWPBS schools to move toward a more culturally responsive framework (see Figure). SWPBS has the potential to pivot toward a culturally responsive and inclusive approach that would increase positive outcomes for students of color. School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS), also known as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), is a multi-faceted, evidence-based practice