School Teams’ Reported Implementation of Family–School Partnerships in PBIS: Current Practices and Opportunities for Growth

Abstract

Despite the potential benefits of integrating family–school partnerships into school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), many barriers persist that limit a school’s ability to engage in meaningful family–school partnerships. These barriers to implementation suggest the importance of understanding the extent to which school teams can overcome these obstacles and promote family–school partnerships in PBIS. The present study adds to the literature by evaluating school teams’ reported implementation of different recommended practices in family–school partnerships in PBIS. Specifically, school teams in the U.S. state of Massachusetts (N = 79) participating in a 3-year PBIS implementation training program completed a survey (65% response rate) where they reported the extent to which they were implementing family–school partnership practices in PBIS across a variety of domains. Findings suggest relative strengths (i.e., communication, resources) and opportunities for growth (i.e., shared decision-making) in schools’ implementation of family–school partnership strategies in PBIS. We also found school characteristics related to increased enrollment and greater racial diversity of the student body posed additional challenges for school staff in ensuring high fidelity implementation of family–school partnership strategies in PBIS. We end with suggestions for researchers and practitioners to boost implementation of key features of family–school partnerships in PBIS via equitable and culturally responsive implementation strategies.