Longitudinal Evaluation of Behavior Support Intervention in a Public Middle School

Abstract

Student discipline problems are common in public schools; they interfere with instruction, create an unsafe learning environment, and demand increased attention from staff. Effective schoolwide discipline practices have been designed, but in most cases, intervention efficacy has been evaluated in the short term. This report describes a longitudinal (4-year) evaluation of a behavior support program implemented with the entire student population in a public middle school. The number of student detentions issued for disruptive—antisocial behaviors, vandalism, and substance use decreased progressively during each academic year. In addition, student attendance increased each year, as well as the proportion of students earning positive reinforcement. Although it represents a nonexperimental analysis, this evaluation documents protracted effects from a schoolwide behavioral intervention and suggests that long-term maintenance from such intervention can be achieved.