Tackling School Discipline Issues with Positive Behavior Support Erasmus Project

Project Title

Tackling School Discipline Issues with Positive Behavior Support

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Inclusion – equity; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

The number of students with diverse academic and behavioural needs included in general education classrooms has been increasing significantly over time. Students who lack behind academically are often likely to exhibit socio-emotional and behavioral issues. Preventing school failure and promoting a socially inclusive schoolwide framework is the focus of the TaSDi-PBS project. Specifically, the TaSDi-PBS project purports in examining the feasibility of the Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) across five European countries (Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, The Netherlands). The SWPBS originated in the United States of America as a preventative three-tiered approach to school violence and discipline more than three decades ago (Sugai & Horner, 1999). In the TaSDi-PBS project, partners aim to implement elements of SWPBS in a culturally responsive manner across elementary schools.

The project’s specific objectives were:
– Review research literature on the national and European policies and reports related to school violence and discipline
– Review research literature on evidence-based practices of school prevention and SWPBS effectiveness
– Conduct a needs assessment survey in order to identify student behavioral needs
– Adapt elements (practices, systems, data) of the SWPBS framework in a culturally responsive manner in each country context
– Conduct teacher training on culturally relevant elements of SWPBS (practices, systems, data)
– Support elementary schools in implementing SWPBS elements

The TaSDi-PBS consortium pursued all of the above through the following specific activities:
– School Violence and discipline ecosystem map and gap analysis
– Methodological framework and evidence-based practices on school discipline
– Development of instructional guide on schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports
– Assessment tools for decision-based making)
– Professional development teacher guide on direct social skill instruction
– Development of modules on effective classroom management
– Implementation reports and case studies on SWPBS

Seven organizations participated in the TaSDi-PBS project (UNIST, Croatia; OS Manus, Croatia; CARDET, Cyprus; INNOVADE, Cyprus; University of Crete, Greece; AMPANS, Spain; Windesheim, Netherlands).
University of Split – The specific expertise of the teachers and researchers that were used in this project are an understanding of the socio-cultural factors that produce individual differences, specialist knowledge about disability and children’s learning needs, awareness of educational and social issues that can affect children’s learning, and partnership among parents and teachers of children with special needs.
Manuš – Staff worked closely with researchers from UNSIT in order to implement the SWPBS approach (Tier I level) in their school.
CARDET – Has a long standing experience and expertise in the areas of education, transversal skills provision, instructional design, development of educational tools and activities, curriculum design, innovation and teachers training. It has developed a number of outputs and products based on ICT and WEB 2.0 technologies for student engagement and teacher professional development.
INNOVADE- The project benefited from INNOVADE expertise in e-learning development, project management and evaluation, as well as in the area of dissemination and exploitation of results.
University of Crete – The School of Education has aim to provide quality teaching and initial training and preparation for its students and to promote educational research and pedagogic applications.
AMPANS – Manages centers, services and programs for people with intellectual disabilities and behavioral disorders and / or mental illness. In these centers, services and programs Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is incorporated.
Windesheim University – House various professionals with expertise in special educational needs with a focus on preparing teachers for the diversity in their classrooms in secondary schools. The PBS Expertise centre combines training, expertise, school development, and research.

The consortium designed and implemented an Exploitation Plan, which includes specific approaches and actions undertaken by each partner, in order to reach both decision-makers and individual end-users, actively involve them in the project and convince them about the educational value and relevance of its results. Exploitation was boosted by involving members of the target groups in the designing phase of the project as well as in the piloting and implementation phase. Case studies of successful implementation of the approach and material are show-cased in order to convince more stakeholders to utilise project products and results.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 155826 Eur

Project Coordinator

SVEUCILISTE U SPLITU (UNIVERSITY OF SPLIT) & Country: HR

Project Partners

• STICHTING CHRISTELIJKE HOGESCHOOL WINDESHEIM
• PANEPISTIMIO KRITIS
• INNOVADE LI LTD
• FUNDACIO AMPANS
• Osnovna skola Manus
• CENTRE FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LTD-CARDET