Arrow left
Back

Harnessing the Power of PBIS for Your School District

How to reduce discipline, increase academic outcomes, and provide an equitable learning environment.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
February 3, 2023

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

Subscribe via Email

Receive the best school culture resources monthly to inspire your planning.

Harnessing the Power of PBIS for Your School District

How to reduce discipline, increase academic outcomes, and provide an equitable learning environment.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
February 3, 2023
The modern classroom is an ever-changing environment, and it is important for school districts to have a unified approach to student behavior.

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.
The modern classroom is an ever-changing environment, and it is important for school districts to have a unified approach to student behavior.

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

quote icon
Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

Harnessing the Power of PBIS for Your School District

How to reduce discipline, increase academic outcomes, and provide an equitable learning environment.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
February 3, 2023

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

No items found.

Subscribe via Email

Receive the best school culture resources monthly to inspire your planning.
Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

About the Presenter

Jordan resides in Lexington, Kentucky. He has experience in Public Education as an Administrator, Science Teacher, and as a Coach. He has extensive experience with School Discipline, PBIS, SEL, Restorative Practices, MTSS, and Trauma-Informed Care.

About the Event

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

Register Now

About the Event

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

The modern classroom is an ever-changing environment, and it is important for school districts to have a unified approach to student behavior.

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

All Reward Ideas for Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Talk Time
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Reservations
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Food-Themed Party
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Recess
Grades K-5
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Passing Period Music
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Attendance Popcorn Party
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Amazing Race
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Play Games
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Picnic Lunch
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Principal for a Day
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Theme Party
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Hat Pass
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Anime Themed Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Fast Pass
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
School Assembly
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Ice Cream Sundae Party
Grades K-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe

All Reward Ideas for Elementary School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Seat Swap
Grades 3-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Seating Choice
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
School Supplies & Merch
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Reservations
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Stuffed Animal in Class
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Partner Work
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Tech Time
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Serenade
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch with an Admin
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Career Day
Grades 3-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Wristband
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free

All Event Ideas for Schools

All Free Reward Ideas for Schools

All Reward Ideas for High School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Movie Night
Grades 9-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Emcee the Announcements
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Decades Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Old School Cookout
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Books
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Hallway High-Five
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Dress Up or Down Day
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Art Contest
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Bonfire
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Snacks
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Holiday Delivery
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Early Lunch Dismissal
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Design the Bulletin Board
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY

All Reward Ideas for Middle School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Create the Seating Chart
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Play Games
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Gift Cards
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Homework Pass
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Water Bottle Stickers
Grades 6-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
School Assembly
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Brain Break
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Dress Up or Down Day
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Tutor
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Principal for a Day
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Technology
Grades 6-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Reservations
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Graduation Celebration
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher for the Day
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
The A-List
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Snacks
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY

All Student Reward & Incentive Ideas

💰
🎨
Pen Pouch
Grades K-8
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Books
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Teacher Serenade
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
School Spirit Day
Grades K-12
School
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Trip to the Treasure Box
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
School Supplies & Merch
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
💰
🎨
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Parking Spots
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
♟️Chess With the Principal
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Assist the Custodian.
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Dress Up or Down Day
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Water Bottle Stickers
Grades 6-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Free Dress
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Sports Tickets
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
💰
🎨
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Emcee the Announcements
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Virtual Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Q&A
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Social Media Reporter
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Host a Virtual Party. 🎶
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Student Spotlight Board
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Classroom DJ
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Donate $1
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Brain Break
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
See all Rewards

Want more ideas?

Rewards that Rock 🎸 has 100+ rewards, incentives, and event ideas to build your school culture.
Find Rewards
Learn more about the author, 
Jordan Pruitt
 
Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

The modern classroom is an ever-changing environment, and it is important for school districts to have a unified approach to student behavior.

Having behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district can help ensure that students across the district are receiving the same educational opportunities and that there is a level playing field for students in every classroom.

In a recent episode of The Flywheel Effect, we sat down with Kim Wood of Placer County Schools to explore the benefits of school districts using similar behavior plans across all their schools and how it can help to create an equitable learning environment for all students.

About Kim Wood And Placer County

Placer County, California is home to 16 unique school districts. Kim Wood is a behavior specialist and PBIS Coach for the Placer County Office of Education. She is tasked with leading behavioral support programs that are consistent from a fundamental perspective but also adaptable to the unique needs of the individual schools she oversees. 

Kim has worked in the field of behavior analysis for over 25 years, with experiences including implementing intensive early intervention programs for children with autism, setting up behaviorally-based classrooms, utilizing organizational behavior management strategies to improve systems and staff performance, consulting with general and special education classrooms on global behavior management strategies, and coaching teams on the implementation of positive behavior intervention plans.

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic approach used in schools to promote positive behavior and reduce or prevent problem behavior. PBIS is based on the idea that clear expectations and positive reinforcement can reduce or prevent problem behavior in the school environment. It involves teaching students about expected behavior and providing them with positive reinforcement when they demonstrate desired behaviors. 

The PBIS points framework also includes strategies for responding to problem behaviors, such as providing logical and consistent consequences. At the core of PBIS is the idea that all students should have access to a safe, positive learning environment. 

The PBIS framework provides a framework for school staff to design, implement, and evaluate school-wide systems of support. It involves developing clear expectations and teaching students how to meet those expectations. 

Schools can use PBIS expectations to create behavior plans and reward systems to help students develop and maintain appropriate behavior. PBIS is widely used in schools and has been shown to reduce problem behavior, improve school climate, and increase academic performance. 

It is a proactive approach to behavior management that has been proven to be effective in improving student behavior and creating a positive school climate.

8 Benefits to Whole District PBIS Implementation

  1. Program Visibility

We talk a lot about celebrating student achievement, and for good reason. But we tend to overlook the hard work of our staff sometimes. It’s a job and we are expected to carry out our duties and provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

But to provide that optimal learning environment we often need to innovate and pour a little extra sweat equity into our building programs. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that? 

With district-wide implementation, you can create the conditions necessary to share the wins and innovations that your leaders are achieving at the school level with their colleagues across the district.

  1. Support

Sometimes district personnel can get a bad reputation. If they aren’t seen in schools very often it can seem like district leaders are working in a “Crystal Castle” as Dedeeh Newbern put it in another recent episode of the podcast. 

But when you have radically different approaches to behavior management happening in all of your schools it can be quite difficult to offer much help. 

By providing the PBIS template across all your schools you are ensuring that the professionals charged to lead your district are familiar with the behavior structure of every school they step into which means they are better equipped to provide the type of support our teachers and school-level leaders could really use.

If you have an event in your community that you think might spike behavior events in your schools then your district office can now be boots on the ground to help ease the burden because they are familiar with the processes in use at those schools.

  1. Funding

Support can be literally “boots on the ground” as we mentioned earlier. But there is an even more practical way to support behavior and school culture from the district level: fund it. 💰

Implementing PBIS across your district allows you to now write it into your improvement plans and most importantly, write it into your budget. It’s one thing to encourage your schools to improve their discipline practices…but in this case, the old saying applies: “sometimes you gotta put your money where your mouth is.”

  1. Accountability

By creating an environment where everyone is operating within the same basic structure you also create an environment where the variables can now be transferred from qualitative observations to quantitative observations

You now have data that can be used to create more equitable practices across all schools. 

For example, take a common data point: discipline referrals. Those referrals are an outcome tied to the system being used at the school. If one school reports 10 referrals and the other reports 1000… does that tell you anything useful? 

Not really. 

But if both schools are using a PBIS behavior plan you can now start looking at the levers at work in each building and not only understand those numbers but also provide support to improve both schools.

  1. A Shared Culture

A shared culture and values amongst schools in the same district can promote unity, consistency, and equity in education. It creates a sense of belonging, and identity in your district. 

  1. Collaboration Amongst Leaders

Collaboration and the sharing of resources will foster creativity, efficiency, and innovation. 

It creates a culture of collaboration and cooperation, leading to better results and a stronger organization. 

Would the culture in your district improve if the leaders in your district had a shared language around behavior? 

  1. Decrease in Suspensions

Suspensions reduce students' access to education, increase dropout rates, and can lead to even more negative outcomes. 

Those negative outcomes include higher involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems for your students, or the “school to prison pipeline” as it has been unfortunately dubbed.

By focusing your efforts on teaching, recognizing, and reinforcing positive behaviors you're going to decrease negative outcomes for your students.

  1. Increase in Instructional Minutes

Decreasing your exclusionary discipline practices and promoting positive behavior also has a direct impact on the reason your schools exist in the first place: student learning. 

By reducing negative behaviors you are reducing class disruptions which lead to class exclusion and therefore increasing the time your teachers have to instruct your students.

A Common but Flexible Structure

We have talked at length about the benefits of a common structure and a top-down approach to school discipline across your district. There is one caveat to that: each school is different and PBIS should be applied with that in mind. Or as Kim so eloquently put it on the podcast:

“Each PBIS Program should be like a snowflake, the same basic components are consistent with each but no two programs should be exactly the same.”

The goal here is to provide common structures upon which local leaders can build to create programs that work for their students. This is why PBIS is so effective as a district-wide tool. 

It works best when it is supported by the district and molded by the school.

Having common but flexible structures between schools promotes collaboration, consistency, and equity within a community. This helps ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their school.

Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL. For more on PBIS tiers, check out episode 29 of our podcast!

All Reward Ideas for Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Blood Drive
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Lost & Found Fashion Show
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Passing Period Music
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Books
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Talk Time
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
The Big Ticket
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Trip to the Treasure Box
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Special Screening
Grades K-12
School
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Music Fest
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Book
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Karaoke Night
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Line Leader
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Emcee the Announcements
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch with an Admin
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY

All Reward Ideas for Elementary School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Movie Posters
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Trip to the Treasure Box
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
School Supplies & Merch
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Read Across America
Grades K-8
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Design the Bulletin Board
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Snack Pack
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Line Leader
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Board Game Party
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch with an Admin
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Firebird of the Month
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Family Feast
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Video Game Rewards
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY

All Event Ideas for Schools

💰
🎨
Family Feast
💰
🎨
Career Day
💰
🎨
STEM Field Day
💰
🎨
Amazing Race
💰
🎨
Decades Party
💰
🎨
Glow Party
💰
🎨
Bonfire
💰
🎨
Karaoke Night
💰
🎨
Art Contest

All Free Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
🎉
👑
🎁
Play Games
🎉
👑
🎁
Operate Equipment.
🎉
👑
🎁
Drop Lowest Quiz
🎉
👑
🎁
Meet the Teacher
🎉
👑
🎁
Meme Party
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Fast Pass
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
🎉
👑
🎁
Stairway Messages
🎉
👑
🎁
Homework Pass
🎉
👑
🎁
Special Screening

All Reward Ideas for High School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Movie Posters
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Glow Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Game Week
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Art Contest
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Be a Comedian.
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Ice Cream Sundae Party
Grades K-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Books
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Host a Virtual Party. 🎶
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Homework Pass
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Holidays Around the World
Grades K-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Old School Cookout
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Gift Cards
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
♟️Chess With the Principal
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Stairway Messages
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Free

All Reward Ideas for Middle School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
School Supplies & Merch
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Hallway High-Five
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Firebird of the Month
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Design the Bulletin Board
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Meme Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Snacks
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Pet
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Sports Tickets
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Homework Pass
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Art Contest
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher v Student Competition
Grades 6-12
School
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
School Assembly
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Loudspeaker Shoutout
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Student Reward & Incentive Ideas

💰
🎨
Special Screening
Grades K-12
School
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Passing Period Music
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Uber by a Principal
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Class Jobs
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Tech Time
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Game of Thrones
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Color a Teacher’s Hair
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Extra Reading Time
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Cut the Principal’s Tie
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Student Spotlight Board
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Lunch Concert
Grades 6-8
Class/House
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Hallway High-Five
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Stuffed Animal in Class
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Early Lunch Dismissal
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Virtual Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Host a Virtual Party. 🎶
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Donate $1
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Q&A
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Social Media Reporter
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Brain Break
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Classroom DJ
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
See all Rewards

Want more ideas?

Rewards that Rock 🎸 has 100+ rewards, incentives, and event ideas to build your school culture.
Find Rewards
Learn more about the author, 
Jordan Pruitt
 

Bring a positive culture to life with school-wide points

Schedule a Demo