The Californian reveals only one concrete finding about a new approach to school discipline being widely embraced by Bakersfield school districts: The jury is still out. Just as many respondents, 38.2 percent of the 69 who answered, feel PBIS is not effective at all at improving student behavior as those who think it is somewhat effective.
More than 40% of the educators said that PBIS has made the school more dangerous. That PBIS has let to restricted consequences and more disciplinary problems.
The above is consistent with other studies that PBIS has not shown any measurable change in a school’s safety climate.
In one study included in the peer reviewed journal, Education &Treatment of Children, there appeared to be an increase in student’s social skills, but there was no change in the overall safety of the school (Sprague, et al., 2001). In a dissertation study of schools that implemented PBIS and schools that did not implement PBIS, Hodnett (2008) noted no reduction in ODRs in terms of defining safe schools.