Project Target is a five-year collaborative project of MSDE, local school systems, Sheppard Pratt Health System, the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, and the Johns Hopkins Graduate Division of Education to evaluate the effects of PBIS in Maryland schools. The study is being implemented in collaboration with five school systems: Allegany County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Charles County and Washington County. 37 elementary schools are participating in the study with 24 using PBIS and 13 using standard practices within the school system. This project will provide local school systems and the State with the data necessary to determine the actual benefits obtained by PBIS when compared with other efforts also being undertaken by local schools. The project not only involves monitoring student behaviors in schools but also obtaining reports directly from staff and students concerning their perceptions of school climate.
Specifically Project Target will determine:
· if schools that implement the PBIS model have fewer discipline referrals than schools that do not implement this model;
· if students in schools implementing PBIS have higher academic achievement than students in other schools;
· if students in PBIS schools are less likely to exhibit disruptive behavior and aggressive behavior;
· if teachers in PBIS schools have higher rates of attendance and greater retention than teachers in non-PBIS schools.
Funding to support the evaluation has been acquired through the combined resources of MSDE and the JHU Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, and through grants to Johns Hopkins University from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH067948) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (RA49/CCR318627).