Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a research-based practice to improve overall school climate, maximize academic achievement, and address the specific needs of all your students. Learn about advances in school-wide PBIS, academic interventions, successful interventions with students with challenging behaviors, and effective data-based decision making.

 

Special strand on services for adults with IDD, focusing on implementing Positive Behavior Support (PBS) within and across programs to enhance individuals’ quality of life, prevent challenging behaviors, and increase acquisition of functional skills. 
 

 

 

Mark D. Weist received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Virginia Tech in 1991 and is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina.

He was on the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSM) for 19 years where he helped to found and direct the Center for School Mental Health (http://csmh.umaryland.edu), one of two national centers providing leadership to the advancement of school mental health (SMH) policies and programs in the United States. He has led a number of federally funded research grants, has advised national research and policy-oriented committees, has testified before Congress, and presented to the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. He helped to found the School Mental Health International Leadership Exchange (http://www.smhile.com).

Dr. Weist has edited nine books and has published and presented widely in the SMH field in the areas of positive behavior support, trauma, violence and youth, evidence-based practice, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

 

Brandi Simonsen is an associate professor of Special Education with tenure in the Department of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education and the Co-Director of the Center for Behavioral Education and Research (CBER; www.cber.org) at the University of Connecticut. She is the co-coordinator of the Northeast PBIS Network, and she is a partner of the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS; www.pbis.org). Dr. Simonsen is currently the Vice President of the Association for Positive Behavior Support (www.apbs.org). Also, Dr. Simonsen serves as an associate editor for two key journals: Journal of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Remedial and Special Education.
 

Currently, Dr. Simonsen conducts research, publishes, teaches, and provides training/technical assistance in the areas of (a) school- and class-wide PBIS, (b) positive and proactive professional development supports for teachers, and (c) applications of PBIS in alternative education settings.  In addition, Dr. Simonsen coordinates UConn’s Graduate Certificate Program in School-wide Positive Behavior Support.
 

Before joining the faculty at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Simonsen was the director of a non-public (alternative) school serving students with disabilities who presented with challenging educational and behavioral needs. In addition to serving as an administrator and clinician, Dr. Simonsen has previously been certified as a teacher of elementary general education and middle-secondary special education.

 

   

George Sugai (pictured above) received his M.Ed. in 1974 and Ph.D. in 1980 at the University of Washington. His primary areas of interests are positive behavior support (PBS), systems change, personnel preparation, behavioral disorders, social skills instruction, behavioral consultation, behavioral assessment procedures, applied behavior analysis (ABA), and strategies for effective school-wide, classroom, and individual behavior management.

Currently, at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Sugai is the Carole J. Neag Endowed Chair in Behavior Disorders and professor with tenure. He has taught graduate level special education courses in applied behavior analysis, emotional or behavioral disorders, behavioral consultation, social skills instruction, and classroom/behavior management. He is Research Scientist in the Center for Behavioral Education and Research at the Neag School of Education, which focuses on research and outreach activities related to promoting effective academic and social behavior supports. Sugai has presented at numerous local, national, and international conferences and professional meetings, and has served as advisor to the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services. 
 

As Project Director or Co-Director of major training or research grants totaling over $60 million, Dr. Sugai has ample experience in the implementation, operation, and supervision of grant-related projects. Dr. Sugai has a noteworthy publication record in refereed journals. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles, numerous monographs, and five college textbooks on effective teaching practices and ABA. Dr. Sugai’s research emphasizes effective applications of ABA principles and PBS procedures to problems found in educational contexts. 
 

Dr. Sugai is currently co-director (with Rob Horner at the University of Oregon and Tim Lewis at the University of Missouri) of the National Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. The Center has been established by the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education to give schools capacity-building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices.