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Abstract: 

Advancing any program or initiative in the United States will interface with federalism, or the fact that states and local entities share power with the federal government. In many circumstances, this can result in a patchwork of initiatives with strength in some communities, no progress in others, and a variety of other scenarios in between. This has certainly been the case for school behavioral health (SBH) programs and initiatives. As presented throughout this series of four special issues of the Report on Emotional & Behavioral Disorders in Youth (EBDY), we use the term SBH to reflect more comprehensive school mental health (SMH) efforts working closely with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) toward greater depth, quality, and impact in promotion/prevention (Tier 1), early intervention (Tier 2), and intervention within multi-tiered systems of support. Related to federalism, there is significant variability in SMH and PBIS among the U.S. states, and for the most part, these initiatives are not working together as effectively as with well-done SBH.

Keywords: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Affiliations:  1: University of South Carolina; 2: Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC).