The Role Of A Principal In Establishing And Maintaining Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (pbis): An Ethnographic Case Study

An ethnographic case study was used to examine roles of a principal in implementing and maintaining positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in one North Dakota elementary school. Observations, school documents, and semi-structured interviews were analyzed to identify the role of a principal. Skinner’s reinforcement theory and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory served as theoretical frameworks. Research indicates a trend in the increase of PBIS in schools across the country. A need remains to identify the role of elementary principals utilizing PBIS in North Dakota elementary schools. Certified and classified staff were interviewed to examine their perspectives on the role of an elementary school principal. Eight themes emerged with one common theme being the most significant: communication. Themes developed into three assertions that expanded upon collaborative professionalism to innovate and improve PBIS for principals across North Dakota. Keywords: principals, positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), ethnography, ethnographic studies, leadership, school culture

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThis study compared females and males with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and normal intelligence to explore sex differences in onset and trajectory of ASD symptoms as well as developmental tasks and social functioning. Personality traits were also studied, as was the presence of psychiatric problems. Twenty-one females and 21 males with ASD between the ages of 13 and 35 years of age participated in the study. Although these 42 individuals are the "participants," their parents provided important information about development of symptoms and functioning that the individuals with ASD may not have recalled. Both participants and parents of participants completed comprehensive structured interview and rating scales that evaluated ASD symptoms and social-behavioral functioning. Parents also completed a symptom report form, and participants with ASD completed an IQ test to determine eligibility for the study and a personality test. Results show that parents of female participants noticed ASD symptoms at a later age than parents of males (e.g., sensory symptoms and abnormal social interactions) and reported these to professionals at a later age (i.e., around 7 years for females compared to 3 years, 9 months for males). Professionals, often the child's pediatricians, also showed a tendency to normalize the behaviors of females with ASD more often than males, and did not refer females as often for follow-up evaluations. Despite all of this, no differences were found in the ages at which an ASD diagnosis was made for both sexes, which was on average about 10 years, 9 months. Parents of females reported a more fluctuating symptom presentation than did parents of males, and also reported greater improvement over time. Despite this, female participants reported more distress over social difficulties than males, and this seemed to be consistent over time. Parents of females tended to notice their daughters having more frustration and anger than parents of males, and also observed them to engage more in self-injurious behaviors. Personality testing further showed that the older female participants endorsed more psychological problems than the younger females or the males, including problems with anxiety and depression

Outlook of North Dakota Farm Households: Results of the 1988 Longitudinal Farm Survey

Agricultural Finance, Farm Management,

Selected Socioeconomic Characteristics of North Dakota Community Residents

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Economic Effects of the 1988 Drought in North Dakota: A 1989 Update of the Financial Conditions of Farm and Ranch Operators

Agricultural Finance, Farm Management, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Families Displaced from Farming in North Dakota: Characteristics and Adjustment Experiences

Agricultural Finance, Labor and Human Capital,

RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION

The purpose of this interdisciplinary paper is to describe Response to Intervention (RTI), or multi-tier systems of support, for early literacy to improve reading outcomes for students with or at risk for reading disability. First we review the current US policy on RTI for the purpose of early literacy intervention and for identification of reading disabilities. We situate this within recent efforts in developing countries supported by the World Bank and the Early Grade Reading Assessments. Then, we highlight a large experimental study we conducted with first graders and provide findings from a third grade follow up. We conclude with implications for research, practice, and policy

RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION

The purpose of this interdisciplinary paper is to describe Response to Intervention (RTI), or multi-tier systems of support, for early literacy to improve reading outcomes for students with or at risk for reading disability. First we review the current US policy on RTI for the purpose of early literacy intervention and for identification of reading disabilities. We situate this within recent efforts in developing countries supported by the World Bank and the Early Grade Reading Assessments. Then, we highlight a large experimental study we conducted with first graders and provide findings from a third grade follow up. We conclude with implications for research, practice, and policy

Cultural Differences in the Levels of Rewards Between Adolescents from America, Australia, Tanzania, Denmark, Honduras, Korea, and Spain

The intent of this study is to determine what items are reinforcing for high school students from different regions of the world including America, Australia, Tanzania, Denmark, Honduras, Korea, and Spain. Additionally, the researchers sought to determine if there is a difference in the levels of rewards between individuals from America and individuals from these other countries. Seven hundred and fifty high school students from seven countries participated in this study. The only requirement for inclusion in the study was current enrollment in high school in their native country. Subject ages ranged from 12 to 19 years, with a mean of 15.52 years. Students were administered a 63-item survey of reward preference called the SORT-2. The SORT-2 is in English (SORT-2-EV), Spanish (SORT-2-SV), and Korean (SORT-2-KV) versions. Multiple between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on data reflecting the effects of region. The ANOVA was significant for region in 24 of the 25 items in the sports domain, 22 of the 30 items in the activity domain, and in all of the eight items in the school activity domain. The bivariate analysis indicated that participants from America were most different from those in Honduras, Tanzania, and Spain. The least amount of difference was noted in comparisons with Australia and Denmark