Behavior Blog

Universal Behavior Support

January 31, 2026

I thought I’d start with a topic that is near and dear to me and talk specifically about one misinterpreted portion of PBIS that I frequently see when I visit schools. When we train schools on implementing the principles of universal behavior support, we typically spend two full days, with plenty of work time. I’ve attached a booklet I wrote that outlines all the parts of whole school implementation. (booklet)

We spend the better part of the first day developing expectations. As trainers, we have to help people not focus on writing expectations that are “cutesy” or “idealistic”. Your expectations should reflect what you want to work on in your school. If the administration office is filled with referrals for disrespect, then one of your expectations should be to show respect for self, others, and property. This can be worded in a variety of ways, but the ultimate point is that the expectation should match what you want to teach and what your outcome will be. We try to steer people away from spelling PAWS or other words with their expectations. Frequently, we see schools that have had the same expectations for twenty years or more, and those of us in education know that schools have changed, and behaviors have changed exponentially post-pandemic. Therefore, the expectations should have changed.

I always save the uncomfortable part of the training for day two. One of the things we must address is that 100% of the staff must endorse all behaviors in the same manner. If it’s okay to have your hood up in room 127, then it must be okay for you to have your hood up in room 324. Remember, the prefrontal cortex is still forming the entire time children are in school. If not having a pencil is a referral to the office in homeroom, but the second hour teacher passes out pencils to kids who forget, then we have a problem. This means the principal should share what shows up in their office, and then, as a school, the entire staff must determine their line in the sand. These are the things we send to the office, and these are the things we take care of in the classroom. I always share the adage that a trip to the office is approximately 45 minutes of lost learning time. Is not having a pencil worth 45 minutes of lost learning time?

Because the previous topic is uncomfortable, staff members latch onto the topic I wanted to talk about today in this blog. Reinforcements for appropriate behavior. Theoretically, we should just want to do the right thing and be happy with ourselves when we do those things. Remember the prefrontal cortex in students? The reason we developed “gotchas” was actually to remind staff to compliment students on following the expectations verbally, so others around the student receiving the “gotcha” would be reminded of the expectations.

“Johnny, I’m giving you this gotcha because you picked up trash off the floor, and respecting the environment is very important here at Bethel Elementary.” (Six students immediately start looking for trash on the floor- which is fine. They got a booster shot on what is expected at the school.)

Teachers are so busy teaching and trying to get through the curriculum that they forget to compliment the good things that are going on around them. It also serves as a reminder that sometimes, the students who always do the right thing never get noticed for that. The “gotchas” serve as their reminder. The gotchas are tangible reinforcers for the students. In order to build an incentive to gain more reinforcers, we developed the idea that gotchas should be worth something. Five gotchas equals this, ten gotchas equals that, and what we were thinking were simple things like eating lunch with their favorite teacher, or getting to choose the next read-aloud to the class. We never intended for schools to have stores filled with tangible prizes, causing schools to spend money.

One of the schools in Georgia was given a $10,000 grant to implement universal behavior support. The money was intended to pay for substitute teachers, so staff could meet during the day to build their universal support plan for the school and attend national conferences to collaborate with other schools. Unfortunately, one principal decided to use some of the money to purchase mountain bikes. He bought nine of them. All gotchas were turned into a giant barrel, and once a month, he drew one name out of the barrel, and one student received a very expensive gift. This was a very poor district, and the bike was most likely stolen within the first week.

We were astounded by the misunderstanding. First, if I were a student who was barely visible in that school, I wouldn’t even try because what are my chances of winning a prize bike? Second, I doubt all the kids even wanted a bike. So Jeannie and I decided to ask. We bought spiral notebooks and started interviewing students at lunchtime in every school we visited to ask them what they would like to earn. The answers were all non-tangible items. Not one student said they wanted a bike. We compiled the answers in a book and have made it available for free electronically, and for purchase in paperback and hardback. We have put their answers into age levels and categories of what it was the student was seeking by asking for those items.

1. Privileges
2. Attention
3. Leadership
4. Praise
5. Assistance
6. Touch
7. Escape
8. Supplies