Examining the Effects of Systems Barriers and Implementation Strategies on School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Tier 1 Implementation Fidelity Over Time

It is common for evidence-based practices in schools to be implemented and discontinued before practitioners reach adequate implementing fidelity or achieved meaning educational outcomes. A number of systems barriers have been found to inhibit the successful implementation of evidence-based practices in service organizations. There are also a number of implementation strategies (e.g., Training, Coaching) found to facilitate the successful transfer of evidence-based practices into these service organizations. However, the extent to which these systems barriers and implementation strategies affect the fidelity that evidence-based practices are implemented in educational strategies is understudied. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the associations between Administrator Turnover, implementation strategies, and Tier 1 Implementation Fidelity using a sample of 563 schools implementing School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS). In addition, this study also examined whether implementation strategies buffer the negative influences of Administrator Turnover on Tier 1 implementation over time. Results of this study indicated that implementation strategies were significantly and positively related to Tier 1 implementation fidelity; however, Administrator Turnover was not found to be significantly associated with SWPBIS Tier 1 Implementation Fidelity. Implication of these findings, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed