Qualitative study of benefits of the intensive behavioral support program at Peck Full Service Community School in Holyoke, Massachusetts : a project based upon an investigation at Peck Full Service Community School, Holyoke. Massachusetts

Students presenting chronic behavioral challenges are few, yet they account for disproportionately high numbers of disciplinary referrals. These small numbers of students greatly impact the educational, behavioral, and socio-emotional outcomes of the entire student population and the functioning of the school as a whole. These students often respond in behaviorally undesired ways to their complex, unaddressed needs and to the environmental factors outside of their control. This pattern becomes especially pervasive in urban schools, where students face far greater challenges than in other settings. The typically used measures to address their behaviors often prove relatively ineffective and have the potential to be punitive, reactive, and highly inefficient. As a result, these students continue to exhibit behavioral challenges, which is detrimental to their own learning and all other students\u27 educational outcomes. Having students\u27 unaddressed needs and general student population\u27s wellbeing in mind, Peck Full Service Community School in Holyoke, Massachusetts implemented a comprehensive system of behavioral support for students with chronic behavioral challenges. This study is an evaluation of the Intensive Behavioral Support program, with the goal of identifying the benefits of this type of support in comparison to the typically used behavioral interventions