State education officials will recognize 312 Missouri public and charter schools on Wednesday, June 12 for successful adoption and implementation of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support (SW-PBS), a comprehensive approach for improving student behavior and academic performance.

The schools will be honored during the eighth annual Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support Summer Training Instituteat Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, where more than 1,200 educators are expected to attend. The Summer Training Institute is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the University of Missouri Center for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support.

Margie Vandeven, deputy commissioner at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will recognize the award recipients. Schools are awarded a recognition level (gold, silver or bronze), which represents the extent of their implementation of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support strategies and the evidence they have compiled about the initiative’s impact in their school.

"The schools receiving recognitions for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to school improvement for their staff, students and families across a number of specified criteria," said Missouri SW-PBS State Coordinator Mary Richter, Ph.D. “Schools that incorporate these types of supportive environments make a real difference in the lives of all students, including those who deal with behavior challenges every day. Implementing the systems, data and practices that make for sustainable Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support improvement is a collaborative effort among all stakeholders and we are privileged to work with them.”

Preparing students for college, other postsecondary training and a career is one of the primary goals of the Top 10 by 20 initiative, which calls for Missouri to rank among the top 10 performing states in education by the year 2020.

Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support is a systematic approach to creating safer and more effective schools by structuring the learning environment to support the academic and social success of all students. It focuses on data-based decision-making, encouraging positive student behavior, preventing disruptive behavior and tailoring academic strategies to individual student needs.

During the 2012-2013 school year, approximately 740 Missouri schools participated in the Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support initiative.

More information about Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support can be found at pbismissouri.org.