Report page 109

Schools are successfully focusing BTAM on situations most likely to affect safety

Taken together, our results suggest schools are successfully focusing BTAM on situations most likely to affect student and school safety while relying on other behavioral teams or processes for less severe cases—a critical balance that helps maintain the integrity of the behavioral threat assessment process.

• Doing BTAM Right
• Scope Severity Focus

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Most schools incorporate individualized interventions, tailoring supports to student needs

Most schools are incorporating individualized interventions into plans developed as part of the threat management process, often tailoring supports to meet the specific needs and circumstances of students.

• Intervention Planning
• Intervention Tailoring

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Principals’ responses show schools use a variety of interventions addressing root causes

Principals’ responses demonstrate that schools are using a variety of interventions to address the root cause of student behaviors and treat a broad range of student needs.

• Intervention Menu
• Support Focused Interventions

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Scenario responses reveal schools are not overly relying on any single intervention

Responses to scenario-based questions in particular reveal that schools are not overly relying on any single intervention to address student needs, which is appropriate for the types of complex cases often referred to BTAM teams.

• Intervention Count
• Intervention Tailoring

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BTAM efforts reflect commitment to supportive measures over exclusionary discipline or police

School BTAM efforts generally reflect a commitment to using supportive measures that address root causes of concerning behaviors, rather than relying primarily on exclusionary discipline practices or referrals to law enforcement.

• Doing BTAM Right
• Support Focused Interventions

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Discussion: schools prioritize counseling, trusted relationships, skill-building over restriction

Survey results show that schools prioritize interventions, such as counseling with mental health professionals, building trusted relationships with adults, and skill-building services over restrictive measures.

• Response Support Focused
• Support Focused Interventions

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Discussion: even in the most severe scenarios, supportive interventions were the largest share

Even in the most severe scenarios presented to principals, supportive interventions consistently composed the largest share of response strategies.

• Response Support Focused
• Scenario Severity Levels

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Over 75 percent rarely or never use exclusionary discipline; 80 percent rarely or never arrest

Sample (N = 1379) · Teams answering exclusionary discipline and arrest/prosecution questions (Figure 9.2)

Over 75 percent said they rarely or never use exclusionary discipline, and 80 percent rarely or never arrest or prosecute students referred to BTAM teams.

• Arrest Prosecution
• Exclusionary Discipline

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Pattern shows BTAM teams function as a preventative approach of early intervention and support

This pattern demonstrates that BTAM teams function as intended—as a preventative approach focused on early intervention and support rather than punishment, helping students address underlying issues while keeping them connected to school.

• Doing BTAM Right
• Prevention

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Parents are a key part of schools’ behavioral threat management processes

Parents are a key part of schools’ behavioral threat management processes.

• Parents Families

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Only 20 percent of schools directly involve parents in planning; most consult them

Sample (n = undeterminable of 1384) · Teams answering intervention/safety plan components question

Though our survey results show that only 20 percent of schools directly involve parents in the intervention and support planning process, an overwhelming majority consult parents as part of this process.

• Intervention Planning
• Parents Families

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Schools are not planning interventions in isolation; parent buy-in is key to success

This suggests that schools are not conducting intervention planning in isolation and that parent buy-in is key to the success of an intervention plan.

• Parents Families

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One-third of schools believe parents’ unwillingness to implement or participate is a key challenge

In fact, one-third of schools believe that parents’ unwillingness to implement or participate in recommended interventions is a key challenge to operating their BTAM program.

• Current Challenges
• Parent Unwillingness

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Discussion: principals believe BTAM has a net positive impact on safety and school climate

Principals around the country believe that BTAM is having a net positive impact on improving safety at their schools and also helping to create more positive school climates.

• Effect School Climate
• Effect School Safety
• Perceived Effects

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Principals think BTAM is decreasing rates of crime, violence and self-harm

Survey responses show that principals think BTAM is decreasing rates of crime and violence at school, as well as rates of self-harm.

• Effect Violence Suicide
• Perceived Effects

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Many principals strongly agree BTM is preferred over exclusionary discipline approaches

Many also strongly agree that BTM is a preferred approach to managing student behavior concerns, compared with previous approaches that relied primarily on exclusionary discipline measures.

• Effect Exclusionary Discipline
• Perceived Effects

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Survey results identified opportunities for future focus: five continuing challenges

Despite these strong overarching messages, our survey results also identified opportunities for future focus. In particular, principals identified five key continuing challenges:

• Current Challenges
• Implications Recommendations

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Even though most schools adopted BTAM, there is considerable variability in approaches

Even though most schools have adopted BTAM, there is still considerable variability in the approaches they use.

• Variability Of Approaches

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Schools often borrow selectively from named programs and blend them with local practices

According to principals’ reports, schools often borrow selectively from nationally recognized, named programs and blend elements from these programs with locally developed practices.

• Locally Developed Models
• Named Models

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Some schools rely on modified named programs while others opt for fully localized approaches

Schools rely on named programs with modifications tailored to their specific needs, while others opt for fully localized approaches.

• Locally Developed Models
• Named Models

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Variability shows the importance of flexibility but also presents risks

While the variability highlights the importance of schools’ flexibility to choose and adapt models to be appropriate to their school context, it also presents risks.

• Variability Of Approaches

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Inconsistent implementation may lead to uneven outcomes and hard-to-measure effectiveness at scale

In particular, inconsistencies in implementation across schools may lead to uneven outcomes and challenges in measuring program effectiveness at scale.

• Implementation Fidelity
• Variability Of Approaches

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