Philip Leaf, Principal Investigator 410.955.3962 pleaf@jhsph.edu, Catherine Bradshaw, Co-Principal Investigator 410.502.2587 cbradsha@jhsph.edu Project Target is a group randomized trial seeking to determine the effects of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) on student behavior and school organizational climate. Data were collected annually from 37 elementary schools in Maryland on PBIS implementation fidelity, organizational health, school climate, students’ behavior, academic performance, and attendance. Funding for Project Target is provided by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Collaborators include the Maryland State Department of Education, Sheppard Pratt Health System, and five local Maryland school systems. For more information (link to www.pbismaryland.org). Project Target is a collaborative effort of Maryland State Department of Education, local school systems, Sheppard Pratt Health System and the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence to evaluate the effects of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in Maryland schools. Project Target is an effort to quantify the outcomes of PBIS so that schools and school systems can make an informed decision concerning the merits of PBIS. DESIGN
Thirty-seven schools in five Maryland school systems (Allegeny, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles and Washington counties) participate in Project Target. Twenty-one of these schools were PBIS schools and 16 were designated as Focus schools, which agreed to forego training and the PBIS programs during the project's four-year duration. Schools in both groups were followed for five years. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS Preliminary results suggest: - Schools randomized to the PBIS condition implemented the program with high fidelity within three years of training.
- PBIS schools experienced reductions in office referrals and suspensions.
- PBIS was associated with a significant increase in organizational health.
CONTACTS
Katrina Debnam, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
410-614-4473
kdebnam@jhsph.edu Andrea Alexander, Maryland State Department of Education
410.767.0318
aalexander@msde.state.md.us Jerry Bloom, Sheppard Pratt Health System
410-938-4661
jbloom@pbismaryland.org Project Target Personnel at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Philip J. Leaf, PhD
Principal Investigator
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
624 N. Broadway, Room 819
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-955-3962
pleaf@jhsph.edu Catherine Bradshaw, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
624 N. Broadway, Room 831
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-502-2587
cbradsha@jhsph.edu Christine Koth, PhD
Assistant Scientist
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
624 N. Broadway, Room 803
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-955-0421
ckoth@jhsph.edu Katrina Debnam, MPH
Field Coordinator
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
624 N. Broadway, Room 388
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-614-4473
kdebnam@jhsph.edu Qing Zheng, PhD
Data Manager
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
624 N. Broadway, Room 392
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-614-6500
qzheng@jhsph.edu Michele Trieb, MS
Data Analyst
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
624 N. Broadway, Room 384
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-502-7616
mtrieb@jhsph.edu Ashley Sawyer, BA
Research Assistant
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
624 N. Broadway, Room 388
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-614-4473
asawyer@jhsph.edu | 
