Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) emerged as a preventative instructional alternative to exclusionary and punitive school discipline practices emphasizing tiered systems of support, data-based decision making, and proactive behavioral instruction. Despite its strong theoretical foundation and widespread adoption, PBIS implementation has produced uneven outcomes, particularly in policy contexts where state discipline statutes continue to authorize exclusionary practices. In Louisiana, PBIS is promoted through state guidance as an evidence-based framework; however, governing discipline policies simultaneously permit suspension, expulsion, and zero-tolerance provisions. This coexistence raises critical questions regarding alignment, coherence, and equity within the state’s discipline system. The purpose of this study was to examine how Louisiana’s student discipline statutes and governing policy documents construct, constrain, or contradict the principles of PBIS. Grounded in a qualitative research design using Critical Policy Analysis, this study treated policy as a socially constructed instrument of power rather than a neutral set of rules. Publicly available state-level documents, including discipline statutes, administrative regulations, PBIS framework guidance, and discipline data system materials were analyzed through systematic document analysis. This study was guided by a conceptual framework integrating Louisiana’s PBIS framework with Capper’s Critical Educational Leadership Theory, enabling examination of power, ideology, leadership responsibility, and equity embedded within policy texts. Findings indicated that Louisiana discipline policies constructed partial alignment with PBIS through references to prevention and behavioral supports, while simultaneously constraining implementation through procedural compliance structures and authority-driven discipline practices. Further, policies directly contradicted PBIS principles by prioritizing exclusionary responses as primary mechanisms of behavioral control. These contradictions disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities. This study contributes to the literature by shifting the focus from PBIS implementation outcomes to the policy conditions that shape how PBIS is interpreted and enacted, highlighting the need for greater coherence between policy structures and equity centered behavioral frameworks.

Date

2-6-2026

DOI

https://proquest.com/docview/3347865209

First Committee Chair

Heather Dunham

First Committee Member

Robert Slater

Second Committee Member

Tiffini Brigola

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