The impact of schoolwide positive behavior support on the discipline gap in the middle school setting

African American students are overrepresented in school discipline referrals, creating what is known as the discipline gap. Research has shown that patterns in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) can impact students' academic achievement. This study evaluated the effects of schoolwide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) on the discipline gap. The theoretical framework associated with the discipline gap includes factors related to culture, curriculum, and school characteristics. The research question sought to determine the impact of the implementation and usage of SWPBS on the discipline gap in the middle school setting. The study used archival data and followed an ex post facto casual comparative research design. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test for independence to determine whether a relationship existed between ethnicity and ODRs, in-school suspensions, and out-of-school suspensions. The chi-square test for independence indicated that a relationship did exist between ethnicity and ODRs, as well as between ethnicity and in-school suspensions. No relationship was found between ethnicity and out-of-school suspensions. There was an increase in ODRs and in-school suspensions and a decrease in out-of-school suspensions; the extent to which these changes are statistically significant needs to be explored in future studies. Further efforts will be applied to enhance second- and third-tier interventions as ways to deal with chronic misbehavior. The findings derived from this study will contribute to social change by providing educators with referral information that can assist them in improving educational experiences and academic achievement for African American students.