Get the ultimate guide to Tier 1
Summary
This is a practitioner’s guide to implementing School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) at Tier 1. SWPBS is a multi-tiered evidence-based framework used in schools worldwide to establish positive learning environments and improve social, emotional, and behavioural outcomes for students. SWPBS is gaining in popularity across educational sectors in Australia and beyond as a proven framework to support student learning, wellbeing, and behaviour.
Hepburn distils the theories and principles underpinning SWPBS to provide step-by-step guidance and practical strategies for each stage of implementation. With dedicated chapters on all Tier 1 core features, this handbook is a must-have resource for schools seeking advice on getting started with SWPBS, building or reviewing their behaviour support systems, or striving to maintain implementation fidelity.
This indispensable book is the definitive implementation handbook on SWPBS at Tier 1 and provides a valuable reference for individual schools, school systems, school leaders, teachers, and student support staff who want to build their knowledge of the framework and access guidance on how to implement it. If you care about equity, student and staff wellbeing, and improving learning outcomes, then this book is for you.
Testimonials
Focusing on implementing school-wide positive behavior support in Australian schools, Lorna Hepburn provides a concrete step-by-step guide written for school leadership teams with appropriate contextual adaptations while remaining true to the empirically validated core features. The book provides the essential features for Tier 1 implementation in an easy-to-read format. While several similar books and resources are available, Lorna’s inclusion of challenges and possible solutions based on her experience as a long-time implementer are a clear strength of this text and will prove invaluable to school teams. Each chapter provides core steps to implement, possible roadblocks teams might face, simple solutions grounded in implementation science, and lists of related additional resources. I recommend all school leadership teams have this guide at the ready, whether they are contemplating, have some elements in place, or are already implementing SWPBS with fidelity.
Tim Lewis, Ph.D.
Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Special Education
University of Missouri, USA
A must-read for educators committed to creating safe, inclusive, and thriving schools. Lorna blends research and real-world insight to deliver a practical, empowering guide to Tier 1 SWPBS implementation. Clear, actionable, and deeply grounded in experience – this book is an invaluable roadmap for sustainable school-wide transformation.
Shiralee Poed, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Queensland
This book is a user-friendly roadmap to implementing systems change to support students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioural skill development. Readers will find clear and actionable guidance for implementing School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SW-PBS), Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL, PB4L), and similar prevention frameworks. Dr. Hepburn provides a path to making schools better places for students to learn, families to connect, and educators to teach. It’s a must read for every educator in Australia and beyond!
Brandi Simonsen, Ph.D.
Professor of Special Education
Neag School of Education
University of Connecticut, USA