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There’s something tricky about writing this post. It’s not that I don’t have strong opinions about PBIS. I do. It’s that when I say I’m not a fan of it, I know a lot of people assume I’m against school-wide behavior supports altogether. But that’s not the case.
The issue isn’t that PBIS is trying to teach behavior or promote positive interactions. The issue is how it goes about doing that.
Let me explain.
The Token Economy Trap
One of the most well-known features of PBIS is the reward system. Points, tickets, dojo bucks, school money… call it what you want. The idea is that kids earn tangible rewards for doing the right thing.
But here’s the two scenarios that so often happen: The same kids get the rewards over and over. The kids who need support the most (the ones who struggle with self-regulation, who are navigating trauma, or who have lagging skills) end up watching their peers win pizza parties and treasure box toys while they’re left out. Again. OR – the children that struggle with self-regulation, are navigating trauma, and have lagging skills are the ones inundated with the rewards to support behavior change through the PBIS model, while the kids who are generally always doing what’s expected get left behind.
When your behavior system mirrors your academic grading system, where high-performers get the praise and kids with challenges fall through the cracks, or when high-performers get left out because the system is set up to only support students who have behavior that’s deemed to need changing, something’s broken.
Who Gets to Define “Positive”?
PBIS is built around the idea of promoting “positive behavior,” but what counts as “positive” is subjective, and often rooted in compliance.
For example, a school might say, “Students will walk silently in the hallway with hands at their sides.” If a student struggles with silence due to sensory or impulsivity needs, or they talk as a form of social connection or self-regulation, are they now “non-compliant”? Under PBIS, probably yes. But from a developmental and equity standpoint, it’s not that simple.
We end up labeling students based on how well they fit into a narrow behavioral mold, often based on adult comfort, not student growth.
It’s Not Trauma-Informed
PBIS doesn’t leave much space for understanding why a behavior is happening. It focuses on what the behavior looks like and how to reinforce or extinguish it. But if you’ve worked with kids who have experienced trauma (which, you have! we all have!), you know that their nervous systems aren’t just being “noncompliant.” They’re reacting.
When we respond to behavior without asking “what’s underneath this?” we risk punishing stress responses or survival behaviors that need support, not correction.
And yes, while PBIS materials have added language around being more trauma-sensitive in recent years, most implementations still follow the traditional reinforcement model. The surface got repainted, but the structure is the same.
It’s Adult-Centered, Not Student-Centered
At its core, PBIS is a system created by adults, for adults, to manage student behavior. It asks kids to meet the expectations adults set, with little flexibility. It often treats behavior as something to control instead of something to understand.
We should be asking: How do we help students learn skills? How do we teach regulation in ways that are meaningful and individualized? Instead, PBIS often starts with: How do we get kids to behave in ways that are more convenient for the system?
When a child is struggling, the solution shouldn’t be more tickets or fewer privileges. It should be connection. It should be curiosity. It should be support.
It’s Not Built for Inclusion
Students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional or behavioral disorders, often struggle the most in PBIS systems. Not because they’re “defiant,” but because their behavior support needs don’t fit within a one-size-fits-all model.
When everyone is expected to follow the same matrix of behavior, we create more exclusion. I’ve seen students removed from school-wide celebrations because they didn’t “earn” it, even though their IEPs listed behavior goals that showed they were actually making growth. Heartbreaking.
PBIS wasn’t built with these students in mind. And that matters.
What I Use Instead
This is the part where people ask: “So what do you do if not PBIS?” And my answer is pretty simple: I teach the skills. I co-regulate. I create systems where students can try again without shame. I get curious when a student is struggling, instead of jumping straight to consequences. And that does not mean they get away with everything, it means consequences are logical and that fun events and activities don’t need to be earned based on an arbitrary system.
I use visual supports, predictable routines, emotional vocabulary, and flexible problem-solving. I focus on relationships first, always (but always teach through it, because academics are crucial). I lean on restorative practices and logical consequences, not tickets and tally charts.
I don’t need to hand a student a sticker to know they’re learning. I can see it in the way they pause before reacting, in the way they come to an adult for help, in the way they repair harm after a conflict. That’s growth. That’s regulation. That’s what I care about.
Here is a manual of behavior supports that I created for this very conversation: what can I do instead? It’s perfect for teachers, paraprofessionals, and school teams to navigate together.
PBIS might be well-intentioned. But it’s not enough, and in many ways, it does more harm than good for the students who need support the most.
If we want truly inclusive, supportive classrooms, we need systems built on equity, connection, and skill-building, not clip charts, colored cards, and token economies.
We can do better. Our students deserve it.
If you’re looking for more in-depth behavioral supports and resources that are ethical, meaningful, research backed, and actually accessible to the average teacher, please don’t miss out on my book that was published in June 2025, Their Best Behavior.