2024 Doctoral Capstone Projects

The Wyoming Valley West School District has identified regular attendance as a priority issue. Absenteeism has been an issue for many school districts over the years, but there seems to be a decrease in the regular attendance of students' post-pandemic. Dana Elementary showed that 30.2% of students being identified as being chronically absent and State Street Elementary showed 49.5% of students being chronically absent in the 2021-2022 school year, as reported through the PA Future Ready Index. Literature defines school climate as one of the contributing factors to absenteeism. This research is needed to know and understand if creating a positive school climate through PBIS will positively affect regular student attendance. Through a mixed-methods approach, the researcher aimed to understand the impact of PBIS programs on student attendance, school, climate, and disciplinary incidents. The goal is to provide insights that can inform school administrators and policymakers on how to utilize PBIS strategies to improve attendance, create a positive school climate, and reduce disciplinary referrals leading to out-of-school suspensions.