Positive Behaviour Supports Are Compliance-Based

Their indoctrination is so widespread, education ministries have bought in — literally

Missing the mark

Parents worried about indoctrination are correct about the overreach of government and politics in their children’s schools. Their energies and concerns are focused on the wrong type of indoctrination, however. 

Students aren’t being indoctrinated by comprehensive sexual health education, by inclusive classrooms and libraries, or by having gay and trans teachers.

They’re being—and have long been—indoctrinated by government policies, for-profit programs, and behavioural interventions implemented across public schools in Canada and elsewhere. 

The students most at risk are those who are marginalized, such as students in the ethnic minority, students living in poverty, disabled students, and students who are neurodivergent. Behavioural intervention systems are nearly always off-the-shelf, pre-packaged programs purchased from for-profit businesses, like PBIS. 

These programs aim to reduce concerning, disruptive, and unsafe behaviour in schools. Their claims of being proven effective in peer-reviewed studies are highly problematic, in particular due to their narrow definitions of “success”.