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| Sustainable Programs: In Search of the Elusive |
| Monday, May 26, 2008 |
| 9:00 AM–10:20 AM |
| Williford C |
| Area: EDC/CSE; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Ronnie Detrich (Wing Institute) |
| Discussant: Teri Palmer (Private Practice) |
| Abstract: The recent emphasis on evidence-based practices in education policy is a welcome advancement but there is more to improving educational outcomes for students. It is necessary for programs to be implemented and if successful, the goal is for the program to sustain. In behavior analysis, relative little attention has been given to issues of building sustainable programs. Nonetheless, there is an emerging science of program maintenance. The purpose of this symposium is address key issues of building sustainable programs. Among the issues addressed are defining what is meant by the term sustainable. It seems to have different meanings at different levels within the system. A second issue to be addressed is the different contingencies that exist at different levels of the system that may contribute to sustainable programs or threaten the sustainability of the intervention. The final issue to be addressed is issues of treatment integrity and program fidelity. If programs are not implemented with fidelity then by definition it will not sustain. In this paper, evidence-based approaches to assuring treatment integrity/program fidelity will be reviewed. |
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| What We Know About Sustaining Programs. |
| RANDY KEYWORTH (The Wing Institute), Ronnie Detrich (The Wing Institute) |
| Abstract: The field of education has been often been defined by fads that come and go with little lasting effect. The current emphasis on evidence-based practice in federal education policy is an effort to identify that result in demonstrable benefit for students. Once these programs have been identified issues of how to implement and sustain these programs arise. Historically, behavior analysts have not given much attention to issues of sustainability but other disciplines have addressed this question. Much of the existing literature on sustainability suggests that it is more of a social process than a technical one. Much of the work of behavior analysts has focused on the technical development of programs and relative little attention has been given to the management of the social variables that are necessary for building sustainable programs. This paper will review what has been learned and how behavior analysts can use the information to design programs that are more likely to sustain. |
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| Sustainability Through the Looking Glass: Shifting Contingencies Across Levels of a System. |
| JOHN E. STATES (The Wing Institute), Randy Keyworth (The Wing Institute), Ronnie Detrich (The Wing Institute) |
| Abstract: When a new program or practice is implemented there are system wide effects. Across the different levels of the system there are different contingencies in play. In some instances these contingencies can directly support the sustainability of a program. In other instances, the contingencies can serve as roadblocks to sustainable programs. The purpose of this paper is to review the contingencies operating at different levels of a system, identify those contingencies that might contribute to sustainable programs, and identify contingencies that may function as obstacles to sustainable programs. Finally, suggestions will be offered as to how contingencies can be arranged across levels to work in concert to increase the sustainability of a program. |
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| Treatment Integrity and Program Fidelity: Necessary but Not Sufficient to Sustain Programs. |
| RONNIE DETRICH (The Wing Institute), Randy Keyworth (The Wing Institute), John E. States (The Wing Institute) |
| Abstract: Whenever a new program is implemented in educational settings whether academic or social interventions, there is often rapid “drift” from the protocols of the intervention. When there is drift from the protocols the program may be fundamentally changed in ways that result in a program in name only. In the instance of interventions that have been validated as evidence-based, “drift” may result in changes in the program in ways that result in a non-evidence-based intervention. To address the problems of “drift,” there are emerging technologies to increase treatment integrity and program fidelity. The purpose of this paper is to review the what is known about assuring treatment integrity and program fidelity, suggest additional research questions, and explore how to implement mechanisms for managing treatment integrity and program fidelity in service settings. |
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