How #WinAtSocial supports PBIS Tier 1 efforts for a stronger school culture
School leaders, teachers, and family members want the same thing for their students. They want them to feel supported, engaged, and equipped to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. That’s why so many schools implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), an evidence-based framework designed to build positive, predictable, and safe environments where every student thrives and is engaged in learning.
What is PBIS in schools?
To understand if a PBIS Tier 1 approach is right for your school community, we must first understand all of the framework’s tiers.
- Tier 1 (Universal Prevention): Support for all students by setting schoolwide expectations, teaching proactive skills, and building a positive culture.
- Tier 2 (Targeted Prevention): Extra help for some students who need additional support.
- Tier 3 (Intensive, Individualized Prevention): Personalized, wraparound support for a small number of students with greater needs.
At its core, PBIS is about being proactive, not reactive. This aligns with The Social Institute’s positive and proactive approach, #WinAtSocial, that equips students, educators, and families to build modern life skills that prevent challenges and strengthen the school community. Let’s dive into how empowering and equipping students to navigate challenges related to social media, tech (like A.I.), and well-being aligns with Tier 1 PBIS Intervention.
Why #WinAtSocial Works as a Tier 1 Intervention
Tier 1 in PBIS is about establishing schoolwide systems, practices, and expectations that benefit everyone. Instead of waiting for issues to arise, schools proactively teach and reinforce positive behaviors and skills.
For example, a school might celebrate students throughout the school day for showing respect, responsibility, or safety. Teachers give shout-outs and use a common language everywhere in the building, helping students understand what’s expected and feel proud of the choices they’re making.
How #WinAtSocial aligns with PBIS Tier 1:
- Proactive Skill-Building: #WinAtSocial empowers all students with modern life skills, from navigating social media and A.I. to building healthy relationships with peers and teachers, and making responsible choices before challenges become problems.
- Shared Language & Expectations: The Social Institute’s Seven Standards give schools and families a common language for decision-making, positive tech use, and relationships, making it easier to align classroom practices with schoolwide culture.
- Positive & Inclusive Approach: Instead of focusing on what not to do, #WinAtSocial helps students explore what to do in real-world scenarios, reflect on choices, and practice strategies that foster respect, empathy, and responsibility.
- Real-time Insights: Instead of waiting for challenges to come up, #WinAtSocial Insights equips schools to keep a pulse on how students are feeling and school culture to proactively address challenges, rather than waiting for issues to escalate.
- Systemic & Sustainable: With lessons designed for K–12, every student in the building or district gets access to the same proactive foundation, ensuring consistency across grade levels.
The impact on school communities when #WinAtSocial is implemented as a Tier 1 PBIS Intervention
When #WinAtSocial is embedded as a Tier 1 PBIS intervention, schools see fewer behavioral challenges tied to technology and social media, stronger student voice and agency, and reduced educator stress. Aligned with PBIS priorities, #WinAtSocial impacts student learning, well-being, and their futures by providing school leaders and educators with:
- Turnkey lessons and resources that are relevant to all students’ experiences and focused on empowering and equipping, rather than scaring and restricting.
- Real-time insights into student perspectives for proactive decision-making.
- Reduced challenges related to social media and technology, stronger well-being, and improved academic growth.
- Enhanced student voice and leadership opportunities through the Student Ambassador Program that empowers student leaders to model positive behaviors schoolwide, creating a culture where all students feel supported, included, and motivated to make healthy choices.
Building a Foundation Where Everyone Thrives
PBIS at Tier 1 is about creating a positive, predictable, and equitable learning environment for all. By integrating #WinAtSocial into that foundation, schools not only meet PBIS expectations but also prepare students to thrive in today’s tech-driven world.
Because when schools equip every student with the tools to navigate social media, technology, and relationships in positive ways, everyone wins — students, educators, and families alike. Schedule a conversation with an expert from The Social Institute to explore how #WinAtSocial can fit your intervention needs.
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students’ futures. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we integrate teacher PD, family resources, student voice insights, and more to empower entire school communities to make positive choices online and offline. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach essential skills while capturing student voice and actionable insights for educators. These insights help educators maintain a healthy school culture, foster high-impact teaching, and build meaningful relationships with families. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips students authentically, enabling our solution to increase classroom participation and improve student-teacher relationships. Through our one-of-a-kind lesson development process, we create lessons for a variety of core and elective classes, incorporating timely topics such as social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in supporting student health, happiness, and academic success.