NEPBIS developed an approach to enhance equitable partnerships between schools and underserved families of children with disabilities by leveraging a school’s existing PBIS, or multi-tiered system of support (MTSS), framework. Schools implementing this approach center the voices and experiences of their families and establish equitable partnerships across tiers (of their PBIS/MTSS framework) and home (E-PATH). We developed this approach in partnership with Navigating Excellence Parent Center Assistance & Collaboration Team (NE-PACT), and we encourage schools, districts, and states to partner with their local parent centers to contextualize their own implementation of E-PATH.

• Family-school partnerships enhance outcomes families, teachers, and students,[1] including students with disabilities.[2]
• However, common and known barriers often interfere with meaningful family engagement.[3]
• E-PATH leverages a widely implemented and empirically supported positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework to address these barriers, enhance family engagement, and ultimately improve outcomes.

E-PATH builds into the Essential Elements of PBIS: equity, outcomes, systems, practices, and data.[4] In each tier and implementation level (project, district, school), leadership teams will enhance equitable partnerships by:

• Engaging underserved families and improving outcomes for students with disabilities
• Building into and enhancing existing systems (e.g., teaming, training, & coaching structures)
• Supporting implementation of a continuum of evidence-based family engagement practices
• Using data to monitor and support progress