Effectiveness of the Whole Inclusive School Empowerment (WISE) project in supporting preschool children with diverse learning needs.
A two-person coaching team can push a whole preschool from chaos to kindergarten-ready in one year.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team set up a support squad in each preschool. One educational psychologist and one teacher coach visited classes every week.
They ran the Whole Inclusive School Empowerment project for a full school year. The project blended token boards, social stories, and teacher tips.
Three-hundred-seventy-eight children with mixed needs took part. Half the schools used WISE, half kept their usual plan.
What they found
WISE schools saw clear gains. Kids entered kindergarten more ready, showed fewer problem behaviors, and helped peers more.
Teachers also felt more confident. They said the weekly coach visits gave them tools they could use right away.
How this fits with other research
Fiene et al. (2015) pooled 18 small studies on behavior contracts. Their meta-analysis says token systems give a steady, mid-size boost. Cynthia et al. (2019) now show the same idea works when you stretch it across an entire preschool.
McKenna et al. (2017) taught three grade-school kids a single replacement behavior. Problem behavior dropped in just a few weeks. WISE used the same function-based logic school-wide and got similar drops, proving the idea scales.
Tracey et al. (1974) compared reward tokens versus cost tokens. Both cut disruptions equally. WISE kept only the reward side, still gaining the same drop in problems while keeping teacher approval high.
Why it matters
You can copy the WISE setup without new staff. Pair a BCBA consult with a lead teacher for weekly walk-throughs. Bring token boards, choice time, and social stories to every circle. Expect happier teachers and classroom-ready kids by May.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one high-traffic routine, add a simple token board, and coach the teacher to hand out tokens for sharing and raising hand.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Whole Inclusive School Empowerment (WISE) project in supporting preschool children with diverse learning needs. METHOD: This study adopted a mixed method design. The quantitative section was a quasi-experiment comprising eight intervention preschools (378 students, 68 teachers) with a support team of an educational psychologist and a teacher coordinator, compared with eight control preschools (281 students, 61 teachers) without the support team. Teachers completed questionnaires on students' school readiness and behavior as well as their own teaching efficacy at pre-intervention, mid-intervention, and post-intervention. The qualitative part consisted of preschool principals and teachers participating in focus group discussions. RESULTS: The quantitative results indicated a significant interaction effect (group X time) for students' school readiness, behavior problem and prosocial behavior, as well as teachers' efficacy. Qualitative findings from principals and teachers also showed that the WISE project brought benefits to the preschools, teachers, students and parents. CONCLUSIONS: The results provided promising evidence on the effectiveness of the WISE project in supporting preschool children with diverse learning needs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2019.103433