Engagement in Student Learning Web viewHow can we, the faculty and staff, encourage the students to...

Engagement in Student Learning


Melissa Khang

Bellevue University

Author’s Note

This is done through the observation of schools in the Sacramento City Unified

School District and Elk Grove Unified School District in California.

ENGAGEMENT IN STUDENT LEARNING 2

Table of Contents

Background........................................................................................................................3

Engagement in Student Learning...................................................................................4

Interview Questions..........................................................................................................5

Research............................................................................................................................6

Root of Behavior............................................................................................................6

Consequences & Challenges......................................................................................8

Support and its Structure...........................................................................................10

Analysis.............................................................................................................................11

Conclusion........................................................................................................................14

References.......................................................................................................................16

Appendix A........................................................................................................................A

Appendix B........................................................................................................................B

Appendix C........................................................................................................................C

Appendix D........................................................................................................................D


Background

How can we, the faculty and staff, encourage the students to improve their

behavior, participate, and become more engaged in learning?

Comparing different schools in different school districts in California, there are

differences in the styles of learning and support in all students and staff. With multiple

reasoning collected from interviews and articles, there is bound to be good explanations

as to why students are misbehaving and discouraged to learn in school. The primary

school of observance is Herman Leimbach Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified

School District. The difference from this school and other schools is that this is a Title 1

school.

Keywords: Elk Grove Unified School District, Herman Leimbach Elementary

School, Florin Elementary School, after school programs, ASES, para-educators,

teachers, support, Title 1 School, public school.



The difference between a regular school and a Title 1 School is the academic

challenges the students face living in an impoverished neighborhood. To those that are

unaware of what an impoverished neighborhood is; it is an area of living occupied by

those that are deprived of richness or has a limited amount of access to help and

support. It has been mentioned many times throughout many individuals that the

neighborhood where one is from is how another would describe their future paths. For

instance, a girl comes a single parent family home that is living on state and

government funding with no means of support from the adult in the home. On top of this,

the adult leads a life dealing with substances instead of giving care to the little girl.

There will be many that will say she will become like the adult in the family or the little

girl can choose to become a person with a brighter future by using those remarks as a

stepping stone to prove others wrong. A hope of seeing future children succeed comes

from programs like Title 1 and with the help and support of faculty, staff, and family.

“Title 1 is a program that provides the necessary funding from state agencies

(SEA1) to local agencies (LEA2) and public schools” (U.S. Department of Education).

With high numbers of students being underprivileged, this program is there to help

ensure these children are meeting the same state academic core standards and

achievements. In Sec.1001. Statement of Purpose3, (3) it states that in order to

accomplish meeting the needs of the students, the school staff are choosing to “close

the achievement gaps between minority and nonminority students, and between

disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers. Another accomplishment that 1 State Educational Agency2 Local Educational Agency3 U.S. Department of Education: Laws and Guidance/ Elementary & Secondary Education: Title I –

Improving The Academic Achievement Of The Disadvantaged


needs to be met is also affording parents substantial and meaningful opportunities to

participate in the education of their children.”

Interview Questions

1. What are some of the main causes that you think is affecting students from

having a good behavior?

2. What are some solutions that you put to use in order to encourage your students

to participate and become more engaged in school?

3. Is there a support system put in place at this school? Why or why not? How does

it operate amongst faculty and all staff?

4. What are some consequences that students face when they are misbehaving?

Are the consequences that are being taken away working? Why or why not?

5. When notices and calls are being made to parents from misbehaving students,

do the parents agree with what the student have done wrong or do they

challenge what the student has done and agree with consequences that are set

in place with school rules?

6. Why do you think parents, guardians, and care-givers are using the racist card

when their children are misbehaving?

7. Are parents, guardians, and care-givers supporting the faculty, staff, and

students? Why or why not?

8. Do you think that saying there is no support system put in place the reason why

students are not behaving and learning at the rate that they should be at?

(Putting into consideration that all individuals have their own learning curves and

learning rates.)


Research

Root of Behavior

In order to break down the explanations and perceptions from Administrative staff

and faculty, and secondary sources, the answers given provides the support on the

restraints that block the students from achieving the success they clearly can’t see.

Students from Title 1 schools often lack the financial means and family support to

succeed in school. When I asked staff and faculty the question “What are some causes

that you may think is affecting students from having good behavior?” most of the

answers were the same. A good behavior can be described as the display of

mannerism. The display of mannerism is a form a respect and discipline rolled into a

show of “knowing where the boundaries are.” On top of this, it is somewhat like making

a good first impression over and over in order to ensure that inappropriate actions are

not causing you to lose focus in school. For instance, T.M., (personal communication,

May 4, 2015), a Vice Principal in the Elk Grove District stated that one main reason is

because the student’s just don’t feel successful in school. “They don’t have the basic

supplies or necessities to survive, much less successfully attend school” (Malburg,

2012).

Lori Monson (personal communication, May 7, 2015), another Para-educator,

stated that one reason would be the lack of maturity and the need for instant

gratification. The need for attention and another form of great satisfaction is something

that misbehaved students look forward to since it is easy for them to accomplish. In

further explanation, the student would take great satisfaction in the negative attention

that they are receiving since they are unable to achieve positive attention. Another


factor that can be added would be the mental health problems that students go through.

Students with these health issues would have a hard time concentrating on learning.

Also, the struggles that students face can range from no parent involvement, parents

leaving the responsibility to the child, trauma in all types, and etc… Dr. Rappaport 4and

Minahan5 states in her article that “in a typical classroom of 20, chances are good that

one or two students are dealing with serious psychosocial stressors relating to poverty,

domestic violence, abuse and neglect, trauma, or a psychiatric disorder (Rappaport and

Minahan, 2012).”

It can also leave the student to blend in with the wrong crowd. A definition of the

wrong crowd would consist of those that are on the path of not making the good choices

in life. For further explanation, they are leading a life that goes against what you morally

believe in. Thus, this will lead the student to the life where they see that success is not

in their cards. “As a result, kids who grow up in chaotic or unstable homes may appear

unfocused in class or react to off-the-cuff remarks as threats – precisely the sorts of

behavior coded “disruptive” or “disrespectful” on school discipline spreadsheets” (Rowe,

2015). Norma Hinojosa, a sixth grade teacher, (personal communication, May 1, 2015)

stated in her answer that a possible explanation would be the lack of social skills and

lack of empathy. With this, it could lead to an outcome of a student trying to fit in and not

become an outcast. Patrick Harvey (personal communication, May 7, 2015), a Para-

educator listed that boredom is another reason why students feel the need to have a

bad behavior. Mr. Harvey (personal communication, May 7, 2015) goes more into

details by saying that boredom happens through unchallenged work and the inability to 4 Dr. Nancy Rappaport, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, is the director of school programs at

Cambridge Health Alliance and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.5 Jessica Minahan, Med, BCBA, is a behavior analyst and special educator currently employed in Newton,

Mass., school system as a district-wide behavior analyst.


complete work. Barnwell6 believes that there is a need to set boundaries for students in

teachers’ classrooms and to also strengthen the learning techniques for those

individuals. In the end, top level administrators must really start to introduce those

policies and emphasize the responsibilities and growth that comes from the behavioral

changes in the students.

Consequences & Challenges

In Dr. Rappaport and Minahan’s excerpt from The Behavior Code, they both state

that “a maladaptive behavior is a symptom of an underdeveloped skill.” In agreement of

Mrs. Hinojosa’s statement,(personal communication, May 1, 2015) the excerpt states

that students may lack the basic social skills that is a necessity in order to build a

relationship with a peer or to simply follow a direction or request. When asked the

question of the consequences that are put into place when students are misbehaving, it

was not surprising to hear the results. Dreena Freeman (personal communication, May

5, 2015), the Vice Principal at Stone Lake Elementary, says that a student is removed

from class or an activity if they misbehave after given the first warning. If this outcome

does not work, recess is then taken away. In most cases, when recess is taken away, it

does work. When it doesn’t, students are sent to the office for higher administration to

determine the next step in consequences. T.M. (personal communication, May 4, 2015)

states in her interview that these consequences are working because the higher

administrative staff will revise the PBI’s until it yields the results that they desire. Paul

Barnwell wrote that “the culture of our schools is in dire straits because the parents

6 Paul Barnwell teaches English, creative writing, and digital media at Fern Creek Traditional High School in Louisville, KY.


believe there is not enough discipline, not enough respect, and not enough

consequences for students who cross the line”(2013).

According to the Codes of Conduct in EGUSD’s Parent/Student Handbook, a set

of rules has been put into place in order to help discipline a student’s behavior. In

Herman Leimbach’s Parent/Student Handbook, the discipline policy throughout the

campus is: be safe, be respectful, and be responsible. The order of consequences put

into place when a student goes against one of the codes of conduct at Herman

Leimbach read in Appendix A.

While working in a school, some parents will come in with the same behavior

as their children. You, the staff, is able to pinpoint who the student is and is not

shocked based on their displays of actions and words. On the other hand, there

are parents who would not believe a word you say about their child. The parent

chooses to stay in the dark on how their child really behaves and acts. Parents

would challenge this notion by giving excuses for what the student has done

wrong. “This makes it very hard for the faculty and staff to help and improve the

behavior”, said Mr. Harvey (personal communication, May 7, 2015). Ms. Freeman

(personal communication, May 4, 2015), agrees that it is dependent on the family

and their surrounding circumstances. Even though there is clear evidence that

the student has had many occurrences where bad behavior is in play and the

actions are unable to be challenged by the parents, parents are still unable to

accept the consequences deemed appropriate by the district and what is stated

in the parent handbook.


Contrary to this, Mrs. Hinojosa (personal communication, May 1, 2015)

believes that the parents will play the ignorance game and consider the blame on

the teacher. Parents will continue to deny the facts and keep the challenges

coming so that administration will have no say other than retract the

consequences. Ms. Lori Monson (personal communication, May 7, 2015) says

that even though the parents are aware of the student’s behavior and actions,

they are either unable to control the things they do or are supportive of the

consequences given. To top this off, Chris Blodgett, who is a public health

researcher at Washington State University, believes that racism can also be one

of the reasons why children are having such a hard time in school (Rowe, 2015).

When asked the question of why discrimination is being used against

administration and staff when parents hear their children are being disruptive and

disrespectful in classrooms, it then becomes an issue that the district would have

to deal with. A reason could be that it is the easiest way to succeed in getting

what they wish for instead of conforming to rules and regulations. As far as

consequences go, there will always be challenges along the way whether there is

a solution or not.

Support and its Structure

To read more information regarding parent involvement in Herman

Leimbach’s Parent & Student Handbook, see Appendix B. Many people may put blame

of bad behavior on the support system; whether it be parent support or school support.

This may be true in particular cases. Franchesca Warren started in her post with the

common: “If I had a dollar for every person who blamed…” to signify the increase of


blame on low educational test scores and low behavioral statuses in students. Mrs.

Hinojosa, (personal communication, May 1, 2015) said “No matter how prepared the

teachers are in the learning materials and class preparation, teachers are always held

responsible for things that are also out of their control.”

Theoretically, there are support systems put into place at every school since it is

mandated. Even though it is mandated, it doesn’t mean that staff and faculty are

utilizing it to its fullest potential. The question of support came up as one of the interview

questions and I am shocked to say that an Administrative stated that there isn’t enough

support in order for their school to encourage their students to do better. At the school of

observance, the support system seems to be subjective and very inconsistent. For

instance, the Vice Principal has tried to start a PTA many times and did not succeed

because none of the parents would sign on. There can be many reasons why parents

have neglected to sign up, but this goes to show that there is no support from parents if

multiple tries have been shot down at different times.

Analysis

Throughout this process of finding information and observations of different

schools, there are a variety of motivational techniques to encourage students to improve

their behavior. Dr. Rappaport states that behavior occurs in a pattern and that behaviors

can be changed. For instance, when all else fails, try something new. “The code to

breaking the behavior code is to look for patterns” (Rappaport, 2012). Once this pattern

is discovered, the intent of the behavior will reveal itself. A teacher from Bemiss

Elementary in Spokane, Washington had a poster with the words “You are more than

your mistakes” right outside her door. This is an encouragement to students to make


better choices. Every behavior can be changed, but the time it takes to change it will

differ from person to person. “The more intensely the student is taught the

underdeveloped skills and the more the environment is changed to encourage

appropriate behavior, the faster the student’s behavior is likely to change” (Rappaport,

2012). Minahan and Rappaport developed a framework for a behavioral intervention

plan to help understand what motivates behavior. “This FAIR Plan stands for functional

hypothesis, accommodations, interaction strategies, and response strategies. The goal

of the FAIR Plan is to change inappropriate behavior to appropriate behavior for the

long term rather than short term” (Minahan and Rappaport, 2012). The following five

steps in this plan are as follows:

1. Manage antecedents- This is the first stage where we intervene by

accommodating or minimize the environment that sets off the student from

misbehaving.

2. Reinforce desired behavior- The second step is to build up the student’s work

ethic in small increments of time.

3. Teach a Replacement Behavior- Teaching the student a replacement behavior

so that the student will then learn that her previous actions were not well-

behaved.

4. Address underdeveloped skills that are at the root of a child’s inability to

behave in a respectable manner. –Working on skills that the student needs to

build up will help build their confidence.

5. Respond to a student’s inappropriate behavior in a way that deters it. - Try to

avoid triggering the student’s incidents by following the signs.


According to a New York Times article7, another solution that is effective is

relationship building and problem solving. This is the sole reason why a

restorative justice approach works great with students who needs to build their

skills on social-emotional learning. “It encourages young people to come up with

meaningful reparations for their wrongdoing while challenging them to develop

empathy for one another through ‘talking circles’ led by facilitators” (Brown,

2013). In addition to this, positive feedback and rewards will also enable the

student to work harder to achieve more success on future assignments.

The root of behavior can have any triggers, but most of all, it stems from the

family circumstances surrounding the student. According to the ACE (Academic

Childhood Experiences), experiment in Spokane, Washington, the percentage of

students with behavioral indicators come from poverty and stricken homes. These

traumas lead the student to act out in defiance in order to obtain some sort of attention.

The answers that I received from all the interviews conducted reached the same

outcome even though it took longer to achieve the answer.

Some consequences seem to be working for those that are showing minor

infractions in school. For those that are doing the major infractions, the consequences

just doesn’t seem to be enough in order for them to realize the ways they are acting out.

Consequences that range from a separation from the classroom to suspension may

seem too much, but in reality, it doesn’t seem to help the student from doing the same

thing over and over.

7 An article written by Patricia Leigh Brown on April 3, 1013; titled ‘Opening up, Students Transform a Vicious Circle’.


Conclusion

Though articles and findings may say that consequences are a bad approach to

disciplining students on having a good behavior in school, consequences combined with

teachings of development in skills will make the student more aware of making the

better choice. For instance, even with free counseling and other programs offered to

parents and their children, it still isn’t improving the result that the staff at Herman

Leimbach wishes to see. Because of little parent involvement in the children’s

educational life, there is little change in the student’s attitude and behavior once they

come back the next day. The lack of support from families is one of the main worries

that the staff has at Herman Leimbach Elementary.

Over the past few years, there has been great improvement in reading and

comprehensive skills in the intermediate grades. With the extra support that the

teachers put in emphasis for students to be engaged in reading, “the student’s reading

levels have improved by two to three levels”, said Mrs. Hinojosa (personal

communication, May 1, 2015). With a new Principal for the past three years, things

have been turning around. With a slightly improved attendance record and increase in

all educational skills in students, Herman Leimbach students are improving little by little.

Even though the support level at Herman Leimbach is in place, it can still be questioned

on what a person observes. There are some that would agree that the support is being

used significantly and there are those that would have to disagree with that.

Even though some of the steps in the FAIR Plan have been used, if the faculty

and staff were to put more emphasis in one or two steps, the outcome would be more of

what we wish to see. In addition to this, a combination of solutions will also motivate the


students to have a better behavior and attitude. For instance, a teacher or staff can

intervene at a critical time when he/she realizes that a trigger is about to set a student

off. Another example could be when a student is doing physical harm to his/her

surroundings or himself in order to grab attention. A way to replace that method of

attention for the student would be to teach the student to be patient and ask the

question step by step. A solution that has worked for me so far is to give the students a

voice of their own. For example, since we have four projects to finish, I would give them

the choice of which project they would prefer to do so that it can be done with vigor.

With this, it leads to the same objective of getting a project done. Another thing that has

worked is having a buddy system. Having a partner to work with greatly helps the

students to accomplish more and having them work alone. By implementing the FAIR

Plan, a combination of other solutions, and the consequences set in place, I believe that

we may see improvement in some of the student’s behavior.


References

Barnwell, P (14 October 2014). Reducing Student-Behavior Problems: Notes From a

High School Teacher. Retrieved 6 June 2015, from Education Week Teachers

Web Site: http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/10/14/cm_barnwell.html

Brown, P (3 April 1013). Breaking the Behavior Code. Retrieved 6 June 2015, from New

York Times; Education Web Site:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/education/restorative-justice-programs-take-

root-in-schools.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&

Elk Grove Unified School District, (2014-2015). Parent and Student Handbook. Elk

grove Unified School District: Elk grove Unified School District.

Gossen, D. (2007). STUDENT BEHAVIOR. International Journal of Reality

Therapy, 27(1), 17-20. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?

url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/214439981?accountid=28125

Herman Leimbach Elementary, (2014-2015). Parent/Student Handbook. Herman

Leimbach Elementary: Elk grove Unified School District.

Malburg, S & Lorcher, Trent (08 February 2012). Title 1 Student Struggles and Meeting

Student Needs. Retrieved 21 May 2015, from Bright Hub Education Web Site:

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/13928-understanding-

title-1-challenges-and-meeting-student-needs/

Rappaport, N & Jessica Minahan (17 May 2012). Breaking the Behavior Code.

Retrieved 6 June 2015, from Child Mind Institute Web Site:

http://www.childmind.org/en/posts/articles/2012-5-18-breaking-behavior-code-

disruptive-students


Rowe, C (16 May 2015 @ 2:46 pm). ‘You are more than your mistakes’: Teachers get at

roots of bad behavior. Retrieved 6 June 2015, from Seattle Times; Education

Web Site: http://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/you-are-more-than-your-

mistakes-teachers-get-at-roots-of-bad-behavior/

U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for

Education Statistics, (N.A.). Fast Facts. Retrieved 21 May 2015, from National

Center for Educational Statistics Web Site:

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=158

U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for

Education Statistics, (15 September 2004). Title I — Improving the Academic

Achievement of the Disadvantaged. Retrieved 21 May 2015, from U.S.

Department of Education Web Site:

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg1.html

Warren, F (15 August 2012). It's Not Always the Teacher's Fault. Retrieved 6 June 2015,

from The Educator's Room Web Site: http://theeducatorsroom.com/2012/08/its-

not-always-the-teacher/

APPENDIX A

Appendix A

Herman Leimbach’s Parent & Student Handbook- Codes of Conduct

1. Time-out: A student is separated from the classroom and is directed to a buddy

room.

2. Loss of privileges: A student will lose recess/lunch time or PAT (Preferred

Activity Time).

3. Trash Patrol: The student will collect trash under supervision.

4. Contracts: The contract written is between the Administrative staff and the

student under which will redirect the student to behavioral changes to support

the student in reaching their educational goal.

5. Behavioral Chart: This chart is to supplement the contract in order to enforce

better behavior amongst other staff and students.

6. Citation: A notice and phone call is sent home to notify the parents/guardians

of the student’s bad choices and bad behavior. This citation is also to be

returned back to school with a signature of the parent. If not returned with a

signature, the student therefore loses all recess and lunch activity times until

returned signed.

7. Behavior Intervention Plan: Another contract is written in certain areas in order

to identify areas in which the student is needing to improve the most.

8. Behavior Support Plan (BSP): This is a formal document that administrative

staff and teachers will follow to ensure that the student is following the

contracted rules and regulations that he/she signed.

APPENDIX A

9. At-Home-Suspension: The student is to be picked up from school and remain

at school until stated in the notice being sent home. The student is to lose all

campus privileges until he/she is able to return.

10. Expulsion: This is for extreme cautions in order to ensure that student is

preventing harm from himself/herself, staff, and other students.

APPENDIX B

Appendix B

Herman Leimbach’s Parent & Student Handbook- Parent Involvement

“Parent involvement means that the participation of parents/guardians in

regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student

academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—

That parents/guardians play an integral role in assisting their child’s

learning;

That parents/ guardians are encouraged to be actively involved in

their child’s education at school;

That parents/ guardians are full partners in their child’s education

and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on

advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;

The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in

section 1118 of the ESEA.

APPENDIX C

Appendix C

Academic Childhood Experiences (ACE)

These are some of the current ACEs that children are experiencing due to their current

situations with their family and surroundings.

APPENDIX D

Appendix D

ACEs Percentage

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