Solutions and Interventions to Improve School-Wide Behavior

David T. PeckCentral Michigan UniversityEDL 685

Introduction• Principals are not only challenged to develop

approaches to improve school-wide discipline, but they are also responsible for doing it in a way that can meet the needs of their most difficult students.

• Need to implement programs that will

• alleviate and reduce problem behaviors

• optimize student achievement

• Pre-packed or Developmentation?

What is social and emotional learning?

• Pertains to the developmental, psychological, educational, and general health needs of students

• The process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and attitudes to recognize and manage emotions with peers and adults throughout their lifetime.

• These programs incorporate efforts between the classroom, the student’s home, the school, and sometimes the entire district to provide students with ample structured and unstructured opportunities to learn and apply skills to promote their social, emotional, and academic success.

• Develop care and concern for self and others

• Establish and maintain positive relationships

• Make responsible decisions

• Set and achieve positive goals

• Constructively handle challenging situations

Emotional and Social Components

• Children who engage in positive social interactions with their teachers, peers, and families & who participate actively and cooperatively in the learning process are more successful in and out of school.

• “Emotion is very important to the educative process because it drives attention, which drives learning and memory” (Elias et al., 1997)

• Prerequisite to thinking and learning skills that can impede educational attainment

• Izard (2002) states emotion drives attention which drives learning and memory

Emotional and Social Components cont.

• In one study investigating the impact on learning of 30 categories of educational, psychological, and social influences, social and emotional variables had the most profound effect on academic performance (Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1997).

• Social learning environment contributes significantly to learning.

• As the level of attachment, communication, and respect shared between a child and teacher is enhanced, the child’s attention, learning, and brain development follow (Kusché & Greenberg, 2006).

What makes an effective SEL program?

• Establishing safe, nurturing, and productive learning environments, they promote greater student attachment to school, which is associated with a reduction in risky behavior and an increase in academic success (CASEL, 2003).

• Improvements of the school and classroom climate transform the way students experience and perceive their school lives, which enhances their academic, psychological, and social development as well as their school adjustment and performance.

• Effectiveness of an SEL program also depends on its continuity from an early age through high school and its coordination of teacher, administrator, parent, and student participation and support in the planning, implementation, and evaluation. (Devaney et al., 2006)

School-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programming

(Brackett et al., 2008)

Implementation and Sustainability for SEL

(Devaney et al., 2006),

School-wide Positive Behavioral Support

Program• These programs have existed in schools for

over 55 years and are used to communicate rules and reward students for following rules.

• Positive Behavior Supports, a program that highlights the maintenance of consistent expectations and reinforcement from teachers. (Positive over Punitive)

• Stresses role of Educational Stakeholders

• Role play and modeling encouraged

Needs for Success

• Osher (2010) states data on patterns of problem behavior need to be summarized and presented at faculty meetings to ensure consistency and promote decision making so changes can be made for the school and for individual students.

• Regularly scheduled instruction, such as morning meeting, need to be implemented in the school day schedule to teach students and enable them the opportunity to acquire appropriate social behaviors.

Three Tiered InterventionSugai (2002) states that :

Primary Prevention or the First Tier - involves school, family, and community members to promote expected behavior and discourage inappropriate behavior.

Secondary Prevention - is function-based and applied to a small group of students who require more than what the primary tier prescribes. This includes increased adult attention and monitoring.

Tertiary or Top Level of Prevention - requires the assistance of special educators, counselors and school psychologists to provide individualized and intense support. Some of these resources come from outside of the school and courts.

Support Pyramid

Positive Behavior Supports at Work

http://youtu.be/XIHRN5siOgo

Positive Behaviors in the Schools

http://youtu.be/TUA__X4Uzz4

SEL and Positive Behavior Support Considerations

• PBS-teacher based, have a tendency to focus almost solely on concrete reinforcers to manage students behavior are less capable in helping students develop emotional and social competencies related to self-discipline

• SEL programs- lack few interventions that allow educators to manage disruptive behavior. Some interventions are constructivist in nature and may not align with direct instruction.

Is there a place for exclusion?

• In 2005-2006 school year, 48% of public schools took a serious disciplinary action against a student and among these actions, 74% were suspensions that consisted of more than 5 days. In addition, 5% were expulsions and 20% were sent to specialized schools (Dinkes et. al 2009).

• Principals misconceptions

• What do principals do with students who consistently commit offenses that make them susceptible to exclusionary practices such as suspension and expulsion when safety is a priority in schools?

Exclusions Negative Impact

• Osher (2004) states that suspensions and expulsions disproportionately affect students of color and those with emotional and behavioral disorders, contributing to disengagement in school, higher dropout rates, and lost opportunities to learn.

• Maag (2012) states that 35% to 45% of students who receive a suspension are repeat offenders.

Who are these repeat offenders?

• Fenning and Rose (2007) pointed out that over the past 30 years researchers have found that an overwhelming majority of the individuals suspended or expelled were African American. However, there is no evidence to support that African American students misbehave at higher rates than their peers.

• Rose (2007) elaborates by citing the disproportionality of suspension and expulsion rates for:• students with disabilities• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder• boys as opposed to girls

Alternatives to ExclusionParent Supervision Ask the parent if they are willing

to sit with the student while the student remains in school. May not be possible for some parents, but could be a valuable option.

Counseling Student is assigned to a professional (SSW, counselor, school psychologist) to problem solve, identify skills for targeted intervention (e.g., anger management), or to work through problems or issues the student may have.

Community Service Community service tasks with appropriate supervision outside of school hours. Might include clean up crews or community agencies.

Alternative to Exclusion (cont.)

Behavior Monitoring Close monitoring using check sheets and some form of feedback between teacher and parent.

Restitution Student is assigned work which would repair or restore the physical environment, could include projects to clean or make the school more attractive.

Problem solving or Behavioral Contract Defined procedure for behavioral problem-solving (e.g., reflection sheets) and then creating a behavioral contract that includes positive consequences for successful completion.

Other Alternatives

• Loss of privileges: home or school• Written apology• Time-out: from one period to rest of school day• Detention: after school, lunch detention, Saturday detention• Assignment to an adult mentor• Positive Contingency Contracts• Referral to Community Mental Health

Is there an answer to misbehavior?

• Maehr and Midgley (1991) content that principals need to implement and encourage programs that take advantage of students’ backgrounds and experiences.

• Opportunities to be involved in extracurricular activities that are extensions of the school to help develop social skills and concepts that are applicable in life

• Recognized for their accomplishments inside and outside of the classroom

• Work collaboratively with others so they have opportunities to engage with others in the decision making and problem solving process

References• Devaney, E., O’Brien, M. U., Resnik, H., Keister, S., & Weissberg, R. P. (2006). Sustainable Schoolwide

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Chicago, IL: CASEL.

• Elias, M. J., Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Frey, K. S., Greenberg, M. T., Haynes, N. M., et al.(1997). Promoting social and emotional learning: Guidelines for educators. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

• Fenning, P., & Rose, J. (2007). Overrepresentation of African America students in exclusionary discipline: The role of school policy. Urban Education, 42, 536-539.

• Izard, C. E. (2002). Translating emotion theory and research into preventative interventions. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 796–824.

• Kusché, C. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2006). Brain development and social-emotional learning: An introduction for educators. In M. J. Elias & H. Arnold (Eds.), The educator’s guide to emotional intelligence and academic achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

• Magg, J. (2012). School-wide disciple and the intransigency of exclusion. Children and Youth Services Review, 24, 2094-2100.

• Maehr, M., & Midgley, C. (1991). Enhancing student motivation: A schoolwide approach. Educational Psychologist, 26(3), 399-427.

• Osher, D., Bear, G., Sprague, J. & Doyle, W. (2010). How can we improve school discipline? Educational Researcher 39(48).

• Wang, M. C., Haertel, G. D., & Walberg, H. J. (1997). Learning influences. In H. J. Walberg & G. D. Haertel (Eds.), Psychology and educational practice (pp. 199–211). Berkeley, CA:McCutchan