Impact of Student Discipline on School Climate and Culture

1. Impact of Student Discipline on School Climate and Culture

2. Characteristics of Effective School-wide Discipline Planshttp://risep.usurf.usu.eduDwyer, Osher, Warger- Early warning, timely response: A guide to safe schools-US Department of Education • High expectations and support for appropriate behaviors. • Reinforce positive behavior and present consequences for inappropriate behavior. • All stakeholders are aware of problem behaviors, what can these members do to help reinforce positive behavior and prevent inappropriate behavior. • Everyone makes a commitment to display appropriate behavior. • “Effective schools develop and consistently enforce school-wide rules that are clear, broad-based, and fair. • Everyone follows the rules “consistently.” • Collaboration is used to develop all rules and procedures, by the school community.

3. Characteristics of Effective School-wide Discipline Planshttp://risep.usurf.usu.eduDwyer, Osher, Warger- Early warning, timely response: A guide to safe schools-US Department of Education School communities do the following with Effective School-wide Discipline Plans: • Develop school-wide disciplinary policy- rules, code of conduct and consequences • Community needs are addressed- cultural values and educational goals • All stakeholders are included in all aspects of creating rules to be followed. Support and strategies are present to support the rules. Positive educational experiences are at the forefront of rewarding positive behavior. • All consequences and rules are written fairly and recognize the diversity of the school community. • Negative consequences (take away privileges) are given in addition to positive, preventive strategies to improve behavior. • Zero tolerance for drugs, weapons, bullying, etc. Provide support and services to help these students.

4. A Schoolwide Approach to Student Disciplinehttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticleAn alternative to get-tough measures that shows promise for dealing with disruptive students with disabilitiesBy: Robert H. Horner, George Sugai and Howard F. Horner • The need for new solutions to disruptive behavior. • Reducing disruptive behavior is a difficult task for all leaders. • Effective schools- use preventive measures to disruptive behavior; identify and establish programs for at-risk students; intense interventions are used for repeat offenders and data is collected to make constant improvements. • The efforts go hand in hand with IDEA in disciplining students with disabilities. • Professional development must be provided to all stakeholders to inform them of successful ways to handle diverse discipline situations. • “The building principal is the key person affecting establishment of school-wide discipline.”

5. Three Basic Disciplinary Systems-Areas of Considerationhttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticleAn alternative to get-tough measures that shows promise for dealing with disruptive students with disabilitiesBy: Robert H. Horner, George Sugai and Howard F. Horner Prevention of disruptive behavior, effective systems for helping at-risk population, Intensive interventions for students with repetitive behavior problems.

6. Creative Enthusiasmhttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle • “A cultural of competence.” • Schools must give and teach clear expectations for student behaviors. • Students don’t just know how to behave. They don’t arrive at school knowing the expectations. • Effective schools have simple, but clear expectations for student behavior. (Ex.- “be safe, be respectful, be responsible).” • Be pro-active!

7. Supporting Data of a School-wide Approach to Student Disciplinehttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticleAn alternative to get-tough measures that shows promise for dealing with disruptive students with disabilitiesBy: Robert H. Horner, George Sugai and Howard F. Horner Susan Taylor Green-Principal at Fern Ridge Middle School • 530 students • -2,600 office disciplinary referrals in a single school year • Faculty developed and implemented a “proactive system” for appropriate behaviors. These behaviors were taught and rewarded. • High Five Program • Resulted in 52% reduction disciplinary referrals and an increase in faculty and student morale.

8. “Working with repeat offenders”http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle • Adult monitoring is needed in addition to the other standards of teaching and rewarding appropriate behavior. • 3 schools in Oregon- had daily check-in and check-out systems for these students. • The repeat offenders had to check-in and out with a trained educational assistant. • Created more effective communication between school and home. • Requires simple commitment and the results are very rewarding for the teachers and students.

9. Students with “high-intensity” behavior problemshttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle • 1 to 7 percent of enrollment in most schools • These students require more than adult interactions. • High intensity students can create terror in the classroom setting. • Functional Behavioral Assessments need to be conducted to help these students succeed. • “Effective school administrators are building the capacity in their schools to conduct FBA’s, deliver specially designed positive behavioral interventions and match the level of intervention support to the intensity of the behavioral challenge.

10. Getting tough is enough: Giving discipline, discipline and more discipline will not solve patterns of behavior problems. Focusing on the difficult few: Removing the few number of students that are constant behavior problems. This way of thinking has to change. Looking for the quick fix: There are no quick fixed to discipline problems. An effective program will take 3 to 5 years. Finding one powerful trick: No single strategy can address all needs of a school. Believing someone else has the solution: The principal is responsible for establishing an appropriate solution that meets the needs of the school community. Believing more is better: Constantly creating more and more programs can deflate the willingness of teachers to comply. Administrative Trapswith Student Disciplinehttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticleAn alternative to get-tough measures that shows promise for dealing with disruptive students with disabilitiesBy: Robert H. Horner, George Sugai and Howard F. Horner

11. Validated Practices Schools yearn to be safe places for students to succeed! “Administrators need to define school-wide discipline as a major goal within their building, build disciplinary systems to complement traditional reactive systems and establish the assessment and intervention capacity needed to work with the small number of students who engage n the most intense and frequent problems.” A School-wide Approach to Student Disciplinehttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticleAn alternative to get-tough measures that shows promise for dealing with disruptive students with disabilitiesBy: Robert H. Horner, George Sugai and Howard F. Horner

12. Rethinking Student DisciplineBy: David C. Bloomfieldhttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle Mr. Bloomfield teaches his student in the educational leadership program to be “pro-active in developing policies and analyzing mandates to improve school climate and protect themselves against legal contest.” The article states that “student discipline is one of the most common areas of procedural frustration.” The school climate suffers when administrators and superintendents ignore disciplinary procedures because they are “too time consuming and expensive.” As educational leaders we need to ask- “What is good for us?” Many students get further and further behind when they are constantly suspended from school. Therefore, a school-wide approach needs to be considered. Mr. Bloomfield sums it by stating that we must use “collaborative leadership” and decisions must become a “community practice.”

13. Coaching Positive Behavior Support in School Settings: Tactics and Data-Based Decision MakingBy: Terrance M. Scott and George Martinek Questions to consider in discipline decision making: What behaviors are of concern to the school and what predicts their occurrence (time, location, context)? What is the simplest agreeable combination of rules, routines, and arrangements that might prevent those predictable problems? How can those changes be implemented in a consistent and schoolwide manner? What information can be collected to assess and evaluate the effects of the efforts undertaken?

14. One Approach to Solving Discipline Concerns- A Community EffortSending Teachers on Visits to All HomesBy: Kelly E. Middletonhttp://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle Mason County School District- Kentucky All teachers go on home visits to build a bond between the teacher and the student for the upcoming school year. The teachers get to see first hand what environment their students come from. Relationships are built between families and schools, which leads to student success. A program like this building a true definition of a “caring community.” Results: Student discipline has declined by 50% district-wide and enrollment has increased tremendously.

15. Personal Experience with Effective Schoolwide DisciplineTTAC Posts- Various Authorshttp://esdcc.ttacconnect.org/categorty/effective-schoowide-discipline/ Show Me the Data- Laurie Sallee Data plays a vital role in the ongoing efforts of Effective School-wide Discipline. “Without data, things fall apart.” The Importance of Procedures- Adam Leslie Defining the differences between expectations, rules and procedures are part of a professional development activity to help teachers make preparations in a school-wide discipline approach. Procedures is the driving force to put rules into place. Students must have tools to meet the expectations set aside for them. Procedures to meet the expectations must be taught. A School’s ESD Journey- Ginni Bussey Effective School-wide discipline is a way of life at Richlands Middle School. Their approach focuses on changing adult perception and attitudes. They believe in building positive relationships with students. The positive relationships between adults and students has shown major behavior improvements. The school was only conditionally accredited when they first started the ESD approach. Now they are fully accredited. Overall, the faculty is satisfied with the ESD initiative.