Susan M. Green, PrincipalAlain L. Locke Magnet School for Environmental Stewardship-PS 208

Raising the Bar on Academic AchievementImproving School Climate and Discipline for Westchester County’s African American Students

A P r i n c i p a l ’ s R e fl e c t i o n …

T h e J o u r n e yIf you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then

make the change.

Michael Jackson, Man in the Mirror

• Reflect on current disciplinary practices and what drives these practices

• Identify methods for building knowledge of and developing empathy for students’ social plights that may negatively impact social and academic behaviors

• Commit to developing new approaches to discipline, particularly students of color

Objectives

Alain L. Locke Magnet School for Environmental

Stewardship-PS 208Alain L. Locke, the Man

• Born in Philadelphia, PA in 1854

• Studied Philosophy and Literature

• Harvard Graduate

• Professor at Howard University

• First African American Rhodes Scholar

• Dubbed as the Father of the Harlem Renaissance

• Creative mentor to many greats: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Ossie Davis

Alain L. Locke *Magnet School for Environmental

Stewardship-PS 208ALLMSES-PS 208 the

School • Located in Central Harlem • 159 students in Grades 3 through 5 • 64% African Americans• 32% Latinos• 3% Caucasians • 2% Asians • 11% English language learners

(ELLs) • 22% of students who receive

special education services• 47% boys; 53% girls• average attendance rate for the

2013-14 school year was 91% • 11% of students live in temporary

housing• 95% of students are eligible for free

or reduced lunch*A magnet school is a school with a theme designed to attract students according to interest, with a goal of ethnically diversifying traditionally segregated populations.

Technology, Sports and Arts are used to help students discover talents and areas of interest.

Fall 2006In this Corner: The Newby

And in this Corner: The ChallengersMarco, Anthony, James, Shakur, Shakim, Adrian and Tykwan

The Greatness Mantra

I was born from GREATNESS

Therefore that makes me great

Today I will spread love

Not hate

Not lies

Not violence

Just love

Today, I will do more

I will learn more

I will be more, than anyone ever thought I could

Today I will strive for GREATNESS

And nothing less

Susan M. Green © 2007

• Children are to be seen and not heard• Power Tripping-I’m not having it!• Do as I say

Screaming doesn’t make the message clearer.

The Old School Mentality Me, My Beliefs, My

Practices…

The Oprah Syndrome… Suspension

Giveaways

The Turning Point

• In the United States, 21% of students under the age of 17 are living in poverty.

• For African-American male children, the number is nearly double, standing at 39%.

(National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015)

Single parent households, limited access to resources, less than adequate housing and temporary living conditions are just some of the variables associated with poverty.

(Roy and Raver, 2014)

Statistics

If you’re not part of the solution,

then you’re part of the problem.

The Turning Point

Statistics

Safequalityschools.org, 2014

• Black students represent 16% of the student population, but 32-42% of students suspended or expelled.

• Twenty percent (20%) of black boys and more than 12% of black girls receive an out-of-school suspension.

• Black children represent 18% of preschool enrollment, but 42% of the preschool children suspended once, and 48% of the preschool children suspended more than once.

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, 2014

Statistics (cont.)

Change Begins Here…

This is not an Option

Foster Care/

Raised by

Adult other than

Parent

Shelter/Temp Housing

Meds Incarcerated Parent

Resides with

and/or Multiple Siblings

Domestic Violence

Parents with

Disability

Overage Students (2 yrs. +) who will

be 20 years old

at graduatio

n

NicholasJoseph

Zaire Que Joshua David/Emely

Zaire Jaylene Christian Mc.

Tashawn

Qween Dharin Skylar Yanishlen Baptista Kids

Tashawn

Chris J.

Leslie Chasity/Chazel

Elijah C.

Anigel Elijah C.

Naval

Marco Thomas Kids

Anijah Thomas Kids

Anijah Marco Mohamed

Samaya

Jolissa Jolissa Jolissa Josue Samaya

Ian Jonae Jonae

Developing Knowledge of Students

Other variables that may impact students’ behavior

• Student with Individual Education Plan

• Overage student; will be 20 years old at graduation

• Was in more/less restrictive special education setting

• Students traveling more than 45 minutes to school each day/reside in another borough

• Parents who are not literate

• Children who come from non-English speaking

Developing Knowledge of Students

• Cumulative Records

• Informal meeting with students themselves and parents

• Speaking with former teachers

• School support staff (i.e., social worker, parent coordinator, family worker) that has access to parents

• Home visits

• An open door policy and nurturing disposition

Additional Methods for Acquiring Information about Students and Circumstances

Change Begins Here… Setting the Tone

Follow the Leader (Modeling)

• Be transparent about what is important to you as and why

• Engage in ongoing reflection on how my actions support/contribute to the School-to-Prison-Pipeline

• Model alternative responses and reactions to student negative behaviors

• Become a student-attend professional training on how to manage behaviors and support needs

Susan Says (Clear Expectations)

• Black and Latino boys will not be disposable

• We won’t pigeon hold students’ potential, regardless of their current behavior or external influences

• Planning, preparation and instruction are to be for students academic and social needs

A Call for Empathy

Chezare A. Warren-Towards a Pedagogy for the Application of Empathy in Culturally Diverse Classrooms

Objective of the qualitative study: To determine how empathy is applied as a professional disposition in culturally diverse school settings

Empathy requires:

• Empathetic Concern (Emotions)

• Perspective Taking (Cognition)

Warren, 2013

Research

Empathetic Concern

• Attention to the Needs of the Whole Child

• Utilizing the Concept of Family

• Teacher Availability

• Getting to Know Students

Warren, 2013

Warren’s Findings: Variables that lend themselves to developing empathy

Perspective Taking

• Written and Oral Communication

• Understanding of the Community Context

• Prior Knowledge

• “Family Business”: Organized structured time for student expression

Warren, 2013

Warren’s Findings: Variables that lend themselves to developing empathy

Social empathy is the art of understanding another’s perspective in relationship to their inequitable, societal circumstances that prevent them from having a better quality of

life, while keeping them at a marginalized disadvantage.

Segal, 2007

Social Empathy

Social Empathy Components:

• Insight into the contextual environment, with particular understanding of systemic barriers to health and well-being

• The ability to take the perspective of other groups and imagine what it is like to live as a member of those other groups

Segal, 2007

Social Empathy

Segal’s Social Empathy Model

Segal, 2007

The ImpactFocused Professional

DevelopmentBuddy Project

The Impact

The teachers…

• have started committing themselves to be buddies to some of the most challenging students

• have visited the homes where students live, giving greater insight of students plights

• have reduced the number of referral to the main office

The students

• have started engaging reflecting on areas where they make poor decisions

• have started reporting problems to staff before they escalate

Suspensions are currently at 4% compared to highest rate of 28% in 2010.

I have a lot to learn. This definitely made me contemplate my reactions to students’ behavior. I often try to express my authority when I encounter issues of behavioral problems. I need to work on that. I am going to reflect on what needs to change about ME!

4/5 Grade Self-Contained Teacher

I learned a lot about the background of a few students and it has helped me to realize I need to connect to certain students like ---- in a different way. She’s 10 years old in the 3rd grade, so my approach with her has to be different than with my eight year olds. She’s a young lady; I have to begin treating he as such.

3rd Grade General Education Teacher

Teacher Testimonials

Established

Expectations

Here is where

adults set clear

expectations

Actions

Here is where children are empowered:

Their actions dictate the outcomes

They get to decide how they want to proceed

OutcomesYield

Privileges or

Punishments)

Here is where adults

must act on

promised outcomes

PG’s Ownership for Action Model

Managing Student Behavior

• Analyze your current practices when managing difficult situations; do they help or exacerbate

• Think long-term about your legacy and how you want to be remembered

• Pick and choose your battles; determine what is most important to you and address it accordingly

• Make a choice to change a behavior within and commit to it, but forgive yourself when you backslide

• Be patient with the process

• You won’t change the kids, their behaviors or their circumstances, you can only change yourself

Final Thoughts

• If Only She Knew Me by Jeff Gray

• Hanging In...with Students Who Challenge Us the Most by Jeff Benson

• Life Space Crisis Intervention by Long, Wood and Fecser

• The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

• There are No Children Here by Alan Kotlowitz

• The School to Prison Pipeline by Marilyn Elias (found in Teaching Tolerance publication)

Suggested Readings and Other Resources

sgreen8@schools.nyc.gov

onelesscot@gmail.com

M y r e fl e c t i o n .

M y j o u r n e y.