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1
Infusing Equity & Culturally Sustaining Practices
In SWPBISMoving From Theory to Practice
Dr. Ruth Payno-Riddle
APBS 2017
During This Session
We will explore a framework that
considers PBIS and the underlying
values identified in the research on the
race and culture that can be
implemented in PBIS schools and
vetted as outcomes.
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2
• There are a lot of us working to address equity in the
educational experiences of all students and especially those
who are historically marginalized.
• How many of you are engaged specifically in this work?
• Fist to 5 – Fist being I know very little about Culturally
Sustaining SWPBIS and 5 being I can teach someone about it.
• Talk with a Partner: My relationship to culturally nuanced and
culturally sustaining PBIS is…
THANK YOU FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT YOU ARE MAKING!
3
Acknowledgments
1. It is a part of an integrated multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) (Sugai &
Homer , 2009; Horner, Sugai, and Anderson 2010; Belser 2016; Freeman et al.,
2016).
2. Implemented with high fidelity & reliable measurement tools are used to evaluate its level of fidelity & efficacy (Bradshaw, Reinke, et al., 2008;
Bradshaw, Debnam, et al. 2009; Kaufman et al., 2010; Mass- Galloway et al.,
2008; Sadler & Sugai, 2009; Bradshaw, Mitchell, & Leaf, 2010; Simonsen et al.,
2012).
3. Barriers perceived or real are removed or addressed for teachers (Bambara et
al., 2009; Bradshaw, Koth, et al., 2008, Bradshaw, Koth, et al., 2009, Chitiyo &
Wheeler, 2009; Kincaid, Childs, Blasé, & Wallace, 2007; Miramontes, Marchant,
Heath, & Fischer, 2011, Sullivan, Long, & Kucera, 2011, Tillery, Varjas, Meyers, &
Collins, 2010).
4. Schools systematically review disaggregated behavior data and build action plans that addresses disproportionality (Vincent et al., 2009, Boneshefski &
Runge, 2014, McIntosh, Barnes et al., 2014).
SWPBIS is Effective When… Handout 1
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PBIS as a Stand Alone
Despite documented success of School-Wide Positive
Behavior Supports (SWPBIS), there continues to be
significant disproportionality in discipline referrals of
African American students.
• African American preschool children are 3.6 times as likely to
receive one or more out-of-school suspensions as white
preschool children.
• African American K-12 students are 3.8 times as likely to receive
one or more out-of-school suspensions as white students
• African American K-12 students are 2.3 times as likely to receive
a referral to law enforcement or be subject to a school-related
arrest as white students.
U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2013-14 (Released June 2016)
National Data Released in 2016
Handout 2
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Contrary to the prevailing assumption that African American boys are just getting “what they deserve” when they are disciplined, research shows:
• That boys do not “act out” in the classroom any more than their White peers.
• African American students are referred to the office for less serious and more subjective reasons.
(McFadden, et al.,1992; Skiba, 2000; Skiba et al. 2002; Carter,
Skiba et al. 2017)
Disproportionality
Discipline Issues
The disproportionate representation of
African Americans in office referrals,
suspension and expulsion is evidence of a
pervasive and systematic bias that may
well be inherent in the use of
exclusionary discipline (Skiba, 2000).
8
Disproportionality
Discipline Issues
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Media
This Model is based on the work of James Scheurich and Michele Young, 2002
Socio-Historical Context &
Racial Bias
Individual
Institutional Racism
THIS IS YOU!!!
Civilizational Racism
Societal Racism
Handout 3
• Unconscious, automatic• Based on stereotypes about a specific race• We ALL have it, even those most effected by it• Implicit bias is a result of automatic preferences (automatic associations)
• Race Implicit Association Test (IAT), measures unconscious bias, you can
go online and take it.
• Over five million people have taken it.
• Research findings of the IAT revealed:
o 70% of white people taking that test prefer white.
o 50% of black people taking that test prefer white.
o Automatic White preference is pervasive in American society
What Is Implicit Racial Bias?
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Teacher & Adult
Beliefs
Teacher & Adult Deficit
Thinking
Harmful/Oppressive Practices
Scripting, Labeling, Major out of Minors, Scapegoating,
Silencing, Lying, Falsely
Accusing,Punitive
Consequences
Negative School Culture
Habit Forming
Harmful Narratives
Figure6.1
HarmfulCyclicalOppressivePractices
(HCOPS)
How Implicit Racial Bias Leads to
Harmful School Practices
Harmful Cyclical Oppressive Practices Riddle 2014
Imp
licit
Bia
s
• Biases are the stories we make up about
people before we know who they
actually are (Verna Myers, 2014).
• Racial biases are also the stories that are told
to us.
• Sometimes we embrace these narratives
because we have not spent time outside of
our own cultures.
• We have different ways of knowing, problem-
solving, believing, behaving, valuing etc.
• In schools all of these cultural differences
come together and often they clash
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• What is cultural mismatch
• How might adults involved in
decision-making about
schools at all levels be
culturally different from
African American and Latino
students?
• How might that play out in
classrooms and in schools?
• Talk Large Group Share
13
Quick Talk with a Partner
The dominant culture of power
influences all functions of school and
excludes the voices of historically
marginalized children and their realities
D. Carter, 2003; P. Carter, 2005; Delpit, 1995b; Douglassetal.,2008;Fruchter's,2007;Kirkland, 2013; Ladson-Billings, 1995, 1997; Lareau,1987;Noguera, 2003a, 2003b, 2008;
Paris, 2009, 2012; Valenzuela, 1999a
Cultural Mismatch
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Cultural Mismatch
Carter (2009); Delpit (1995a, 1995b); Fruchter (2007); Gay (2000); Ladson-Billings (1994, 1995); Lang (2013); Lareau (1987); Noguera (2003a 2003b); Valenzuela (1999)
Cultural Mismatch in
Schools
Historically Marginalized
Students
White Teachers, Staff &
Administrators
Curriculum Other Stakeholders
Institutional Practices
Riddle 2014
Handout 4
Cultural Mismatch
• Affects language learning, delivery of curriculum, school culture,
and student behavior
• Creates experiences that disenfranchise Black and Latino
students and contributes to increased discipline issues
• Plays a major role in race-based opportunity gaps in schools
• Students resist:
• Uncaring and nonresponsive schooling; not education
• When teachers lack connections with them
• Giving up their non-dominant capital or when it is diminished
by adults in schools
Carter (2009); Delpit (1995a, 1995b); Fruchter (2007); Gay (2000); Ladson-Billings (1994,
1995); Lang (2013); Lareau (1987); Noguera (2003a 2003b); Valenzuela (1999)
Handout 5
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Cultural Mismatch
Schools have to: • Be more open to understanding the nuances within and across
various ethnic groups to provide appropriate caring and
respectful support and relationships
• Build on their students' cultural, linguistic, and community-
based knowledge
• Equitable systems & practices should not only be culturally
relevant but should also be culturally sustaining for Black and
Latino students.
Carter (2009); Delpit (1995a, 1995b); Fruchter (2007); Gay (2000); Ladson-Billings (1994,
1995); Lang (2013); Lareau (1987); Noguera (2003a 2003b); Paris (2012) Riddle, (2014);
Valenzuela (1999)
A Challenge
Positive
Behavior
Supports
& Multi-tiered
Systems of
Support
Culturally
Relevant &
Sustaining
Practices
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Positive
Behavior
Supports
&
Multi-tiered
Systems of
Support
One Solution - Discuss
Culturally
Relevant &
Sustaining
Practices
Overlapping A
pproach
Preliminary Literature
Review Findings
0ver 53 peer reviewed articles between 2003-2017 (14 years)
• Research studies (qualitative and quantitative)
• Pilots
• Frameworks
• Models with recommendation of practices that can be piloted
• Scholarly articles, briefs, and reports
• Theoretical frameworks with recommendations
• Four Themes:
• Infusing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
• Models/Frameworks/Pilots supportive of Black Students’ Success
• Constructing and Navigating Black Racial Identities
• Equitable School Climate
Handout 7
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Preliminary Literature Review Findings
Them
e#1
In
fusi
ngCu
ltur
ally
Rel
evan
t Ped
agog
y
Studies Focus Areas /ContributionsTurner 2005, Culp and Chepyator-
Thomson 2011, Wallace and Brand
2012, McIntyre and Hulan 2013,
Codrington 2014, Lavar, Sherri Ann
et al. 2014, Council, Cartledge et al.
2016
Culturally relevant practices in
content areas. Enacting border
crossing curriculum, making strategies
& skills of good readers transparent
and connecting text to students’ lives
for comprehension, use of texts
w/social focus w/ explicit teaching of
reading skills,
Gay and Kirkland 2003, Cholewa,
Amatea et al. 2012, Cholewa,
Goodman et al. 2014, Paris and Alim
2014, Wyatt 2015, Jett, McNeal Curry
et al. 2016
CRP Tenets: contextualization & funds
of knowledge; relational processes
(emotional & connectedness) ;
student voice; cultural critical
consciousness
Griner and Stewart 2013, Boon and
Lewthwaite 2015, Debnam, Pas et al.
2015
Culturally relevant tools: measurements, practice
Sleeter 2011, Achinstein and Ogawa
2012, Sleeter 2012, Ford 2014,
Borrero, Flores et al. 2016, Coffey
and Farinde-Wu 2016)
Implementation successes & barriers to culturally relevant pedagogy
(tensions , misconceptions &
perceptions)
Preliminary Literature Review Findings
Them
e #2
Mod
els/
Fram
ewor
ks/P
ilots
Studies Focus Areas /ContributionsFenning and Rose 2007,
Vincent, Randall et al. 2011,
Boneshefski and Runge
2014, Cramer and Bennett
2015, Betters-Bubon,
Brunner et al. 2016
SWPBIS - The role of counselors in integrating
CRPBIS; Addressing bias managing student behavior
in culturally sensitive ways; Reshaping school policy
& exclusionary practices using PBIS; Using
disaggregated discipline data & CRP; Integrations of
SWPBIS CRP
Dukes 2006, Klingner and
Edwards 2006, Brown 2007,
Cartledge and Kourea 2008,
Schellenberg and Grothaus
2011, Castillo 2013, Cramer,
Gonzalez et al. 2014, Belser,
Shillingford et al. 2016,
Carter, Skiba et al. 2017
Integrating Programs & Initiatives - Strength-based
approach using school based counseling; CR MTSS;
CRT; Discussing race in schools; MTSS & counseling;
CRT & an integrated services model for dropout
prevention; Integrated CR counseling service &
academic content areas standards; Restorative
Justice as an alternative to suspensions; school-based
support system
Eberly, Joshi et al. 2010,
Gregory, Hafen et al. 2016,
Powell, Cantrell et al. 2016
Professional Development - Cross cultural
communication PD pilot; CR Instruction Observation
Protocol (CRIOP) PD; Program Teacher/Coaching
Gay and Kirkland 2003, Endo
2015, O'byrne and Smith
2015, Villagómez, Easton-
Brooks et al. 2016
Preservice Teachers - Cultural Critical Consciousness;
Integrating Direct Instruction & Multicultural
Education; Service Learning to build CRP; Recruiting &
retaining teachers of color
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Them
e#3
Equi
tabl
e Sc
hool
Clim
ate
Studies Focus Areas /Contributions
Cholewa and West-
Olatunji, 2008
Bottiani, Bradshaw et
al. 2014, Bottiani,
Bradshaw et al. 2016,
• Students Perceptions of
School Support: Caring &
Supportive Relationships;
Cultural Discontinuity, The
Impact of Psychological
Distress on Academic
Outcomes; Supportive
School Climate and
Organizational Health
Finding: (High levels of org
health associated with
widening the racial gaps in
student’s experiences of
equity
Preliminary Literature Review Findings
Them
e#4
Cons
truc
ting
and
Nav
igat
ing
Raci
al Id
entit
ies Studies Focus Areas /Contributions
Carter 2003,
Rodriguez and Park
2004, Carter 2008,
Johnson and
Whitcomb 2016, Oeur
2016
The Impact of Strong Racial
Identities on Black Students;
Promoting Racial Identities to
Combat Racial Discrimination
and Depression in Black Youth;
Recognizing Dignity & Young
Black Men; Dominant and Non-
Dominant Cultural Capital &
Schooling Conflicts for Black
Students; Promoting Racial
Identity Development among
culturally diverse students to
increase engagement
Preliminary Literature Review Findings
Handout 8
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Key Preliminary Findings
• We are in the infancy stage of piloting models that seek to address equity and
disproportionality.
• Valid tools and checklists for implementing cultural responsive practices and
research-based measures for evaluating culturally responsiveness are being
developed and tested.
• Aligning and integrating programs and services are needed to enhance
culturally relevant practices and outcomes for Black and Latino students.
• Building positive and strong racial identities in Black students supports higher
academic and behavioral outcomes for students and helps them to combat
racial discrimination in schools.
• Schools cannot take a race neutral approach when addressing equity and
disproportionality.
• Teachers who understand our socio-historical context & societal constructions
of race develop profit based beliefs about Black students needs & behaviors.
• Exposing preservice teachers to service learning in diverse school settings can
build CRP that are sustained when they enter the field.
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
A part of an integrated
multi-tiered systems of
support.
Barriers perceived or
real are removed or
addressed for teachers
Implemented
w/ high fidelity &
reliable tools are used
to evaluate its level of
fidelity & efficacy
Disaggregated
behavior data review &
action plans that
addresses
disproportionality
Start with SWPBIS
(Bradshaw, Debnam, et al., 2009; Bradshaw, Reinke, et al., 2008; Bambara et al., 2009; Bradshaw, Koth, et al., 2008; Bradshaw, Koth, et al.,
2009; Chitiyo & Wheeler, 2009; Kaufman et al., 2010; Kincaid, Childs, Blasé, & Wallace, 2007; Mass-Galloway et al., 2008; McIntosh et al.,
2014; Miramontes, Marchant, Heath, & Fischer, 2011; Nersesian et al., 2000; Sadler & Sugai, 2009; Scott, 2001; Simonsen et al., 2012; Sullivan,
Long, & Kucera, 2011; Tillery, Varjas, Meyers, & Collins, 2010; Vincent et al., 2009, 2011).
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Culturally Sustaining & Responsive Teaching Culturally Sustaining & Responsive PBIS
Demonstrates cultural relevance and connects
pedagogy curriculum to students’ cultural and
linguistic backgrounds (Banks 1991, 2003; Gay
2000; Ladson-Billings 1994, 1995, 2001; Sleeter and
Grant 1999; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
3 Dimensions of CRT
Culturally Sustaining & Responsive Teaching Culturally Sustaining & Responsive PBIS
Demonstrates cultural relevance and connects
pedagogy curriculum to students’ cultural and
linguistic backgrounds (Banks 1991, 2003; Gay
2000; Ladson-Billings 1994, 1995, 2001; Sleeter and
Grant 1999; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Behavioral norms & school culture considers and
understands: dominant & non-dominant cultural
capital, as well as students’ cultural & linguistic
backgrounds. Profit-based thinking
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
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Culturally Sustaining & Responsive Teaching Culturally Sustaining & Responsive PBIS
Demonstrates cultural relevance and connects
pedagogy curriculum to students’ cultural and
linguistic backgrounds (Banks 1991, 2003; Gay
2000; Ladson-Billings 1994, 1995, 2001; Sleeter and
Grant 1999; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Behavioral norms & school culture considers and
understands: dominant & non-dominant cultural
capital, as well as students’ cultural & linguistic
backgrounds. Profit-based thinking
Engages communities of learners where students
socially construct knowledge in classrooms that
embrace all students (Brown and Campione 1990;
Nieto 2000; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Culturally Sustaining & Responsive Teaching Culturally Sustaining & Responsive PBIS
Demonstrates cultural relevance and connects
pedagogy curriculum to students’ cultural and
linguistic backgrounds (Banks 1991, 2003; Gay
2000; Ladson-Billings 1994, 1995, 2001; Sleeter and
Grant 1999; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Behavioral norms & school culture considers and
understands: dominant & non-dominant cultural
capital, as well as students’ cultural & linguistic
backgrounds. Profit-based thinking
Engages communities of learners where students
socially construct knowledge in classrooms that
embrace all students (Brown and Campione 1990;
Nieto 2000; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Values & uses input from staff, parents, and
students when establishing behavioral norms &
school culture. Systemically collect’s feedback
and perception data (with the ability to
disaggregate by ethnicity) to improve the school’s
culture over time.
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
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Culturally Sustaining & Responsive Teaching Culturally Sustaining & Responsive PBIS
Demonstrates cultural relevance and connects
pedagogy curriculum to students’ cultural and
linguistic backgrounds (Banks 1991, 2003; Gay
2000; Ladson-Billings 1994, 1995, 2001; Sleeter and
Grant 1999; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Behavioral norms & school culture considers and
understands: dominant & non-dominant cultural
capital, as well as students’ cultural & linguistic
backgrounds. Profit-based thinking
Engages communities of learners where students
socially construct knowledge in classrooms that
embrace all students (Brown and Campione 1990;
Nieto 2000; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Values & uses input from from staff, parents, and
students when establishing behavioral norms &
school culture. Systemically collect’s feedback
and perception data (with the ability to
disaggregate by ethnicity) to improve the school’s
culture over time.
Reflects a social justice perspective which makes
the "hidden curriculum’’ explicit, names instances
of inequity, challenges assumptions, and supports
students in questioning and challenging the status
quo (Anyon 1994; Banks et al. 2005; Cochran-
Smith 2004; Nieto 2000, 2002; Sleeter and
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Culturally Sustaining & Responsive Teaching Culturally Sustaining & Responsive PBIS
Demonstrates cultural relevance and connects
pedagogy curriculum to students’ cultural and
linguistic backgrounds (Banks 1991, 2003; Gay
2000; Ladson-Billings 1994, 1995, 2001; Sleeter and
Grant 1999; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Behavioral norms & school culture considers and
understands: dominant & non-dominant cultural
capital, as well as students’ cultural & linguistic
backgrounds. Profit-based thinking
Engages communities of learners where students
socially construct knowledge in classrooms that
embrace all students (Brown and Campione 1990;
Nieto 2000; Villegas and Lucas 2004).
Values & uses input from from staff, parents, and
students when establishing behavioral norms &
school culture. Systemically collect’s feedback
and perception data (with the ability to
disaggregate by ethnicity) to improve the school’s
culture over time.
Reflects a social justice perspective which makes
the "hidden curriculum’’ explicit, names instances
of inequity, challenges assumptions, and supports
students in questioning and challenging the status
quo (Anyon 1994; Banks et al. 2005; Cochran-
Smith 2004; Nieto 2000, 2002; Sleeter and
Reflects a social justice stance that works to
interrogate & change policies and practices that
perpetuate racial inequities and engages students
in the process.
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
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Moving to Culturally Sustaining PBIS Is Not
Moving to Culturally Sustaining PBIS Is Really About Changing the System
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A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Build Awareness of
Social & Cultural
Reproduction & the
Culture of Power
Examine & Address
Adult Beliefs
Habits of MindBuild Real
Relationships &
Connections with
Students
Matters of the Heart and Mind
Model based on Riddle 2014
Build Awareness of Social &Cultural Reproduction & the
Culture of Power• Implicit Racial Bias
Understanding of our Socio-
Historical Context
• Positionality
• Racial microaggressions
• Embracing the Truth
• Addressing White Fragility
Matters of the Heart and Mind
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Handout 6
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Examine and Address Adult Beliefs
• What you believe about Black
and Latino kids /families
• What you believe about
how/why they
misbehave/struggle with
learning
• How you came to believe that
wayMatters of the
Heart and Mind
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Teacher & Adult Beliefs
Teacher & Adult Profit
Thinking
Liberating PracticesBuilding Positive Relationships
Layers of SupportContact & Connections
Trust & RespectCulture of Caring: Creating Safe
SpacesWatching for Students’ Wellbeing
Honoring Students' Voices
Positive School Culture
Habit Forming
Figure 7.1
Helpful Cyclical Liberating Practices (HCLPS)
Counter Narratives
Helpful Cyclical Liberating Practices – (HCLPS)Copyright © 2014 Riddle.
How Profit Thinking Leads to
Equitable Practices
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Habits of Mind• Kids bring strengths to the table
that are culturally situated
• Discipline issues: Is it the child, adult, system, cultural mismatch?
• Positively shaping students
identities via Positive racial
socialization
• Shift from fixed to a growth
mindset (adults and students)
• Teacher self-reflection
Matters of the Heart and Mind
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Specific Recommendations for Positive Racial
Socialization of Black Males (Carter 2016)
Schools can nurture the healthy identity development of adolescent Black
boys and ensure their academic success by:
• Encouraging self-efficacious beliefs.
o Self-efficacy is a key factor in resilience.
o When Black male students feel self-efficacy, they gain resilience to push
through and inequitable practices occurring in schools related to racial
bias.
• Ways to build self-efficacious beliefs in Black male students:
o Encourage them to keep success journals so that they can record their
successes and list the skills talents and strategies used to reach those
successes.
o Nurture a growth mindset (Dweck, 2007) in Black boys by helping them
understand that intelligence is not fixed but is developed with hard work
and effort. Be sure to praise effort rather than intelligence.
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Recommendations of Questions for Teacher
Self-Reflection (Cartledge & Kourea 2008 ):
• What is the racial or gender breakdown of the students that I typically send from my class
for disciplinary actions?
• How often do I send the same students for disciplinary actions?
• What messages am I communicating to the students who are the recipients of of these
actions?
• What messages in my communicating to their classmates?
• Is the behavior of my students getting better?
• How do I know? If it is not getting better, why not?
• Do I dispense disciplinary referrals fairly based on on the basis of race and gender?
• Are disciplinary actions therapeutic or simply punitive?
• Do I distinguish culturally specific behaviors from behavioral in adequacy's?
• If students have substantial behavioral differences, have a talk them the skills that they
need to know?
• Am I punishing students for my lack of skill and affective behavior management?
• Do I put her students because of my lack of skill and effective instruction?
42
Build Real Relationships & Connections with Students
• Profit-based thinkingo Adult self-interrogation & problem-posing
o Build on students’ knowledge
• Create layers of supporto Mentoring & multiple positive relationships
o Multiple places to solve problems
• Respect and Trusto Understand students’ emotional &cultural
locations
• Contact and Connectionso Challenge adult deficit thinking
o Create multiple brief positive interactions
• Create a culture of caringo Watching out for students' wellbeing
o Honoring student voices
Matters of the Heart and Mind
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Students shared feeling:
safe, important, cared for,
liked, heard, surprised,
proud, confident,
respected, supported, and
successful (Riddle, 2014)
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Remove Oppressive/Bias
Language & Practices
From School Structures
Infuse Cultural Sustaining
Practices in School
Systems
Implement Cultural
Relevant Curriculum,
Resources and
Instructional Practices
Job Embedded
Professional
Development on Our
Socio-Historical Context,
Implicit Racial Bias &
Cultural Understanding
Socially Just Policies and Institutional
Practices
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Remove Oppressive/Bias Language & Practices From
School • Language in student data
systems
• Language on behavior
referral forms
• Labeling students
• Zero tolerance polices
• Three Strikes
• Suspension practices
Socially Just Policies and Institutional
Practices
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
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School discipline policies based on the Zero Tolerance Framework:
• Have not reduced suspensions or expulsions as initially
intended. Instead, these policies have resulted in more students
being excluded from the classroom due to reactive disciplinary
action (Skiba, 2014).
• Are increasing the educational achievement gap (Opportunity
gap) and negatively impacting the development of students of
color (Bernstein, 2014).
• Have created a pipeline from schools to prisons where
exclusion from the educational environment and criminalization
of student misbehavior contribute to school dropout and
involvement with the juvenile justice system (Fowler, 2011).
The Impact of Zero Tolerance on
Discipline Disproportionality
Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
Skyward – Discipline Module RFE
Submitted by Holt Public Schools, September 26, 2013
Recommendation: Specific language throughout the Skyward
Discipline Referral system should be updated to reflect current
knowledge and practice of Positive Behavior Intervention and
Supports (PBIS). The Behavior Referral should also provide space
to identify “cause” or “motivation” for the incidence, which
encourages the adults involved to reflect upon their roles in why
the student had an issue. This recommendation is for revising the
following terms. We would be happy to provide deeper analysis
and research basis for comprehensive language revisions beyond
this initial list:
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Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
Current Language Appropriate PBIS Language“Discipline” – heading that describes a punitive consequence system
Behavior
“Officer” – describes an adult responsible for managing the referral
Responsible Adult or Referral Manager or Employee
“Offense” – describes an incidence or action being documented
Incident
“Demerit History” – describes cumulative infractions in a punitive system
Reteaching History or Behavior Intervention History
Currently there is no field to capture the cause or motivation of a behavior. Without this, it remains a negative consequence process rather than identifying antecedents for behaviors.
Cause or Motivation
Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
Rationale: The language we choose is important for student and adult learning
because it has the ability to change our consciousness. Our consciousness
changes our behavior. The language Skyward chooses to revise on its platform
improves its client market position by aligning its products with states deeply
engaged in PBIS implementation.
Language Changes CultureThe terms in the left column sound prison-like and reflect a “school-to-prison
pipeline” that is heavily documented by research. School systems’ roles are not
to excuse kids from accountability, but to develop responsibility in them. Simply
changing negative language even on what seems merely a processing form or
business tool, has the ability to change behavior. Bad things are going to
happen. Kids will make mistakes. Developing responsibility in children for their
behavior begins with changing the behavior of adults. Changing behavior of
adults begins with changing their language, in even subtle, unconscious ways.
The language we use does subconsciously inform our behaviors, so unless we
make small changes to forms and hallway conversations, educators risk losing
touch with their mission…to lift others up to their potential.
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Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
• Skyward Market Alignment with PBIS
• As early as October 2008, thirty-one states were implementing
PBIS in their K-12 education systems. As of September 2013,
Skyward has clients in twenty states. Of the 31 states
implementing PBIS, only 12 have Skyward clients. This
represents a substantial market share of states with potential
clients whose needs could be further met by a platform that
supports the work they have prioritized; an authentic selling
point for Skyward’s clientele. The table below compares PBIS
to Skyward clients.
Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
States PBIS Implementation* Skyward Client**Alaska YESArizona
ColoradoConnecticut
Florida YESGeorgiaIllinois YESIowa
LouisianaMarylandMichigan YES
Minnesota YESMissouri YESMontanaNevada
New HampshireNew Mexico YES
New YorkNorth CarolinaNorth Dakota
OhioOklahoma
OregonPennsylvania YES
South CarolinaSouth Dakota YES
Utah YESVirginia
Washington YESDistrict of Columbia
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Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
Background Literature on PBIS
What is PBIS?
A decision making framework that guides selection, integration, and
implementation of the best evidence-based academic and behavioral
practices for improving important academic and behavior outcomes for
all students.
What Does School-Wide PBIS Emphasize?
In general, SWPBS emphasizes four integrated elements: (a) data for
decision making, (b) measurable outcomes supported and evaluated by
data, (c) practices with evidence that these outcomes are achievable,
and (d) systems that efficiently and effectively support implementation
of these practices.
Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
These four elements are guided by six important principles:• Develop a continuum of scientifically
based behavior and academic interventions and supports
• Use data to make decisions and solve problems
• Arrange the environment to prevent the development and occurrence of problem behavior
• Teach and encourage pro-social skills and behaviors
• Implement evidence-based behavioral practices with fidelity and accountability
• Screen universally and monitor student performance & progress continuously
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Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
SampleofAreasNeedingRevision
Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
SampleofAreasNeedingRevision
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Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
SampleofAreasNeedingRevision
Example
Removing Oppressive &Bias Language
SampleofAreasNeedingRevision
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Infuse Cultural Sustaining Practices in School Systems
• District & School improvement
plans
• Use CRT tool to evaluate &
guide CR System
• Survey students & parents
experiences in schools
• Hiring practices
• Involve students & parents in
shaping PBIS
• Purchases CR-Curriculum
Resources
• Allocate resources & FTE that
supports equity work
Socially Just Policies and Institutional
Practices
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
Cultural Relevant Curriculum & Pedagogy• Infuse multicultural & global learning
• Highlight students’ strengths
• Balance between skill & process
• Promote developing cultural critical
consciousness & self-reflection
• Promote interrogation 0f oppressive
systems & practices
• Include representation of race & cultures
in the curriculum across content areas
• Allow students to use their native
language/code switching
• Promote a community of learners
• Encourage students to embrace their
culture and develop a love of learning
Socially Just Policies and Institutional
Practices
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Sustaining SWPBIS
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Multicultural Education
• Content integration – Using content from a variety of cultures.
• Knowledge construction – Help students understand the
culture of power and how it plays out in schools
• Equity pedagogy – Modifying pedagogy to increase
achievement of diverse students
• Prejudice reduction – teaching methods that work to modify
the racial attitudes of students
• Empowering school culture – Examining school programs &
extra curriculum activities to create a school culture that
empowers students from diverse racial, ethnic, & gender
groups
(Banks 2009)
Multicultural Education
SWPBIS
SWPBIS
SWPBIS
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Example of Culturally
Relevant Pedagogy
5th Grade Exploring Freedom Unit
• District Pacing Guide/Scope & Sequence
• Focus on skills and students’ interest
• Teacher questions
• Students’ questions
• Anchor text
• Multiple texts with varying cultural perspectives
Example of Culturally
Relevant Pedagogy
5th Grade Exploring Freedom Unit
• What is freedom?
• Students wanting me to give them the answer
• Opportunities to examine the meaning of
freedom
• Students shifting from wanting me to give to
answer to questioning Webster’s definition
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Example of Culturally
Relevant Pedagogy
5th Grade Exploring Freedom Unit
• “Just because Webster defined freedom to mean… doesn't’t
mean that that is the true meaning”
• “There are different kinds of freedom”
• “Harriet is not free”
• “Well, she is not physically free, but she is mentally and
spiritually free”
• “A person can be mentally free and not physically free”
• “There is physical freedom, mental freedom, emotional
freedom, and spiritual freedom”
Example of Culturally
Relevant Pedagogy
5th Grade Exploring Freedom UnitQuestioning the way knowledge is constructed and the way
the information is transmitted:
Text: “The slaves came to America…”T: What do you think when you read this?
S: That Black people came to America willingly.
T: Is that a true representation of history?
S: No, slaves were forced to come here in chains and in
inhuman conditions
T: How could this sentence be rephrased/rewritten to reflect
what actually happened?
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Example of Culturally
Relevant Pedagogy
5th Grade Exploring Freedom Unit
Questioning the way knowledge is constructed and the
way the information is transmitted:
Students’ reconstructed sentence:
“Black Africans were forced into slavery and brought
to America against their wills”
Original Text: “The slaves came to America…”
Activities during this unit included but not limited to:• Daily assigned reading from the anchor text
• Opportunities to read any of the other texts
• Reading/writing conferences
• Daily small group instruction based on skill needs and the pacing
guide
• Writing prompts connected to the anchor text & the writing
process
• Student interest research on current oppressive situations tied to
themes in the unit
• Students made movies about their findings and presented in
multiple venues including the state tech conference
• Field trip to the African American Museum in Detroit
Example of Culturally
Relevant Pedagogy
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67
Job Embedded Professional Development Ongoing professional development & coaching
aimed at increasing staff cultural awareness,
competency, & sustainability in schools
implementing SWPBIS that engages staff in
learning, conversations and critical reflection on:
1. Our Socio-historical context , issues of
positionality & how racism has been
institutionalized and socially & culturally
reproduced
2. Implicit racial bias
3. Understanding of dominant and non-
dominant cultural capital & issues of identity
4. Culturally sustaining & relevant pedagogy
5. Using culturally relevant pedagogy
curriculum resources
Socially Just Policies and Institutional
Practices
A Framework for Moving to a Culturally Nuanced and Sustaining SWPBIS
Carter, Skiba et al. 2017
Recommendation
Schools Must Take a Race Conscious Approach
• Race-neutral approaches to diversifying schools are not effective
in reducing segregation and can lead to increased school
segregation (McDermott, Furstenbeg & Diem 2015; Gullen, 2012;
Reardon, Yun, and Kurleander 2006).
• Race-neutral approaches have not been effective in reducing
racial/ethnic disparities in school discipline (Vincent, Sprague, &
Gau, 2015; Vincent & Tobin, 2011).
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Acknowledge and Address Issues of Race
Practical Application of Professional Development:
1. Set the tone for this work by engaging in thorough analysis of our socio-historical
context via reading scholarly articles and engaging in dialogue race issues
2. Professional learning can then be centered around conversations about specific
disciplinary incidents and and habits of discipline at the school and her: that can
include positionality, reflection on the experiences and ideas that have shaped
teachers implicit bias regarding students, teachers reflect on ways to create
culturally sustaining spaces were both teachers and students can code switch.
3. Use the literature to create race conscious interventions and ways to evaluate
them. Relationships with community centers and community universities who
specialize in this work can be helpful.
4. Hiring staff who can spend time in the literature and connecting strategies to the
findings of data review can be helpful
Riddle, 2014; Carter, Skiba et al.
2017 Recommendation
Process & Next Steps
1. Developing, implementing and refining the 8 categories
through practice and research (2014-2017)
2. Literature Review (peer reviewed articles and research) all
work done in the last 17 years (2017-Present)
3. Refine categories to include more tangible practices that
practitioners can implement and use within their systematic
problem solving process (2017-Present)
4. Pilot practices and collect data to understand efficacy levels
in terms of fidelity, adult, and student outcomes (Next Steps)
5. Publish articles and case studies of implementation process,
outcomes, and implications for future practice and research
(Next Steps)
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Contact Information
71
Dr. Ruthie Riddle
Consultant, CEO
RLR Educational Impact LLC.
517.256.3990