Beginning to Examine Universal Practice

Through a Culturally Responsive Practices Lens

Andreal DavisMichelle Belnavis

Kent Smith

Take a few minutes to complete the personal profile. (Make sure you score the

columns and not the rows)

True Colors

Setting the Stage: What is the purpose behind this work?

Culturally Responsive Practices

Begin to Incorporate CRP into PBIS Framework

Questions, comments or scathing rebuttal

Agenda

Whatever you see in a child is what you will produce – “I don’t become what I think I can; I don’t become what you think I can; I become what I think YOU THINK I can.”

"Educational researchers have proven time and again that culturally responsive teaching methods increase student engagement. So if our teaching is not culturally relevant, then we as educators are not relevant."

- Chike Akua

“Students with disabilities are almost TWICE as likely to be suspended from school as nondisabled students, with the highest rates among black children with disabilities.”

NYTimes, M. Rich Aug 7 2012

National Data• 13% with disabilities are suspended

from school versus 7% of students without disabilities

• 1 in 4 Black K-12 students are suspended from school at least once

High suspension is correlated with:• Low achievement• Dropout• Juvenile incarceration

Students with greater than one suspension per year:• 1 in 6 Black students• 1 in 13 American Indian students• 1 in 14 Latino students• 1 in 20 White students

Not correlated with the race of staff writing referrals.

Dan Losen & Jonathan GillespieCenter for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA – Presented by George Sugai (8/12)

State by state data found at Dignity in Schools Campaign Fact Sheet:www.dignityinschools.org

Federal guidelines issued January 9, 2014 from the US Dept. of Education and US Dept. of Justice recommending use of PBIS and Cultural and Racial Equity to: alter school climate, reduce use of exclusionary practices and decrease discipline disproportionality

Copies of Federal Guidelines and additional resources at the end of presentation

As a result of these trends and data…

• How do these tendencies impact you in your work ?

• In your family?

Personal Style

Students and Schools

• In our traditional systems, which color do you think would be the most successful?

• Which color(s) would be more disconnected from our traditional systems?

These outcomes continue because our systems are not designed to meet the needs of or examine outcomes for ALL groups of students.

Institutions and systems have not changed substantially in the last 100 years.

These outcomes are reinforced by policy at every level; Federal, State and Local.

Unintentional Reinforcement of Trends

Cultural Behaviors Spectrum

Traditional school norms

Low movement

Turn-taking

Quiet & rule-driven

Norms specific to under-served students

High movement

Overlap

Preference for variation/spontaneity

We see the world not as it is, but as we are…

Risk Ratio

Relative risk (RR) is the ratio of the probability of an event occurring (for example, developing a disease, being injured) in one group to the probability of the event occurring in a comparison group

An example of Risk RatioRisk of Getting a Speeding Ticket

Average Driver Volkswagon gti Mercedes-Benz CLS-63 Hummer0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Link Risk back to Education….

In Wisconsin, it’s another story(Retrieved from DPI website, 3/31/14)

Asian

Black

Hispan

ic/Lati

no(a)

Native

American

White0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% of total enrollement 11-12% of enrolled group with suspension 11-12

Asian Black Hispanic/Latino(a)

Native American

White0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Risk Ratio compared to white 11-12

Risk Ratio compared to white 11-12

Calculation

Automatic calculator available by going to:

http://tinyurl.com/pb3qg74

Formula

% of an enrolled subgroup with particular outcome__________________________________________

% of enrolled majority subgroup with same outcome (white)

Once data shows a pattern, teams need to consider: What knowledge and skills the staff need How to deliver that (short term) How to support that (long term) How to monitor the effects and impact Where resources will come from Align to blueprint

Planning

Funding Visibility PolicyPoliticalSupport

Training Coaching Behavioral ExpertiseEvaluation

LEADERSHIP TEAM(Coordination)

Local School/District Implementation Demonstrations

Content Expertise

Examine your own values/norms…

Ways to evaluate the effects of norms/values on your system: Disaggregate Discipline data Disaggregate Suspension data Compute Risk Ratio: http://tinyurl.com/pb3qg74

If negative trends are visible: Problem solve at the SYSTEMS level (i.e. not just one classroom/teacher at a time)

What knowledge and skills the staff need How to deliver that (short term) How to support that (long term)

We must change the educational setting to reach all students, NOT simply expect the student to assimilate

Norms/Values and their Effects

Gloria Ladson-Billings (UW-Madison) coined the term “cultural relevancy” in 1994.

It is a way of teaching that “empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by

using culture to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.”

Cultural Relevancy

Teachers and staff who… are culturally competent, know about their students’ cultural beliefs

and practices; think of all of their students as capable learners, have high expectations

for them, and help the students set short and long term goals for themselves;

know each student and draw on the students’ own experiences to help them learn;

have a wide variety of teaching strategies and skills to engage the students;

can help the students deal with the inequitable treatment of students of color and other underserved populations by helping them become critically conscious and knowledgeable about the students' culture; and

can create a bridge between the students’ home and school lives while meeting district and state curricular requirements.

Key components of Culturally Responsive Practices:

Teachers who can create a bridge between the students’ home and school lives while meeting district and state curricular requirements.

Concept 1

ValidateAffirmBuildBridge

Where can I…

Whip Around

Validate – Affirm – Build – Bridge

This involves building and nurturing relationships, established through

honest self-reflection and having an open mind about what factors

might be contributing to a student’s success and struggles in the

classroom.

Keeping Relationships at the Center

Validating and Affirming

Teachers who are culturally competent know about their students’ cultural beliefs and practices.

Concept 2

Know the students’ family, interests and culture. Plan for culturally responsive teacher/student/parent

opportunities for strengthening relationships Welcome students by name as they enter the classroom. Learn, use and display some words in students’ heritage

languages. Acknowledge all students’ comments, responses, questions and

contributions by affirming, validating, probing. Use students’ real life experiences to connect school learning to

students’ lives.

Establishing Relationships

Teachers who think of all of their students as capable learners, have high expectations for them, and help the students set short and long term goals for themselves

Concept 3

Does your body language, gestures and expressions convey a message that all students’ questions and opinions are important?

Do your VISUALS (bulletin boards, instructional materials etc.): reflect the racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds of ALL

students? Do you create class team-building opportunities that

promote peer support for academic achievement?

Identity Development

Strategies to Build a Culturally Responsive System of PBIS

Family Engagement

Teachers who can create a bridge between the students’ home and school lives while meeting district and state

curricular requirements.

Keep in mind: Representation of community cultures Representation of diverse family values and systems

Family representatives and family engagement opportunities can: Ease in validating, affirming, building relationships Enhance sense of belonging and communication

Family Engagement

1. Parenting: Helping homes support children as students2. Communicating: Designed to facilitate communication

about programs and progress3. Volunteering: Parents as helpers and supports4. Learning at home: How to help students with

homework & other curriculum related activities, etc.5. Decision making: Involving families in school decisions6. Collaboration with community: Strengthen

home/school/community

Epstein’s 6 Types of Parent Engagement

School-wide expectations

Respectful

Responsible

Safe

School-wide Behavior Expectations

(activity)

GETTING OUR VABB ON!!!

EXPECTATIONS

Classroom Procedures/Routines

Class-Wide ArrivalCooperative

LearningGroups

IndependentSeat Work Whole Group

Identify Attention Signal…….Teach, Practice, Reinforce

Be Respectful•Use kind words & actions•Follow adult directions

• Enter/exit classroom prepared• Use inside voice

so others may learn

• Listen to others• Acceptdifferences• Use kind words• EncourageOthers• Wait your turn to

speak (this may disengage some students unless capital taught)

• Follow directions

• Create for yourself and be proud

• Be honest in your work

• Eyes/ears on speaker (is this distancing?)• Raise hand to

speak (is this distancing? Options?)

• Contribute to learning

Be Responsible

•Take proper care of all personal belongings & school equipment

• Place materials in correct area• (practice ORDER)• Begin warm-up

promptly

• Use Time Wisely• Contribute• Complete your

part

• Be a TASK master• Use your

neighbor/community

• Follow directions• Take notes• Meet your

goals

Be Safe

•Keep hands, feet & objects to self•Use all equipment & materials appropriately

• Walk • Use Materials Carefully

• Respect community resources

• Keep hands, feet, and objects to self

• Stay at seat• Keep hands,

feet, and objects to self

Personal Matrix

Teach behavior expectations Have students define what those expectations would look like:

• At school• At home• In the community

For example: what does it look like to be Responsible when someone is bothering you?

• At school: Tell an adult• At home: Walk away (telling an adult annoys your parents)• In your neighborhood: Stand up for yourself (or get your butt kicked)

Acknowledgment & Environment

Do your VISUALS: (bulletin boards, instructional materials, etc.)

• reflect the racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds of ALL students?

Teachers have a wide variety of teaching strategies and skills to engage the students.

5:1 acknowledgement to correction rate will help build behavior fluency

Begin each class period with a celebration or affirmation (Harambee time – “come together”) Chant, song, celebration Builds community, belonging and group identity

Your first comment to a child establishes behavioral momentum “Interspersed requests” Behavioral priming

Provide multiple paths to success/praise. Group contingencies, personal contingencies, etc.

Establish a Positive Environment

Review whose experience is on display: What reading material is available and who is shown in it? What music is used?

Review range of instructional and work options: How are students expected to complete work (in a small group,

individually, etc.)? What type of instruction is provided (lecture, call and respond,

movement based)?

Positive Environment

Types of Practice

Traditional Responsive Culturally Responsive

Teacher centered (eyes on me)

One way

High Affective Filter (nervous if you don’t do it)

Student centered (teacher holds up fingers, students

repeat)

Two way interaction

Lowered affective filter (compliance without fear)

Call and Response

IndigenousAy’go, Ay’me

Se Puede, Si Su Puede

RhythmicPeace-QuietHolla-Back

Are you ready?- Totally

LyricalI know I Can – Be What I

Wanna Be

Acknowledgement: Is an important part of how behaviors are taught Builds behavioral fluency faster Helps teach cultural capital (code switching) when cultural

differences exist Develops positive connections between student and school

Teaching and Using Acknowledgement

Objectives for this session included: Define CRP and how it fits with PBIS Offer practical short term ideas to start the

conversation with staff Guide how to start long term professional

development (resource section)

Wrap up

Andreal Davis davisa@wisconsinrticenter.org

Michelle Belnavis belnavism@wisconsinrticenter.org

Kent Smith smithk@wisconsinpbisnetwork.org

Questions, comments or scathing rebuttal?

Resources

Black Students 3.5x more likely to be expelled than white students Latino/Latina students 2x more likely to be expelled than white

students American Indian students 1.5x more likely to be expelled than white

students LGBTQ students 1.4x more likely to be expelled than heterosexual

identified youth Students in foster care 3x more likely to be suspended or expelled than

students living with parents or guardians Youth who do not finish High School are 8x more likely to be

incarcerated

Across the Nation…(Dignity in Schools Campaign, retrieved January 2014)

http://www.ed.gov/school-discipline/ http://www/justice.gov http://www/dignityinschools.org

Federal Guidelines on School Discipline

Vincent, Claudia; et al. (2011). Toward a conceptual integration of cultural responsiveness and schoolwide positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (13:219).

Professional Development Long-term Vision