Cultural Fit Within a School-wide System of PBIS:

Universal and Secondary ExamplesJill Mathews-Johnson, Technical Assistance Coordinator

Illinois PBIS Statewide Network

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90%

80-90%

Tertiary Interventions/Tier 3:•Individual Students•Assessment-based•High Intensity

Tertiary Intervention/Tier 3:•Individual Students•Assessment-based•Intense, durable procedures

Secondary Interventions/Tier 2:•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response•Small Group Interventions• Some Individualizing

Secondary Interventions/Tier 2:•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response• Small Group Interventions• Some Individualizing

Universal Interventions:•All students•Preventive, proactive

Universal Intervention/Tier 1:•All settings, all students•Preventive, proactive

Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success

A Response to Intervention Model

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

Schools as a Vessel

• Culture is not inherited; rather we are socialized to behave according to traditions established over generations

• The cultures of schools may or may not be in harmony with the culture each student brings to school

• Schools greatly influence how young people see themselves and therefore need to understand and validate their backgrounds

Source: Cartledge, 1996

Culture

• Culture: An integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of interacting and roles, relationships and expected behaviors of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group; and the ability to transmit the above to succeeding generations

Source: National Center for Cultural Competence of Georgetown University, 2006

• Currently there are 5.5 million English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools who speak more than 400 different languages (Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2004)

• The 2000 census estimated that 65% of school-age children are non-Hispanic White and that 35% are from other racial and ethnic backgrounds

• It is estimated that by 2040, no ethnic or racial group will make up the majority of the national school-age population

• Many students of diverse cultures come from families in poverty, 39% of children in the United States live at or near the poverty level ( Source: National Association of State Boards of Education, 2002)

• A culturally competent school is generallydefined as one that honors, respects,and values diversity in theory and inpractice and where teaching and learningare made relevant and meaningful tostudents of various cultures

Source: A More Perfect Union: Building an EducationSystem that Embraces All Children, National Association of State Boards of Education , 2002

• A school’s social system is a reflection of the larger society and is instrumental in transmitting cultural values

• The classroom teacher is the most important component of that system as far as social development in youth

Source: Schneider, B.H., 1993

How Teachers Can Help• Learn as much as possible about the cultural and linguistic background of

students they teach• Pronounce students’ names correctly and learn key phrases in their native

language• Allow students to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through use of

cooperative groups, role plays, dialogue journals and other forms of active and interactive learning

• Enhance students’ self-image, motivation and cultural pride by using culturally-relevant materials and encouraging discussion and actions that honor their cultural and linguistic heritage

Source: National Association of State Boards of Education, 2002

• Invite parents and families to actively participate in their child’s education• Facilitate home-school communication and collaboration• Beware that families from diverse linguistic or cultural backgrounds may

not initiate requests for help or use in-school resources available to address mental health issues. Teachers are urged to provide orientations to inform parents and families about school resources

• Seek help from school psychologists or other school mental health professional if students exhibit academic, behavioral and/or mental health problems

Source: National Association of State Boards of Education, 2002

Teachers Cannot Do It AloneCultural Competence Within the PBIS

System – Behavioral Side of the Triangle

• School-wide PBIS– Use of reliable data to make decisions

* Look at various forms of data* Focus on few key outcomes

(Source: Lewis & Sugai, 1999; Sugai, Horner, Sprague & Walker, 2000)

– Cool tools– Home/School connection– Positive reinforcement

• To generalize skills, social skills need to be taught over a variety of settings, especially where a targeted behavior is exhibited(Source: Berler, Gross, & Drabman, 1982)

• More than one trainer needed for behavior generalization to occur

• The ability of a classroom teacher to function as a social skill trainers has been found to be a determining factor in behavior generalization(Source: Smith, Young, West, Morgan & Rhode, 1988)

∙ Peers particularly important in the training process and generally exercise considerable mutual influence

(Source: Stokes & Baer, 1977; Stokes & Osnes, 1986, 1988; Cartledge, 1996)

Working on Social Skill Instruction with Culturally Diverse Youth

• Literature-based instruction to facilitate social learning

• Preventative management of behavior• Social skill and self-management instruction

- Skill training- Cooperative learning procedures

• Functional Behavior Assessment

Source: Cartledge, 1996; Kerr & Nelson, 1998; Morgan & Jenson, 1988; Sugai & Lewis, 1996; Lewis & Garrison-Harrell, 1999.

What Schools Are Doing at the Universal Tier

• Cool Tools with diversity issues imbedded throughout• Peer mediation to allow students from diverse backgrounds

an opportunity to talk about potentially divisive issues• Student clubs that help large groups of students retain

cultural identity (e.g., Muslim Student Society)• Openness to starting new clubs to reflect the interests of

the student body• Parent liaisons who are paid to work with families who

would not otherwise have a traditional involvement with the school

• Mentor programs with gender/cultural sensitivity (Khan, C. & Reis, J., 2006; Rhodes, J. & Dubois, D., 2006; Cartledge, 1996)

• Home visits by parent liaisons Source: NASP, March 2006

• Telephone tree in multiple languages• Minority parent committee that organizes evenings for

minority parents to come to school in smaller groups and learn about the college admissions process, SAT prep classes, scholarship and grant opportunities, and so forth

• Letters sent home and phone contact with parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to ensure a good turnout at parent meetings

• Establishment of a Hispanic PTSA with business discussion and programs in Spanish

• Initiation of a “challenge” program to invite promising students to enroll in honors and Advanced Placement classes.

Source: NASP, March 2006

• Parent involvement incentives (ie. passport)• Wiring of schools for computers and telephone hub sites to allow parents

to communicate with schools via computer. Parents can use terminals at nearby schools or local town halls to communicate with the schools their children attend, which are often many miles away (www.ed.gov/pubs/FamInvolve/)

• Cleveland Public Schools - teachers hold parent conferences off-campus in places that are closer to parents' and students' homes. The school also holds Block Parent Meetings for those families who cannot attend school events because they live on the outskirts of the community and lack transportation. Block meetings address parent concerns and offer an opportunity to share school-related information. These meetings take place every two or three months in a parent's home or a nearby library (www.ed.gov/pubs/FamInvolve/)

• Schools are working with organizations like The Urban League to obtain books that are culturally relevant for libraries, classrooms and curriculum

• South Delta School District, Rolling Fork, Mississippi - implemented weekly take-home folders that include a parent participation sheet, information on upcoming events, and recent curriculum activities and graded tests. Parents sign and return folders each week. Teachers and parents report that the folders provide important academic information for parents, teachers, and students, and help increase parent-school communication (www.ed.gov/pubs/FamInvolve/)

• Parent training and support to parents to enhance their communication with their children about school, their supervision of their children, and their ability to communicate expectations to their children within the context of an effective parenting style (Marzano, 2003)

Family Literacy Workshop

• Designed to teach literacy skills to targeted parents• 4 meeting dates per year (Predicting, Connecting, Imaging, and Summarizing)

_______________________________ 5:30-6 Eat (free meal) 6-6:30 Parent instruction/kids play 6:30-7 Parents practice strategies with their child(ren) with support

Made possible using Title I funds

Mark Twain Elementary, Kankakee, IL

Data-based Decision Making at the Universal Tier

• Using school-wide data- Discipline- Attendance- Special education/LRE- Parent Involvement- Academic- Areas of interest: mobility, cultural background, SES, etc.

Cooperative Learning

• “The empirical literature documents evidence that cooperative activities contribute to positive peer interactions, acceptance of disabling and racial differences, and academic achievement. On the basis of research review, Goldstein observed that the beneficial effects of cooperative learning appear to be greater for minority than for majority students.”

Source: Cartledge, 1996

Functional Behavior Assessment

Data-based Decision Making at the Secondary Tier

• Using school-wide data- Discipline- Attendance- Special education/LRE- Parent Involvement- Academic- Areas of interest: mobility, cultural background, SES, etc.

• Using school-wide data and national data to determine needs

• Only half of Black and Latino students graduate from high school in four years, compared to 82 percent of Whites

• Blacks and Latinos are 21 and 18 percent of Illinois’ student population, but are 35 and 22 percent of the state’s dropouts

• White students in Illinois are 64 percent more likely to finish high school than Black and Hispanic students

Source: Illinois Report Card on Racial Equity, 2006

The On-Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation

Elaine M. AllensworthConsortium on Chicago School Research

John Q. EastonConsortium on Chicago School Research

June 2005

Statistics● Ninth grade attrition is far more pronounced in urban, high

poverty schools. 40% of dropouts in low-income high schools left after ninth grade

(EPE Research Center, 2006)

● More than one semester “F” in core subjects and fewer than five course credits by the end of freshman year are key indicators a student is not on track to graduate

● Low attendance the first 30 days of the ninth grade is a stronger indicator that a student will drop out than any other eighth grade predictor

(Allensworth & Easton, 2005)

• The on-track indicator is highly predictive of whether students will eventually graduate. Among students entering CPS high school in 1999, those who were on track by the end of their freshman year were three and one half times more likely to graduate in four years than off-track students

Allensworth & Easton, 2005

What Works?• Establish a data and monitoring system that will both

diagnose why students are struggling and be used to hold schools and districts accountable

• Address the instructional needs of students who enter high school unprepared for rigorous, college-prep work

• Personalize the learning environment to lower the sense of anonymity and address individual needs

• Build capacity with faculty and administration to address diverse needs

• Make connections to the community, employers, and institutes of higher education to better engage students and help them see the relevance of the coursework

What Works• Check and Connect – • Drop out prevention program for high school

students with learning, emotional and behavioral issues

• Partnership with parents, teachers, students and University of Minnesota, Institute of Community Integration

• Program begins in ninth grade. Mentor is matched with student who monitors their attendance, behavior and academic performance and works with them throughout the year

Results of Check and Connect

• Increases in credits earned• Increases in attendance• Increases in enrollment rates

Sinclair, 2005

• Students self-reports indicate that more transition support would ease their transition to high school

• Perceived less support and monitoring from teachers and principals and generally liked school less than when they were in middle school

• Perceived need for more organization

Barber & Olson, 2004

Additional Factors

• Improved communication between school, parents and students

• Monitoring attendance• Progress monitoring in class• Better scheduling• Incentives to make up failures• Relationship building

Why Do Group Interventions Work for Some Culturally Diverse Students?

• Troubled inner-city children and adolescents, whose relationships to adults are often impaired, learn to depend on their peer supports and communicate better within this context. They benefit from group work because they come from cultures where value of groups is above the individual

Source: Canino, I.A., J. Spurlock, 2000

What Schools Are Doing at the Secondary Level Using Groups

• TEAM (Modeled off of Mychal Wynn’s The Eagles Who Thought They Were Chickens; A Tale of Discovery, 2000)

• Cuentro Therapy (Constantro, 1988)

T.E.A.M.

TeachingExcellenceAcademicsMotivation

Tatum, Ian and Thomas, Orlando, Jefferson Middle School, Champaign, IL 2006

Program inception

2002-2003, school discipline data:

30 % African American Boys accounted for over 30 of the schools discipline referrals

Team Expectations

• Maintain on-task behavior

• Maintain acceptable academic performance minimum GPA 2.5

• Decrease discipline referrals by 50%

• Be respectful of peers

• Support other team member academically and socially

Tatum, Ian and Thomas, Orlando, Jefferson Middle School, Champaign, IL 2006

Jefferson Middle SchoolTEAM Discipline Update

2004-05 School YearTEAM GOAL?

Cut D.R.’s in half from last year

MAGIC NUMBER 241

2003-04/ 482/1620 (35% of total)

2004-05/254/1351 (19% of total)

Student of the Quarter…

Mr. Tiger O’Neil

*2nd Team member to make the Honor Roll (G.P.A./4.111)

*Three discipline referrals all year

*Highest G.P.A. for 3rd Quarter

November: Joe CrossOccupation: Academic Advisor at U of ITopic: Student Athletes/Alternative Plans

Overview: Mr. Cross discussed his journey to the University of Illinois and his dream of being a professional basketball player. He explained the importance of having an alternative plan to the

dream of playing in the N.B.A. He discussed his realization of the small percentage of college athletes that actually play professionally. He

stressed the importance of obtaining a college education.

Tatum, Ian and Thomas, Orlando, Jefferson Middle School, Champaign, IL 2006

Community Outings/Incentives

•University of Illinois vs. Michigan football game

•University of Illinois vs. Wisconsin basketball game

•Bowling at GT’s Western Bowl

•Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game

•Thanksgiving Dinner

•Christmas Celebration/Gathering

•Parkland College tour/class observation

Tatum, Ian and Thomas, Orlando, Jefferson Middle School, Champaign, IL 2006

School

Year

Total School

Referrals

Referral

Identified

Students

Referrals

Identified

Students

03-04 1621 482 482

04-05 1351

Before T.E.A.M.

482

After

TEAM

254

47 % decrease

05-06 1452

Before

T.E.A.M.

329

After

T.E.A.M.

211

36 %

decrease

Tiger 7th Grade-Islands1st Quarter G.P.A./3.8572nd Quarter G.P.A./3.6673rd Quarter G.P.A./4.111

0

5

10

15

Disc ipline

Referrals

2003-04

2004-05

Jimmy 8th Grade-Orange

1st Quarter G.P.A./3.3752nd Quarter G.P.A./3.3753rd Quarter G.P.A./2.875

0

5

10

15

20

25

Discipline

Referrals

2003-04

2004-05

TEAM: Shaping today’s youth…

To become tomorrow’s leaders.

After School Program

• ALL 3rd graders: Math (Monday and Wednesdays)

Reading (Tuesday and Thursdays)

• 2nd grade boys Brothers Helping Brothers (Thur.)

_________________________________________________

• 3:20-3:45 Games • 3:45-5:15 Teaching and Learning

• 5:15-5:30 Snack Mark Twain Elementary, Kankakee, IL

“Storytelling is a universal experience shared by every social group. Oral literature of a people was both the highest and truest expression of

its authentic national culture and the appropriate foundation of its national

literature.”

Baum, 1993; Carter-Black, 2006

Cuentro TherapyStorytelling

• Traditional Puerto Rican folktales to support and transmit cultural values

• Idea that many Puerto Rican youth that are struggling in school and the community have: weakened cultural value systems, sense of distance from society and lack of pride in ethnic roots

• Graft themes of adaptive functioning with American culture plots

Source: Canstantino, 1988

Weekly Lesson

• Folk story, biography of a successful/famous Puerto Rican

• Analysis of folk story with emphasis on character traits (ie. survival and success in adversity like poverty and discrimination)

• Question/Answer• Parallels to own life• Art project, role plays, practice of skill sets

Source: Canstantino, 1988

Topics

• Sexuality• Family • Independence• Racism and discrimination• Jobs and job interviews• Alcohol and drugs• Self-regulation• Trust

Source: Canstantino, 1988

Reference ListApplied Research Center. (2006). Illinois Report Card on Racial Equity. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from

http://www.arc.org/downloads/Media%20Kit-IL.doc.pdf Bauman, R. (1992). Story, performance, and event: Contextual studies of oral narrative. New York: Cambridge

University Press.Berler, E.S., Gross, A.M., & Drabman, R.S. (1982). Social skills training with children: Proceed with caution.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15, 41-53.Canino, I. A., J. Spurlock. “Excerpt: Group Approaches.” Culturally Diverse Children and Adolescents:

Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment. Guilford Press, 2000. 166-168.Carter-Black, J. (2006). Teaching Cultural Competence: An innovative strategy grounded in the universality of

storytelling as depicted in African and African-American storytelling traditions. Journal of Social Work, 43, 11-32.

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Chen, X., French, D., & Schneider, B. H. (2002). Peer Relationships in Cultural Context. New York: Cambridge University Press.

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http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/achiever/2004/120104.html#2Kerr, M.M., & Nelson, C.M. (1998). Strategies for managing problem behaviors in the classroom (2nd ed.).

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National Association of State Boards of Education. A More Perfect Union: Building an Education System that Embraces All Children. 2002

National Center for Cultural Competence of Georgetown University. (2006). Definition of Culture. Retrieved July 25, 2007 from http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/

Rhodes, J. & Dubois, D. Mentor Research Agenda. National Research Agenda for Youth Mentoring. Retrieved July 3, 2007 from http://www.mentoring.org/program_staff/research_corner/research_agenda.php

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