Beginning to Examine Universal Practice Through a Culturally Responsive Practices Len Andreal Davis Milaney Leverson Kent Smith

Agenda Setting the stage – Why do this and what does current practice look like? What is Culturally Responsive Practice How to begin incorporating CRP into PBIS framework Questions, comments or scathing rebuttal

Wisconsin's Vision for Response to Intervention

“Students w/ disabilities are almost 2x as likely to be suspended from school as nondisabled students, w/ the highest rates among black children w/ disabilities. ” NYTimes, M. Rich Aug % w/ v. 7% w/o 1 in 4 black K-12 students High suspension correlated w/ Low achievement Dropout Juvenile incarceration >1 Susp. 1 Year 1 in 6 black 1 in 13 Amer Indian 1 in 14 Latinos 1 in 20 Whites Not correlated w/ race of staff Dan Losen & Jonathan Gillespie Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA

Across the Nation… (Dignity in Schools Campaign, retrieved July 14, 2013) 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

In Wisconsin African American students are 7x more likely to be suspended than white students American Indian students are 5x more likely to be suspended than white students Latino/Latina students are 3x more likely to be suspended than white students In 2010, there were 14,241 students who started school in 2006 that did not graduate.

Unintentional Reinforcement of Trends These outcomes continue because our systems are not designed to examine outcomes for ALL groups of students. Our institutions and systems have not changed substantially in the last 100 years. These outcomes reinforced by policy at every level; Federal, State and Local. And because…

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

Gloria Ladson-Billings (UW-Madison) coined the term “cultural relevancy” in It is a way of teaching that “empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using culture to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.”

teachers who are culturally competent about their students’ cultural beliefs and practices; 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; teachers who know each student and draw on the students’ own experiences to help them learn; teachers who have a wide variety of teaching strategies and skills to engage the students; teachers who 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 teachers who can create a bridge between the students’ home and school lives while meeting district and state curricular requirements. Key components of Culturally Responsive Practices:

Where Can I…? Validate Affirm Build Bridge

Keeping Relationships at the Center 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. Validating and Affirming

Establishing Relationships 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. teachers who are culturally competent about their students’ cultural beliefs and practices;

Identity Development 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? 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;

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

Make the connection by examining the data Disaggregation of Discipline data and suspension data. Include Risk Ratio. Once trends are noted, start thinking systemically. CRP is delivered to the students through the SYSTEM.

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

Strategies to Build a Culturally Responsive system of PBIS

Questions to consider

What cultural expectations do you (as practitioner) bring to the educational setting? What is your culture in relation to education, interactions and school? values, beliefs, traditions, customs, worldview, conversational styles, non-verbal language and parenting styles What are the historic experiences/implications of your culture? What are the differences/dissonances between your culture and the student’s? Are you expecting one-way accommodation from the student for any cultural differences? Why? What accommodations are you expecting?

3 Types of Practice: Traditional, Responsive, Culturally Responsive TraditionalResponsiveCulturally 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 Indigenous Ay’go, Ay’me Se Puede, Si Su Puede Rhythmic Peace-Quiet Holla-Back Are you ready?- Totally Lyrical I know I Can – Be What I Wanna Be

What cultural expectations does the student bring to the educational setting? What is the student’s culture in relation to education, interactions and school? values, beliefs, traditions, customs, IMAGES, REPRESENTATIONS, worldview, conversational styles, non-verbal language and parenting styles What are the historic experiences/implications of the student’s culture? What are the cultural characteristics of this student that are strengths in the educational environment? What have you determined to be motivating & reinforcing to this student? What is the parents’/caretakers’ view on the student’s behaviors of concern?

Family Engagement

Family representatives should be someone not employed by the district Team must value family voices in decision making Family representative role and responsibilities should be clearly defined Family member participation can be encouraged by: –Scheduling meetings at family-friendly times or with childcare –Sharing meeting minutes, schedules & agendas with families –Delegating specific tasks to family representatives or focus groups Keep in mind: –Representation of community cultures –Representation of multiple family values and systems Family representatives and family engagement opportunities can: –Ease in validating, affirming, building relationships –Enhance sense of belonging and communication

Epstein’s 6 Types of Parent Engagement 1. Parenting: Helping homes support children as students 2. Communicating: Designed to facilitate communication about programs and progress 3. Volunteering: Parents as helpers and supports 4. Learning at home: How to help students with homework & other curriculum related activities, etc. 5. Decision making: Involving families in school decisions 6. Collaboration with community: Strengthen home/school/community

School-wide expectations

School-wide Behavior Expectations Respect Others Respect Self Respect the Environment (activity)

We must help our students make connections. Principles of Ma’at 1) Truth; 2) Balance; 3) Order; 4) Law; 5) Morality; 6) Justice

EXPECTATIONS Classroom Procedures/Routines Class-WideArrival Cooperative Learning Groups Independent Seat 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 Accept differences Use kind words Encourage Others 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/com munity 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

Culturally Responsive Alternative - DICTIONARY Students are taught behavior expectations and then expected to 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) Expectation Dictionary

Acknowledgments

Establish a Positive Environment Five instances of praise and acknowledgement for every correction. 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 Engelmann, Mace, “interspersed requests” Behavioral priming Provide multiple paths to success/praise. Group contingencies, personal contingencies, etc.

Teaching and Using Acknowledgement 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

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)?

Wrap up 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 long term professional development

Questions, comments and Scathing Rebuttal? Andreal Davis Milaney Leverson Kent Smith