Irvine H.S. (IHS), Vista Verde (VV), Bernice Ayer Middle School (BAMS) Team driven (IHS) & establishing local expertise (VV) Data based decision making &problem solving (IHS) –1-5-9 week & data displays (VV) Early screening (BAMS), continuous monitoring & structured problem solving (IHS) –Parent communication (VV) Increasing contact & relationship between students & staff (IHS) –Linked to SW….consistently (BAMS) Locally based interpretations (IHS) & applications (BAMS) –RtI, use simple first (classroom teacher before 2nd tier interventions) (VV) –Public & frequent (BAMS) Integrated academic (BAMS) & social behavior efforts (IHS) –Range of interventions (BAMS) –Teach process & requirements directly to & w/ students (VV)

Encouraging Student Behavior: Misrules & Science George Sugai OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports UConn Center for Behavioral Education & Research March 10, 2008

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT PREVENTING VIOLENCE? Surgeon General’s Report on Youth Violence (2001) Coordinated Social Emotional & Learning (Greenberg et al., 2003) Center for Study & Prevention of Violence (2006) White House Conference on School Violence (2006) Positive, predictable school- wide climate High rates of academic & social success Formal social skills instruction Positive active supervision & reinforcement Positive adult role models Multi-component, multi-year school-family-community effort

Big Goal Promote acceptable, expected student academic & social behavior by establishing relevant & durable positive interactions & relationship between learner & teacher –Parent & child, worker & boss, teacher & teacher, bus driver & riders, etc.

How? Engaging in high positive social interactions Arranging for high academic success rates Expressing high positive outcome expectations Regularly teaching, practicing, acknowledging prosocial behavior

Why do educators resist use of positive acknowledgements (misrules)? Use of extrinsic rewards will inhibit development of intrinsic motivation. Students don’t need rewards & acknowledgements to do what’s right & supposed to do. Strong, natural aversive consequence will get the message across. Give them time, & maturity will kick in. If they can’t do it on their own, they shouldn’t be in this course. Any students who need me to tell them what’s right & wrong aren’t going to make it my class… personal responsibility I teach biology. I don’t & shouldn’t have to teach respect and responsibility. It’s obvious to me, just look at her family. When I was his age, I had to do it all on my own….no breaks & privileges in my class. Etc.

Challenge Despite the research & conceptual literature, teaching & encouraging student prosocial behavior are not embraced by some teachers: –Limited fluency –Narrow, non-contextual applications –Inefficient, non-sustainable strategies –Philosophical opposition –Etc.

What do we know? 1.Antecedent & consequence environmental events affect behavior probability 2.Function matters 3.Appropriate & inappropriate academic & social behaviors are similarly acquired, maintained, & lost 4.Social skills must be taught & maintained like academic skills 5.Academic & social reinforcers are required but vary in form, intensity, frequency 6.Self-management success is linked to other- management success

Only 2 Basic Functions Pos Reinf Neg Reinf Existing aversive condition identified

Teacher’s Reinforcement Wisdom! “Knowing” or saying “know” does NOT mean “will do” Students “do more” when “doing works”…appropriate & inappropriate! Natural consequences are varied, unpredictable, undependable,…not always preventive

Irony from teacher’s lounge: “Students shouldn’t be recognized for what they’re supposed to do. Besides why should we do something extra; you never acknowledge us for what we do now!”

General Guidelines Showoff outcomes Model what you want Work from conceptually sound theory Involve others Teach self-management Individualize Use naturally occurring, contextually, & culturally appropriate forms of rewards & reinforcers Reward/reinforce staff use