Utica schools start program to stress good behavior

Several local schools have implemented a program aimed at improving student behavior, a move school leaders hope will lead to more productive classroom time and a better school environment.

The program, called Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, focuses on clearly defining good behavior, acknowledging students who are following rules, and providing support services to students who have trouble.

<table width="200" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" align="right">

<tbody>

<tr>

<td>AT A GLANCE</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>About Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports programs:

* Set school-wide behavioral expectations and teaches expectations to all |students.

* Focus on acknowledging good behavior.

* Use data for decision-making.

* Support students with chronic behavior problems.</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

"Typically, 90 percent of our children are meeting expectations we set for them," said Colleen Vetere, principal of Harry M. Fisher Elementary School in Mohawk. "Yet lots of times in a school you find that you're spending the most energy to pay attention to those 10 percent that aren't meeting expectations."

Fisher is among the handful of schools that are using the program. Others include four Utica schools, and the Town of Webb district. Two more Utica schools will start the program toward the end of the year, school officials said. All of Utica's programs are funded by federal grants.

Utica College education professor Lois Fisch said initiatives that focus on developing good behavior and character are a growing trend in schools.

"If the kids are behaving appropriately, then it frees the teacher up not to be always disciplining and punishing, so the teacher can actually teach," Fisch said. "If the classroom is a safe, respectful place, then the kids really can spend their energy on learning."

The main tenants of the program include:

* Data-driven decisions. School staff track behavior problems and analyze incidents to determine the time, place and types of behaviors are problematic.

* Acknowledging good behavior. Most schools use points systems where students earn rewards for meeting behavior expectations.

* Clearly defining what good behavior is and re-teaching proper behavior students who don't follow rules.

Seeing results Some Kernan Elementary School staff members said student behavior has already improved after nearly two months of using the program.

The hallways are calmer.

The playground is more orderly.

Students encourage each other to behave well.

"Before, you would find kids peeling around a corner and now they're like this," school librarian Valerie Witte said, stiffening her arms and pulling them to her sides. "They're rigid."

At one recent assembly, students tried to quiet each other down by holding up the school's hand signal for silence, Witte said.

"The kids know that's what we want," she said.

School officials decided to target behavior problems in common areas after an analysis of disciplinary incidents revealed that's where students have trouble following rules, said Kate Alcott, who coaches school staff for the program.

When school started, teachers performed skits illustrating good and poor behavior.

Specific expectations for behavior are written out, and posted throughout the school.

Students who follow the rules earn paw print tokens, which they can redeem for special treats including lunch with the principal, extra time in gym, or time in a game room during lunch, Alcott said.

"Research shows that kids respond to positives, and they'll want to repeat the behavior if they're acknowledged," she said.

Earning points Kernan students Adryanna Caban and Paula Campbell both had 25 paw points, and are hoping to earn 60 so they can spend extra time in gym class, they said.

"I like them because you get to earn special things," said Adryanna. "It makes me feel more responsible."

"It makes me feel more mature," Paula said.

The program was launched several years ago in two city elementary schools, Columbus and Martin Luther King, Superintendent Marilyn Skermont said.

Two more elementary schools, Kernan and Watson Williams, recently launched the program, she said. Hughes and Jefferson will begin the program later this year.

"The kids know the rules and know what's expected," she said. "I think it's made a huge difference at those schools."

Positive reinforcement Staff members receive training before the program is implemented in the school, officials said. A team of staff members then oversee the program and help plan initiatives to improve behavior, school officials said.

Cathleen Gardner, a parent on the team at Fisher, said she's learned more effective ways to encourage her children to behave from being involved in the program's planning.

"That kind of reminds a parent, you don't always have to nag your kids," she said. "It's good to say, 'Good job.'"

The behavior program initially focuses on teaching all students good behavior. But in later years, efforts are aimed at students who aren't complying.

Often, if a student is acting out, it's a sign of underlying social or family problems, officials said.

A student who isn't behaving may need to work with a counselor to tackle underlying issues that translate into poor school behavior, officials said.

Vetere praised the results her school has achieved since implementing the program. Students respond well to the praise they receive for behaving well, and teachers have found they have more time to teach, she said.

"I'm a little biased," she said. "But I think it has done wonders for us."