Strategies for Achieving Equity in School Discipline
Kent McIntoshUniversity of Oregon
PBIS Center Disproportionality Workgroup
Acknowledgements
Timberly Baker Aaron Barnes Kimberly Bunch-Crump Alondra Canizal Delabra Yolanda Cargile Erin Chaparro Soraya Coccimiglio Tai Collins Bert Eliason Erik Girvan Steve Goodman Clynita Grafenreed Ambra Green Beth Hill Rob Horner
Don Kincaid Milaney Leverson Tim Lewis Stephanie Martinez Kent McIntosh Rhonda Nese Vicki Nishioka Heidi von Ravensberg Ruthie Payno-Simmons Jennifer Rose Therese Sandomierski Russ Skiba Kent Smith Keith Smolkowski
1. Complete some activities to explore disproportionality in school discipline
2. Share an intervention approach for enhancing equity in school discipline
Overview of Today’s Session
Handouts: http://www.pbis.org
Stroop Task:A test of automatic associations Our brains are wired to look for patterns When we are forced to make quick
decisions, we use our automatic associations to respond
Warm Up Activity #3: Implicit Association Test https://implicit.harvard.edu/ Uses beliefs (stereotypes) and evaluations
(attitudes) associated with social groups Example: Gender-Career IAT
Tests automatic association of MEN more with CAREERS (work outside the home) and WOMEN more with FAMILY
Unconscious, automatic Generally not an indication of our beliefs
and values We all have it (even those affected by it) Based on stereotypes More likely to influence:Snap decisionsDecisions that are ambiguous
What is implicit bias?
Implicit Attractiveness Bias(Salter, Mixon, & King, 2012)
Implicit Height Bias (Judge & Cable, 2004)
One inch of height is worth $789 per year in salary
Implicit GenderBias(Reuben et al., 2014)
Men were significantly more likely to choose men
Women were significantly more likely to choose men
What about other areas of implicit bias?
“the challenge is not a small number of twisted white supremacists but something infinitely more subtle and complex: People who believe in equality but who act in ways that perpetuate bias and inequality.”
-Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times
Implicit Bias and Race
Implicit Bias in Early Learning(Gilliam et al., 2016)
Implicit Bias in Early Learning(Gilliam et al., 2016)
Implicit Bias in Early Learning(Gilliam et al., 2016)
Black children represent 19% of preschool enrollment, but 47% of preschool suspensions
White children represent 41% of preschool enrollment, but 28% of preschool suspensions
Disproportionality in Preschool Discipline (OCR, 2016)
Where do implicit biases come from?
Pop Quiz: What % of the Black population is incarcerated?
(Sakala, 2014)
Disproportionality in School Discipline
Poverty plays a role, but racial disproportionality remains, even when controlling for povertyAnyon et al., 2014Skiba et al., 2002; 2005Wallace et al., 2008
Addressing Common Questions“Isn't it all really about
poverty?”
Race and Poverty (Anyon et al., 2014)
Race and Poverty (Anyon et al., 2014)
Race and Poverty (Anyon et al., 2014)
Race and Poverty (Anyon et al., 2014)
No evidence of different base rates of behavior for any subgroupsBradshaw et al., 2010Losen & Skiba, 2010Skiba et al., 2014
Addressing Common Questions
“Aren’t Black boys just more violent?”
Our research indicates that disproportionality comes from unconscious bias – that we’re not even aware of.Girvan et al., in pressGreenwald & Pettigrew, 2014van den Bergh et al., 2010
Addressing Common Questions“Are you saying that all teachers are racist?”
…you’re halfway there.
If you’re aware…
How do we begin to address racial bias without it backfiring? A 5-point
Intervention Approach to Enhance Equity in School Discipline
http://www.pbis.org/school/equity-pbis
1. Collect, use, and report disaggregateddiscipline data
2. Implement a behavior framework that is preventive, multi-tiered, and culturally responsive
3. Use engaging academic instruction to reduce the opportunity (achievement) gap
4. Develop policies with accountability for disciplinary equity
5. Teach strategies to neutralize implicit bias
5-point Intervention Approach
http://www.pbis.org/school/equity-pbis
Disproportionality in School Discipline: OCR 2013-14
Develop and revise school-wide systems with active involvement of families, students, and the community
Culturally Responsive PBIS Implementation
Aka “behavior dictionary” Tool to assist in “code-switching” The tweak:Take school expectations and…
Add differences at home Add differences in community
Culturally Responsive Adaptation: Personal Matrix
Expectation At SCHOOL it looks like…
At HOME it looks like…
In myNEIGHBORHOODit looks like…
Be Safe
• Keep hands and feet to self
• Tell an adult if there is a problem
Be Respectful
• Treat others how you want to be treated
• Include others
• Listen to adults
Be Responsible
• Do my own work• Personal best
• Follow directions
• Clean up messes
Expectation At SCHOOL it looks like…
At HOME it looks like…
In myNEIGHBORHOODit looks like…
Be Safe
• Keep hands and feet to self
• Tell an adult if there is a problem
• Protect yourfriends and family
• Don’t talk back
• Stick up for your friends
• Don’t back down
• Look the other way
Be Respectful
• Treat others how you want to be treated
• Include others
• Listen to adults
• Do exactly what adults tell you to do
• Don’t stand out
• Don’t bring shame
• Text back within 30 seconds
• Be nice to friends’ parents
• Share food
Be Responsible
• Do my own work• Personal best
• Follow directions
• Clean up messes
• Help your family out first
• Own your mistakes
• Share credit for successes
• Have eachother’s backs
• Own your mistakes
• Check in about what to do
Develop and revise school-wide systems with active involvement of families, students, and the community
Use regular student and family surveys to assess acceptability and fit
Culturally Responsive PBIS Implementation
Stakeholder Input &SatisfactionSurveys
5. How can we reduce implicit bias in our decision making?
A specific decision that is more vulnerable to effects of implicit bias
Two parts:Elements of the situationThe person’s decision state (internal state)
What is a Vulnerable Decision Point (VDP)?
1. All ODR/suspension decisions (general self-instruction routine)
2. Identify specific VDPsa) Through national datab) Your own school or district datac) Your own personal VDPs
Situations:Options for Identifying VDPs
http://www.pbis.org/school/equity-pbis
SWIS Drill Down (www.swis.org)
Add demographic group of interest as a filter (click to
“Include in Dataset”).
Click each graph and compare to overall patterns.
National SWIS Data(2011-12)
3,026,367 ODRs6,269 schools47 states, plus DC
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Office Referrals by Time of Day
Subjective problem behaviorDefiance, Disrespect, DisruptionMajor vs. minor
Hallways Classrooms Afternoons
VDPs from national ODR data
As we become fatigued, our filters for appropriate behavior can be affected
Effects of hunger (Gailliot et al., 2009)
Decreases in willpower later in day“The Morning Morality Effect” (Kouchaki & Smith, 2014)
Examples…
Decision States: Resource Depletion (Girvan et al., 2014)
Handwashing compliance drops 8.7% over the course of a 12-hr shift
Resource Depletion in Action (Dai et al., 2015)
Outcomes of parole hearings (Danziger et al., 2011)
Resource Depletion in Action
Judges’Snack Break
Judges’Lunch Break
When you see unwanted behavior, stop and ask yourself:
1. Is this a VDP? Situation Decision state
2. If so, use an agreed-upon alternative response
Two-step Neutralizing Routine for Staff:
Neutralizing Routines for Reducing Effects of Implicit Bias
Setting event Antecedent Behavior ConsequenceLack of positive interactions with student
Fatigue
Loud complaints about work (subjective behavior)
Send student to office (ODR)
Student leaves class (Escape social interaction)Alternative
Response“See me after class.”
Self‐assessment“Is this a vulnerable decision point?” 1. If-then statement
2. Brief3. Clear steps4. Doable5. Interrupts the chain of events
What makes for a good neutralizing routine?
If this is a VDP…, Delay decision until I can think clearly
“See me after class/at the next break” ask the student to reflect on their feelings/behavior am I acting in line with my values?
Reframe the situation “I love you, but that behavior is not ok” “How do we do that at school?” picture this student as a future doctor/lawyer assume student’s best effort at getting needs met respond as if the student was physically injured
Take care of yourself take two deep breaths recognize my upset feelings and let them go model classwide cool-down strategy
Neutralizing Routine Examples
TRYTake a deep breathReflect on your emotionsYouth’s best interest
“Let’s TRY that again.” “Let’s TRY it a different way.” “Let’s TRY it how we do it at school.”
Sample Neutralizing Routine
TRY for studentsTake three deep breathsReflect on your emotionsYou got this!
Social-emotional ThemeMistakes are part of the learning processWe won’t always do it right the first timeWe can’t succeed unless we TRY
Classwide “Reset” Routine
School Example
Urban K-8 School
Black/White ODR Risk Ratio = 2.67
Risk Indices Drill Down: Phys. Aggression on Playground
Black/White ODR Risk Ratio = 4.5
ODRs and observations indicated differences in perceived basketball rules
Team clarified rules for staff and studentsAka “code-switching”
Additional teaching, practice, and acknowledgement
Monitor with dissagregated rates of ODRs
The School PBIS Team’s Intervention Progress over Time
(McIntosh, Ellwood, McCall, & Girvan, in press)
Thinking about and discussing solutions is the first step
Pick a neutralizing routine and try it out Use your data to assess and monitor If you don’t have the data you need at hand,
advocate for it This is hard work – but you know how to
do it!
Big Ideas
Contact Information Kent McIntosh
Special Education ProgramUniversity of [email protected]
@_kentmc
Handouts: http://www.pbis.org
Cannon Beach, Oregon © GoPictures, 2010
American Psychological Association. (2008). Are zero tolerance policies effective in the schools? An evidentiary review and recommendations. American Psychologist, 63, 852-862.
Anand, R., & Winters, M. (2008). A retrospective view of corporate diversity training from 1964 to the present. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 7, 356-372.
Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., O'Brennan, L. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Multilevel exploration of factors contributing to the overrepresentation of black students in office disciplinary referrals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 508-520.
Chaparro, E. A., Helton, S., & Sadler, C. A. (2016). Oregon Effective Behavioral and Instructional Support Systems initiative: Implementation from district and state level perspectives. In K. McIntosh & S. Goodman (Eds.), Integrated multi-tiered systems of support: Blending RTI and PBIS (pp. 267-286). New York: Guilford.
References
Gailliot, M. T., Peruche, B. M., Plant, E. A., & Baumeister, R. F. (2009). Stereotypes and prejudice in the blood: Sucrose drinks reduce prejudice and stereotyping. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 288-290.
Girvan, E. J. (2014). Wise restraints?: How learning the law affects socially-biased decision-making. How Learning the Law Affects Socially-Biased Decision-Making (June 4, 2013) (available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2274314)
Girvan, E. J., Deason, G., & Borgida, E. (2015). The generalizability of gender bias: Effects of expertise and accountability on sexism in labor arbitration decisions. Law and Human Behavior, 39, 525-537. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000139.
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ReferencesGreflund, S., McIntosh, K., Mercer, S. H., & May, S. L. (2014).
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Lai, C. K., Hoffman, K. M., Nosek, B. A., & Greenwald, A. G. (2013). Reducing implicit prejudice. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7, 315-330.
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References
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Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 751.
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Salter, S. P., Mixon Jr, F. G., & King, E. W. (2012). Broker beauty and boon: a study of physical attractiveness and its effect on real estate brokers’ income and productivity. Applied Financial Economics, 22, 811-825.
ReferencesSkiba, R. J., Chung, C.-G., Trachok, M., Baker, T. L., Sheya, A., & Hughes, R.
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