Creating a Safe Learning Environment - PowerPoint Presentation

Presentation on theme: "Creating a Safe Learning Environment"— Presentation transcript

Slide1

Creating a Safe Learning Environment

Part of The Schools Portland’s students deserveSlide2

Urgent Need to Address Safety in PPS

34%

of

educators believe their school environment is unsafe. (PAT survey)

Last year only

17%

felt their school environment was unsafe. (TELL survey)

Epidemic of students and staff getting hurt in our schools this year.

A school that is unsafe for staff can’t be safe for students.Slide3

Urgent Need to Address Safety in PPS

“Students do not feel safe because there is, at times, a feeling of chaos. Students who are doing the right thing do not necessarily see anything being done when others don’t do the right thing.”

“I have a student with severe behavioral/emotional needs. He is in my class full time, usually without support. This student is unpredictable. He hits, runs, throws objects, yells and pushes others. I often worry about the safety of my other students.”Slide4

Portland Association of Teacher (PAT)

Advocacy Committee

Al Rabchuk

, Chair, Wilson HS

Michelle Lacaden

, W. Sylvan MS

Tija Smith Wallis

, Lincoln HS

David Child

, Woodlawn K-8

Mike Bauer

, Roosevelt HS

Kevin

Conroy

, W. Sylvan MS

Jeanne Grant

,

SpEd

, CTP

Shelly Simonsen

, CJOG K-8Slide5

About the Safety Survey

Every PAT member got it (excluding substitutes)

30 percent of our members responded

We’re presenting several of the key results tonight

We will meet with the Teaching and Learning committee at a later date to continue the discussion.

Slide6

Analyzing Three Areas Tonight

PPS Track Record in Developing, Disseminating, and Applying Discipline Policies

Hollowing out Special Education Services and the Impact on Discipline

Patchwork of Discipline SystemsSlide7

PPS is doing an poor job following its own rules and the PPS/PAT contract.

Cutting special

education

services has contributed to unsafe classroom conditions.

The

District is using a

patchwork

of disciplinary systems

, and

rarely

provides the

front-end resources necessary to

make them work.

ConclusionsSlide8

Discipline Policy:

Disseminationand ApplicationSlide9

Written Student D

iscipline Plan

62%

of respondents

either

do not have

or

do not know

if their school has a written building Student

D

iscipline PlanSlide10

Written Student D

iscipline Plan

“I have asked to see one, and have never been given one. I was told there is no handbook.

”

“

We

have written rules and expectations, but

no

procedures to follow when said rules and expectations are violated.

”Slide11

Clearly Communicated Policies and Procedures

50%

of respondents

do not believe

that student conduct

policies & procedures are clearly communicated.

Disagree

AgreeSlide12

“

Staff is not really sure what the policies and procedures are. I am not even sure the

administration

really knows what they are, with all the change happening.”

“

There is no transparency. Students will engage in very unsafe behaviors and administrators respond that their hands are tied by the

district,

that they cannot exclude students. Students get the message there are no real consequences for their behavior, so their behavior escalates to dangerous levels.

”

Clearly Communicated Policies and ProceduresSlide13

Consistent Consequences

47%

of respondents

d

o not believe

that

consequences are consistent with written discipline plans or the PPS discipline handbook.

Disagree

A

greeSlide14

“Our written building plan does NOT outline or describe consequences. The district handbook does not seem to be followed at all.”

“

Students at our school are not safe. There are no real consequences for violent behaviors. Students will be sent to the office, only to be returned to class 5 minutes later. Students are bullied, and our administrators are either unwilling or unable to hold kids accountable.

”

“There is minimal

to no

information

shared

regarding

how discipline is determined, defined, assigned, etc. As

a teacher

, I feel in the dark about what discipline issues exist at my school, if there are any trends I should be noticing or anything that may assist in protecting and aiding

students.

”

Consistent ConsequencesSlide15

Timely Discipline Follow-up

Nearly twice as many

respondents

f

eel they

d

o not

receive timely follow-up to discipline referrals as feel they do.

Agree

Disagree

47%

28%Slide16

“My students have received referrals and there is nothing in Synergy or nothing of substance. When the behavior is repeated and the consequence remains ‘conference’ the behavior DOES NOT CHANGE and the students suffer.”

“I never

hear a word. 99% of the time students are sent back to class or show up the next day.

”

Timely Discipline Follow-upSlide17

Effective Discipline Process

By nearly a

3 to 1 margin

respondents believe that the referral process at their site is not efficient and effective.

No

Yes

7

4%

26%Slide18

“While we write referrals and appropriately escalate, we are told that students cannot be suspended and we have no form of detention or in-school suspension. These factors create a situation in which the students feel they can get away with anything, therefore making our classroom management plans nearly useless.”

Effective Discipline ProcessSlide19

Special Education

and DisciplineSlide20

Special Education Supports

70%

of respondents

believe that Special Ed supports

are not adequate

for behaviors that create

unsafe classroom conditions

Disagree

70%

A

gree

19%

No OpinionSlide21

“

We have worked from September through April to finally get some support through Special Ed for 3 students in this building. It has impacted the entire building and I have to credit

our

Principal for being persistent in helping us get the help these students need

.”

“We don’t have adequate supports and need one-on-ones for certain students. The model we have doesn’t support the number of IEP’s in my classroom. Close to 15 IEPs in one class alone.”

Special Education SupportsSlide22

“

There needs to be a more efficient process for taking data, tracking students who are struggling,

and helping teachers design/implement interventions. Many students are falling through the cracks until they get in 2

nd

-4

th

grade, at which time they are already very behind academically and behavior-wise

.”

Special Education SupportsSlide23

Discipline System

PatchworkSlide24

Discipline Systems

PBIS 41%

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE 25%

CHAMPS 17%

ENVOY 3%Slide25

“Neither discipline style [PBIS or RJ] has been fully explained. We have just been told we are doing these models. We were explicitly told that the District is making our school do Restorative Justice, but without a RJ trainer. But we are still expected to follow it – whatever “it” is.”

“I strongly believe in the imperative to reduce inequity in student discipline, and I believe that Restorative Justice is a powerful tool in doing so. However, the way it has been “implemented” was to just throw out the referral process. I have had several incidents with students that would previously have gotten them suspended. They experienced no consequences, and then we did not go through a RJ process before the student was returned to my class. This only exacerbates issues rather than resolve them.

Discipline SystemsSlide26

Discipline Systems

“

Like so many initiatives, we talk about PBIS. We say it

frames

our work and yet there is not enough time for teachers to develop a meaningful program. We get a superficial set of protocols and structures, but never enough time to develop real embodied understanding.”Slide27

Question for the Board

Do you feel you know what PPS has done differently to achieve the results presented to you last week?