Equity in education requires putting systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal chance for success, while keeping their personal or social circumstances in mind. That requires understanding the unique challenges and barriers faced by individual students or by populations of students and providing additional support to help them overcome those barriers. While this in itself may not ensure equal outcomes, we all should strive to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity for success. Our goal as educators is to provide each student with the opportunity to access education and provide equity in academic as well as behavioral teaching.
The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) defines two imperative qualities of equity in education:
- Fairness: ensuring that personal and social circumstances do not prevent students from achieving their academic potential.
- Inclusion: setting a basic minimum standard for education that is shared by all students regardless of background, personal characteristics, or location. This would be tier 1 curriculum that all students have access to academically and behaviorally. (Thought Leaders, 2012)
Many people think that equity in education means everyone getting the same thing, but it actually means that everyone gets access to what they need-even if that varies across racial or socioeconomic lines. In short, equality is not enough to combat hundreds of years of oppression, poverty, and disproportionality. “While the world in which we live distributes talent equally, it does not equally distribute opportunity,” (Funn, 2018).
There are specific situations in which implicit (unconscious) bias is more likely to influence behavioral decision making. The following situations may be more likely to be prone to biased decision-making and should be kept in mind when developing behavioral expectations:
- Subjective decision making such as behaviors that are labelled as defiance, disrespect and disruption.
- Assumption that students know what the rules are and are making the choice towards noncompliance, meanwhile, a student may be lacking the skills to comply or have been reinforced for their current behaviors in other settings.
- Creations of school/classroom rules that incorporate traits that might be dominant in one culture yet subdued in other cultures (e.g. voice level, degree of eye contact, amount of personal space, degree of conforming)
- Focus on establishing a clear, consistent, and positive social culture. Identifying and teaching clear expectations for behavior can reduce ambiguity for students and staff (ex. It is not assumed that all students know what being respectful at school “looks like”).
- At the tier 1 level the focus is on prevention, not correction. (McIntosh, Girvan, Horner, Smolkowski, & Sugai, 2018).
- Has a strong focus on teaching prosocial skills (e.g. sharing, helping others, empathy, cooperation)
- Design school environments to discourage problem behaviors (e.g. multiple avenues for students to earn or be recognized for behaviors you want to see, rewards that tap into each behavioral function of attention, tangible, sensory and escape available to all students)
- Defining and teaching a small set of positive, school-wide behavior expectations to all students
- Establish a regular pattern in which all adults acknowledge and reward desirable student behavior
- Minimize the likelihood that problem behavior will be inadvertently rewarded
- Collect and use discipline and implementation data to guide efforts and evaluate effectiveness
- Incorporate a multi-tiered level of support for students who may need more intensive and individualized support beyond the tier 1 focus of teaching. Tier 2 would focus on reversing harm and tier 3 would have a focus on reducing harm. (McIntosh, Girvan, Horner, Smolkowski, & Sugai, 2018).
- Consider the cultural responsiveness of your PBIS system (see 5 point prevention approach)
- Use explicit language: clarify the student learning expectations and teaching objectives
- Build and prime background knowledge: create a shared foundational schema to optimize student learning
- Increase opportunity to respond: provide high degree of student engagement and practice
- Provide performance feedback: structure opportunities for feedback and correct misunderstandings (Chaparro, Nese, & McIntosh, 2015; Hattie, 2009).
When teaching behavior expectations and/or administering a consequence, an authoritative style can help balance high demandingness with high responsiveness.
- High demandingness refers to having clear and consistent high behavior expectations. Main components are to closely monitor and supervise students behaviors, and to use discipline, when appropriate, in a rational, firm, fair, and consistent manner to correct student behavior.
- High responsiveness refers to demonstrating warmth, acceptance, and caring; communicating openly and clearly while emphasizing persuasion rather than one’s authority to manage and correct student behavior. Additionally, being responsive to each student’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs (Bear & Manning, 2014).
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Teachers that adopt an authoritative style contribute to preventing behavior problems by setting high standards and holding high expectations by enforcing rules and standards in a firm, fair and consistent manner. Instead of using punitive and reactive strategies, utilizing an authoritative style focuses more on the use of positive, proactive techniques of prevention for increasing the likelihood that students will exhibit appropriate behavior willinging. Below are general guidelines on how to implement high standards and hold high expectations:
- Create a physical environment conducive to learning and teaching
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Establish predictable procedures and routines, fair rules and consequences
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Frequently monitor student behavior and responding immediately to signs of misbehavior
- Providing academic instruction and activities that motivate learning
- Establishing and maintain close communication with families (Bear & Manning, 2014)
- Create a physical environment conducive to learning and teaching
- Teach and reinforce positive behavior expectations building-wide. Recent case studies have shown that when school buildings implement a PBIS framework, there are decreased discipline disparities over time, when implemented with fidelity, as well as statistically significant reductions in discipline disproportionality in schools implementing PBIS than those not implementing PBIS. (Betters-Bubon, Brunner, & Kansteiner, 2016; McIntosh, Ellwood, McCall, & Girvan, 2018). In addition, a recent national study reported decreased racial disparities in suspension for schools implementing PBIS when compared to national averages (McIntosh, K., Ellwood, K., McCall, L.,, & Girvan, E. J., 2018.)
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Promote prevention by the use of a CASEL guide approved Social Emotional Learning Curriculum
- Teach social, emotional, and behavioral competencies by implementing well-designed, developmentally appropriate, evidence based lessons. Lessons should be integrated into the curriculum and throughout the school day. (Bear & Manning, 2014)
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Provide frequent opportunities for students to apply social and emotional learning skills, including social and moral problem solving, emotion regulation and responsible behavior. Attempt to include practices such as:
- Class meetings, student government, service learning activities, conflict resolution, peer mediation, cooperative learning
- Class meetings, student government, service learning activities, conflict resolution, peer mediation, cooperative learning
- Be a model for the SEL skills that you want to see your students engage in (Bear & Manning, 2014)
- Teach social, emotional, and behavioral competencies by implementing well-designed, developmentally appropriate, evidence based lessons. Lessons should be integrated into the curriculum and throughout the school day. (Bear & Manning, 2014)
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Incorporate the use of reward systems such as:
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Contingency contracts :
- Define behavior in clear and concise terms, should be easy to monitor and record
- Use positive language
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Start with small goals and state the goal
- clearly specify the responsibility of the student
- clearly specify the responsibility of the student
- Include the student in planning the contract, allow for negotiation
- Outline the time/day the contract is in effect
- Outline the consequences for successful completion
- Outline the consequences if student fails to fulfil his/her responsibilities
- Signatures of all parties
- Modify/change as needed
- Follow up on short and long term basis
- Define behavior in clear and concise terms, should be easy to monitor and record
- Daily report cards
- Mystery Motivator
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Use of Group contingencies:
- Most appropriate when several students exhibit the targeted behavior problems
- PAX Good Behavior Game
- Most appropriate when several students exhibit the targeted behavior problems
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Self-management (Bear & Manning, 2014)
- Student self-records, self-evaluates and self reinforces
- Student self-records, self-evaluates and self reinforces
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Contingency contracts :
Incorporate the following Best Practices guideline in the Use of Rewards:
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Use tangible rewards only occasionally to promote intrinsic motivation
- Do not hesitate to use tangible rewards to motivate behavior that is not currently intrinsically motivated
- Do not hesitate to use tangible rewards to motivate behavior that is not currently intrinsically motivated
- Emphasize the reason the student is getting the reward (ex. “The reason for giving you a surprise free-time period is that all of you have demonstrated that you care about others in class.”)
- Highlight the value or usefulness of the behavior that is praised or rewarded
- Highlight the students efforts towards demonstrating desirable behaviors rather than the students ability
- Allow students to have an active role in determining the reward and the behavior/criteria to earn it
- Administer rewards in an unexpected, or surprise, fashion
- Do not promise rewards you do not plan to, or cannot, deliver
- Use praise and tangible rewards in a sincere, credible and timely manner
- Rely on private praise for adolescents
- Praise and reward desirable behaviors as well as prosocial reasoning and emotions that underlie the behavior (Bear & Manning, 2014)
Here are some tips on ensuring you implement equitable consequences:
- Build on assets and address deficits through this 4 step process:
- Identify the problem behavior and explore why it occurred with the student
- Reflect upon why the behavior is a problem (e.g.. Its impact on others, decreases accessibility to academics, impact on friendships, etc.)
- Develop a platform to discuss and accept the consequence for the behavior, assume responsibility for one’s actions
- Plan for how the behavior won’t happen again, commit to an action plan together (Bear & Manning, 2014)
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Use student-centered teaching approaches to develop self-discipline to include growth in cognition, emotions and behaviors associated with socially and morally responsible behaviors.
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- Class meetings
- Individual and group problem solving discussions
- Service learning
- Active involvement of students in curriculum lessons and in classroom and school-wide activities designed to develop social and emotional skills (Bear & Manning, 2014)
- Class meetings
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- Using short “if-then” statements are most effective to decrease and/or neutralize the effects of implicit bias, especially in situations that are chaotic, ambiguous or seem to demand a snap judgement (e.g.. “If a student is disrespectful, then handle it after class”) (Mendoza, Gollwitzer, & Amodio, 2010).
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Using restorative justice to repair harm done to relationships due to undesirable behaviors. Incorporating restorative practices and restorative justice helps to reduce bullying, improve prosocial behavior, provide effective leadership, restore relationships and repair harm. When incorporating restorative justice, the following steps must be addressed (Maynard & Weinstein, 2019):
- Create a culture of communication to resolve conflict
- Deal with the issue immediately
- Teach students to take responsibility for their actions
- Create clear and consistent expectations
- Facilitate a growth mindset
- Empower students to recognize and manage their emotions
- Click here for more information on how to implement a system that supports Restorative Justice
- Create a culture of communication to resolve conflict
Betters-Bubon, J., Brunner, T., & Kansteiner, A. (2016). Success for all? The role of the school counselor in creating and sustaining culturally responsive positive behavior interventions and supports programs. The Professional Counselor, 6, 263-277.
Chaparro, E. A., Nese, R. N. T., & McIntosh, K. (2015). Examples of engaging instruction to increase equity in education. Eugene, OR: Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. University of Oregon.
Funn, J. (2018, December). What Equity Really Means in Schools. Retrieved from A Blog by Concordia University Portland: https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/leaders-link/equity-in-schools/
Maynard, N., & Weinstein, B. (2019). Hacking School Discipline: 9 ways to create a culture of empathy and responsibility using restorative justice. Highland Heights: Times 10.
McIntosh, K., Girvan, E. J., Horner, R. H., Smolkowski, K., & Sugai, G. (2018). A 5-Point Intervention Approach for Enhancing Equity in School Discipline. Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports, February.
McIntosh, K., Ellwood, K., McCall, L.,, & Girvan, E. J. (2018). Using discipline data within a PBIS framework to enhance equity in school discipline. Intervention in School and Clinic, 53, 146-152.
Mendoza, S. A., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Amodio, D. M. (2010). Reducing the expression of implicit stereotypes: Reflexive control through implementation intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 512-523. doi: 10.1177/0146167210362789
PAXIS Institute. (2018). Retrieved from What is PAX?: https://www.goodbehaviorgame.org/faq
Thought Leaders. (2012, March). Thinking Maps. Retrieved from Equity in Education: What it is and Why it Matters: https://www.thinkingmaps.com/equity-education-matters/