Fix School Discipline Toolkit for Educators | Page 10

PULLING IT
TOGETHER: BUILDING
A SUPPORTIVE
SCHOOL INTEGRATING
BEST PRACTICES
Alternatives to school removals are being
implemented with more success and frequency
throughout California. A number of schools have
started taking a multi-faceted approach, utilizing
multiple research based strategies while adding
community partnerships and mental health services
to the framework.
To ensure fidelity for each research-based strategy
it is critical to map out a plan in advance. In general,
the tiered framework utilized for School-Wide
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (or
Behavior Responsive to Intervention) provides the
structure for layering strategies. The plan needs to
be explicit about teaching the way school culture
transformation approaches, such as Restorative
Practices (RP) and School-wide Positive Behavior
Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS), intersect as
well as how they may be in tension.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
LEARNING (SEL)

MENTAL HEALTH

Real Life Examples
Leataata Floyd Elementary School has implemented
the SWPBIS framework, an SEL curriculum and
restorative community building circles. At Leataata
Floyd, SWPBIS is used as a framework to put
every student and staff member on the same page
about school expectations, to make decisions
POSITIVE
BEHAVIORAL
INTERVENTIONS
AND SUPPORT
(PBIS)

RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE

IMPLICIT BIAS

• Wraparound services
• Individual planning

• Intensive intervention
planning for staff
member, including
counseling and peer/
principal scaffolding

• Targeted social skills
instruction

• Group counseling/
support groups
• Coordinated referral
process/progress
monitoring

• Check-in/check-out
• Social/academic
instructional groups

• Peer jury
• Conferencing problemsolving circles

• Individual action
planning
• Regular professional
development

• SEL curriculum
• School climate
assessment

• Mental health
screening
• Prevention/Wellness
promotion

• School-wide behavioral
expectations
• Positive behaviors
acknowledgement
• Data planning

• Circles
• Restorative chats
• Data-based planning

• Whole staff training
on eliminating implicit
racial (and other) bias
• Data-based planning

• Individual social skills
instruction

Tier 2
Selective
Tier 1
Universal

8

The graphics below and on the facing page
conceptualize the multifaceted approaches to
improving school climate using the multi-tiered
intervention structure of SWPBIS. Tier 1 is the
foundation of a strong school culture, effective
models focus on explicit teaching of positive
behavior and social emotional skills and focus on
relationship building for all students and staff. Tier
2 addresses students with “at- risk” behavior. Tier 3
focuses on students with “high risk” behavior.

• Family group
counseling
• Community
conferencing

• Crisis counseling
• Individual support
teams/plans

Tier 3
Intensive

School and district leadership charged with
implementation must also develop an integrated
approach for training and support. Teachers and
administrators will need to receive complete
training on each research-based strategy. And, each
training must also make explicit the connections
and tensions between the different strategies and
the practicalities of how to utilize them in class, in
the hallways, and throughout the school day. While
central district or on-site staff providing coaching
and support can specialize in one approach, they
should be trained in all strategies utilized, so
that they can support all facets of the integrated
approach.

How we can fix school discipline