Working through the Problem with Robyn Harris Transformative Principal 250

Whaley School is a separate day school with about 100 students with behavioral needs.

• Some students stay through graduation, but goal is to get them back to a neighborhood school.
• Sister school closed down and opened an elementary wing, so now a k12 school!
• 100% special education population - level 4, level 5 is more like a residential treatment center.
• Tier 3 in MTSS/RTI behavior.
• Students can access neighborhood schools. No after-school activities at Whaley. Sometimes a parent goes with them to activities at other schools.
• Why not inclusion at Whaley school?
• Some of the behavioral needs are so intense that staff members do not have the support to deal with those severe behaviors.
• Our motto is working through the problem.
• Physical aggression they are showing towards others.
• Strategies: Crisis Recovery Hallway - able to talk with intervention coaches to walk them through the conflict cycle, with whomever that may be!
• What are you going to do when you go back?
• Teaching kids to advocate for themselves.
• We really believe in no suspensions
• We give the same curriculum that they get at the other schools,
• All of their communication becomes behavior.
• An intervention coach in each classroom and there in the CR room. Intervention with Strategies and Support
• To prevent recidivism, we need to teach skills to help them.
• CR1 - something blows up and you lose your cool. Quickly getting back to class.
• CR2 - spend a little more time talking about what is going on. Choose: mindfulness, exercise, or work.
• CR3 - stay there the rest of the day.
• How to help the teachers welcome kids back into class.
• Every 5 minutes is a new beginning.
• It’s ok to start fresh at the beginning of the next class.
• Also have a few items that are specifically going to put them in the ISS room, Threatening, posturing, etc.
• Eliminating behaviors
• A lot of times teachers may see reactions, rather than instigating actions.
• Suggestions, be very loud and say, “I don’t like that, don’t do that.“
• Check in and check out.
• 1st period talking about goals that they have.
• When they go to checkout, tell how they did.
• Doing so many checkpoints throughout the day. Behavior data every week.
• Data review meetings can be called at any time to try to get a student back into the regular school.
• Data review with the team, then we call a meeting with neighborhood school. Meet at the neighborhood school.
• Sometimes self-sabotage - Extra help for kids that are getting close to transitioning.
• Make sure kids feel that they have support when they leave.
• Why not do a different curriculum with these students who are very different?
• Students could have access to resource classes in all subject areas.
• How to be a transformative principal? Build close relationships with students, be out there and make sure that kids know you think they are important.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.