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.

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