| March 8, 2007 The Importance of a Discipline Learned Environment: There is far too much emphasis put on test scores. Schools spend much of their money and many professional development hours on academic programs. Ask any teacher, principal, or CPS staff member, "What is the number one problem at your school?" Their answer will likely be discipline/student behavior. In most elementary schools, there are only two administrators. (Principal & Asst. Principal). They spend better than 50% of their time handling disciplinary matters. So when is there time to manage the curriculum, mentor new teachers, and handle day-to-day issues??? So what's the answer??? We must center our attention on the pre-kindergarten through first grade students. Each teacher with children under the age of 8 should have a smaller class size (20 or less), if enrollment goes beyond 20, then a teacher-aide should be placed in that classroom. This will allow our Early childhood teachers to develop closer bonds with our children. We then monitor these students looking for any that are "At Risk" academically or exhibiting inappropriate social behavior. Once identified, we get them help immediately. If their problems are social/emotional we get them to a school psychologist. If the problems are academic, we tutor them until they are on level with others their age. Once these kid starts to have success in school, they will find it enjoyable, thus leveling the playing field. But if we wait, which is precisely what we do at CPS, then we end up with 3rd graders who are unable to read. The gap between them and the "average" third grader is so great that it is difficult to overcome. They take the ISAT test, perform poorly, and are told they must repeat third grade. The interventions that we then start to use with the child, should have been used four years ago. Now it is almost too late. These kids are going to dislike school. They will have behavior problems throughout the intermediate and upper grades, drop out of high school, and become unproductive members of society. Call your child's school and ask them, "Do you have any academic programs for pre-k and kindergarten students after school?" PBIS Discipline Program: Positive Behavior Interventions Systems. This program can work in an elementary school setting. The problem, you really need at least one staff member whose sole responsibility is handling disciplinary issues (Dean of Students). Very few CPS schools have the financial resources to have such a person on staff. Therefore, schools will attempt to implement the PBIS system, but are unsuccessful because of a lack of "man power" and training. A Memo to Principals: (1), Spend a lot less money on ISAT prep training, and more on classroom management. (2), Make room in your budget for a Dean of Students. This will allow you the freedom to effectively manage your school without the headache of handling every disciplinary issue. And (3), Put many more dollars into your Early Childhood Educational Programs. |
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