Barack Obama: Obama, Durbin, Hare Introduce Bill to Improve Student Behavior in Schools

[Ethelk2044]

October 2, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Representative Phil Hare (D-IL) today introduced the Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act (H.R. 3407, S. 2111), which directs resources to innovative programs designed to teach positive behavior as a way to improve school climate and make it easier for students to learn. Positive Behavior Support (PBS) programs define and support appropriate behaviors by explicitly teaching students about good behavior and including it as part of the curriculum.

PBS programs have resulted in improved school climate and more time spent on learning. For example, at Lincoln Elementary School in Chicago Heights, the number of students sent to an administrator’s office for fighting dropped by half over the course of a year. At Springfield High School in Springfield, out-of-school suspensions decreased by 38%, allowing students to learn more by reclaiming 180 school days that would otherwise have been lost to suspensions. At Mark Twain Primary School in Kankakee, disciplinary referrals decreased dramatically, from 268 before PBS compared to 38 last year; at the same time, ISAT reading and math scores are at an all-time high.

“America’s teachers deserve our long term commitment so that they can provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed,” said Senator Obama. “Positive Behavior Support programs have proven successful in Illinois and throughout the country. They teach good behavior and reduce the need for discipline in the classroom, in turn allowing more time for teachers to teach. We must expand these innovative programs to teach our students about positive behavior. Let's give our teachers this additional tool to support their teaching, and let’s give our children the benefit of high expectations and supports for good behavior. These programs would not only strengthen our schools, but would bolster our nation’s competitiveness by providing the best possible learning environments for our next generation of leaders.”

http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/48733885_barack_obama_barack_obama_obama_durbin_hare_introduce_bill_improve_student_behavior_schools

[GreenArrow]

1. if they really want to improve student/youth behavior

they'd do better to focus on improving adult behavior.

[LisaM]

2. I can't really say I'm AGAINST this - but why is it always the teachers

who have to initiate this? What about the parents?

[ripple]

4. Probably a reimbursement issue

A PBS Facilitator works with the entire support team (parents, school, wherever the child receives care). The school system could most logically sponsor people to complete the PBS training and become licensed facilitators. The school then bills for the work of their PBS facilitators. I'm in the DD field and that's how it works for us, anyway. The facilitators definitely work with the families, as well. It just makes more sense to have them agency or school-based.

[LisaM]

6. I have no idea what you are talking about

Can you re-phrase it so it's not in New Speak? What is DD?

It just sounds as if they are picking on teachers, blaming them for everything.

[ripple]

10. Sorry, DD= Developmental Disability

PBS is actually a really good tool that can help teachers work with problematic behaviors. It's really just a new mind-set that involves positive environmental supports, rather than punitive action.

It's being used now with kids that have behavioral and emotional disturbances, particularly in the DD field. It makes sense for such supports to be implemented through the IEP process, as its truly a team approach. As I mentioned, its not limited to any one area. The PBS Facilitator goes to every environment the child is in and assists with intervention and environmental techniques to produce a more positive behavioral response in the child. The PBS Facilitator does extensive observation of the child and writes the plan with input from the team members. I believe the teachers might need to collect data, so that would require some additional work, however, its a trade-off for reducing disruptive, undesirable behavior and encouraging productivity. It's definitely not a punishment for teachers; quite the opposite, really.

[ripple]

11. delete- dupe

[hedgehog]

8. If the parents knew how to do a proper job, the teachers

wouldn't have any problems. I don't know if it's temperment or attitude, but some kids come to the classroom ready to learn and some kids come ready to do anything but. I think most people think black students when they think of unruly classroooms, but I've seen it with white studetns and with very privelaged white students. It may be a more widespread problem now, but I can remember students acting out 50 years ago.

All it takes is one or two unruly students, and a classroom becomes a battle field. It doesn't mean the only alternative is a prison style lock-down, either. The most free wheeling, open classrooms I've ever had were those where the students were self disciplined.

[The2ndWheel]

3. Predictability

Hell of a world we're creating.

"Positive Behavior Support (PBS) programs define and support appropriate behaviors by explicitly teaching students about good behavior"

"These programs would not only strengthen our schools, but would bolster our nation’s competitiveness by providing the best possible learning environments for our next generation of leaders.”"

The next generation of leaders who have been approved by those who defined and supported appropriate behavior.

You have two choices. The State. The Corporation. They own everything. You will be molded into the image of one of those two institutions. Once they start working together, since 1 is more predictable than 2, then we'll have no choice left.

[ripple]

5. PBS has been very effective with kids

who have severe emotional and behavioral disturbances, yet as its name suggests, it is positive, rather than punitive. If it can be expanded to help more kids, I think its a worthwhile investment.

[The2ndWheel]

9. Clear Skies has a good name too

I have no doubt that things like this will be expanded. It will be expanded into any number of aspects of life. That's the whole point. There would be no reason to do it other than to expand it. It increases predictability, it decreases chance. If there is one thing history has been about, and what the 21st century will certainly be about, it is that. I wouldn't doubt its effectiveness either. We're getting very good at shaping life. We're only going to get better. There will be unintended consequences for it, but that's a small price to pay for complete control.

[ripple]

12. PBS isn't about control

its about emphasizing and encouraging the positive aspects of behavior and reinforcing those characteristics, rather than relying on negative reinforcement for undesirable behavior. The old method of taking punitive action for bad behavior has definitely been about control and in many cases, its backfired badly. PBS actually opens doors, rather than slamming them shut.

[The2ndWheel]

13. When I read this...

"Positive Behavior Support (PBS) programs define and support appropriate behaviors by explicitly teaching students about good behavior and including it as part of the curriculum."

...that is control. Maybe they got the definition wrong(which would be funny), but that's what I'm going by.

PBS defines good behavior, supports the behavior they've defined as good, and explicitly teaches the students the behavior they themselves defined and support as good.

"PBS actually opens doors, rather than slamming them shut."

Exactly. Who opens the doors?

"its about emphasizing and encouraging the positive aspects of behavior and reinforcing those characteristics, rather than relying on negative reinforcement for undesirable behavior."

It might be positive control, but it's still control. Do we know who it was exactly who came up with the definitions of good behavior? Why should they be listened to? Were they the leaders of the past generation who were told how to lead?

Either way, it will be an interesting century. I think. Unless I'm wrong. They'll probably come up with some program where I can check if it is or not. The Glorious 21st Century Where Evereything Has Been Taken Care Of Act. That kind of talk is probably too disruptive. Damn it, I need a definition of disruptive behavior.

But seriously...

[ripple]

14. Society as a whole defines good and bad behavior

its certainly nothing new. Schools have been defining both good and bad behavior as long as they have existed. It's not like PBS would create new definitions and standards. The only change would be the rewarding of good behavior, rather than handing down punitive punishment for negative behavior.

I appreciate your philosophical point, but unless you are implying that children would be more successful (however you wish to define success) with no rules or guidelines at all, I think that focusing on positive rather than negative behavior is at least a refreshing approach.

[woodsprite]

7. My son's elem. school is a PBS school. They spent the first week of

school doing pep rallies, anti-bullying sessions, school and bus behavior and etiquette. So far I haven't heard of any problems - other than the 2 problems where a stranger tried to pick kids up in their car - but that doesn't have anything to do with PBS. I do question that my son was not allowed to participate in 'goofy hair day'. He wanted to, but because he had not earned enough tickets, he wasn't allowed to wear his hair in a funny way. I was kinda pissed at that. They get tickets for being caught being good or for doing things like handing in their homework or staying on task. I think it's a bit of overkill, but maybe not. He is really excited about school this year and we have had very few nightly homework fights (he's in 2nd grade). But then again, he's also not getting 30 pages of homework a week, like last year.