Randy Sprick's Safe & Civil Schools – Practical Solutions, Positive Results!
Safe & Civil Schools in Print
Impact of SCS PBIS Program on Academic Achievement
Madigan, K., Cross, R. W., Smolkowski, K., & Stryker, l., (2016). Association between schoolwide positive behavioural interventions and supports and academic achievement: a 9-year evaluation. Educational Research and Evaluation, Published online 10 Nov 2016.
In this quasi-experimental study, academic achievement data were collected over 9 years. The 21 elementary, middle, and high schools that achieved moderate to high fidelity to the Safe & Civil Schools’ PBIS model were matched with 28 control schools to assess academic gains. Results indicate that implementation of the PBIS program was significantly associated with increased student academic achievement (p = .001) and that the rate of change for students’ academic achievement in treatment schools was greater than for students in control schools. This study suggests that PBIS programs, such as Safe & Civil Schools’ Foundations, may complement other efforts to improve academic outcomes.
The full article is available here.
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Smolkowski, K., Stryker, l., & Ward, B. (2016). Peer-Reviewed Longitudinal Data:
Scale-Up of Safe & Civil Schools’
Model For School-Wide Positive Behavioral
Interventions And Supports. Psychology in the Schools, 53(4), 339-358.
This study evaluated 4 years of real-world implementation of the Safe & Civil Schools PBIS Model in a large urban school district. At all levels-elementary, middle, and high-schools experienced moderate but steady improvements in school discipline, student safety policy and training, staff perceptions of student behavior, and student suspension and chronic tardiness rates. The authors found that “most improvements occurred after schools began training on the Safe & Civil Schools Foun dations program, and more years of training were asso-ciated with larger cumulative improvements in school and student outcomes” (p. 339).
The district studied serves approximately 75,000 students, with 83% receiving free/reduced price lunch. Racial/ethnic demographics are 67% Hispanic, 12% Asian,
11% White, and 9% Black.
The full article is available here.
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Dramatically Improving Attendance
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Sprick, J., Alabiso, J., & Yore, K. (2015). Dramatically Improving Attendance. Educational Leadership, 73(3), 50-54.
Barnes Elementary School in Kelso, WA, takes a data-driven, multitiered approach to remedying a problem with chronic absenteeism.
Randomized Stufy of SCS PBIS Model
Ward, B., & Gersten, R. (2013). A Randomized Evaluation of the Safe and Civil Schools
Model for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
at Elementary Schools
in a Large Urban School District. School Psychology Review,42(3), 317–333.
In this randomized evaluation of the Safe & Civil Schools PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) Model, 32 elementary schools in a large urban school district were randomly assigned to either an initial training cohort or a wait-list control group. Results suggested that Safe & Civil Schools training positively affected school policies and student behavior.
Surveys administered after the start of the training found large improvements in staff perceptions of school behavior policies and student behavior at schools receiving Safe & Civil Schools training. Improvements were not observed at wait-list schools.
The authors also note reductions in student suspensions at schools implementing the Safe & Civil Schools that were not observed at control schools. Improvements persisted through the second year of trainings. Once the wait-list control schools began Safe & Civil Schools training, they experienced similar improvements in school policies and student behavior.
Participating schools had high concentrations of students receiving free or reduced price lunch (approximately 90%), minority students (approximately 87%), and students who scored low on statewide standardized tests.The full article is available here.
Intervention Planning—Make It Effective & Efficient
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Sprick, R. (2012). Intervention planning—make it effective & efficient. InCASE Newsletter, 54(1), 12.
Randy discusses the concept of collaborative planning for problem solving in the context of intervention design and describes the 25-Minute Planning Process, a tool he designed that enables problem-solving teams to work quickly and effectively in developing early intervention plans.
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Sprick, R. (2012). Creating sustainability. InCASE Newsletter, 53(4), 94.
Randy describes the necessary components that building administrators must apply to ensure effective, positive, and sustainable improvement in school culture and climate over time.
Sprick, R. (2010). Shaping student behavior. SEEN Magazine, 12(2), 90-91.
Randy uses the acronym STOIC to discuss a framework that teachers can use to develop tools and mechanisms for improving their teaching skills.
Positive Behavior Support: A Powerful Vehicle for Preparing 21st Century Citizens
Sprick, R. (2009). Positive behavior support: A powerful vehicle for preparing 21st century citizens. SEEN Magazine, 11(3), 94.
In this article, Randy argues for the use of Positive Behavior Support strategies in preparing students to take on the challenges of the 21st century.
Schoolwide Discipline: Can You Make It Work?
Sprick, R. (2009). Schoolwide discipline: Can you make it work?. SEEN Magazine, 11(2), 102.
Behavior and discipline have always been issues for educators. In this brief article, Randy offers strategies for creating an effective schoolwide discipline policy based on the tenets of positive behavior support.
Taming the Tardies—Every Minute Counts
Posted on this site with permission. Copyright [2007] National Middle Schools Association. All rights reserved.
Sprick, R., & Daniels, K. (2007). Taming the tardies—Every minute counts. Middle Ground, 11(2), 21-23.
Randy introduces the "positive sweep" technique and describes how school personnel can improve school climate, reduce tardiness, and increase the amount of instructional time students spend in the classroom.
Book Review: Discipline in the Secondary Classroom
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Polin, M. (2007). [Review of the book Discipline in the secondary classroom]. Middle Ground, 10(4), 46.
Marcie Polin, principal of an alternative program in Washington, reviews Randy Sprick's Discipline in the Secondary Classroom. Her conclusion, "With this book, Randy is giving teachers 'a tool shed filled with classroom-tested tools and techniques' that they can use to examine current practice, and then tweak that practice making improvements as the school year progresses... should be de rigueur reading for... those teachers who really want to make a difference in the lives of the children they teach."
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Sprick, R., & Booher, M. (2006). Behavior support and response to intervention: A systemic approach to meeting the social/emotional needs of students. Communiqué, 35(4), 34, 36.
Response to Intervention (RTI) is usually associated with helping children with learning disabilities. In this article, the authors describe an RTI model applicable to behavior management and support.
Expanding the Role of School Psychologists: Building Safe and Civil Schools
Posted on this site with permission. Copyright [2006] Utah Association of School Psychologists. All rights reserved.
Booher, M. (2006). Expanding the role of school psychologists: Building safe and civil schools. The Observer, 21(3), 6-9, 17-19.
Mike Booher, then Supervisor of Psychological Services for Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina, argues for an expanding role for school psychologists as he describes what school psychologists have done to address primary and secondary prevention needs using Safe & Civil Schools materials.
Closing the Reading Gap
Posted on this site with permission. Copyright [2005] National Association of Elementary School Principals. All rights reserved.
Petrilli, P. (2005). Closing the reading gap. Principal, 84(4), 32-35.
Peggy Petrilli, Principal of Northern Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky, talks about virtually eliminating the reading gap between black and white students in her school by curtailing discipline issues using CHAMPs and Foundations in combination with a strong literary program and supplemental music and foreign language programs.
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McCloud, S. (2005). From chaos to consistency. Educational Leadership, 62(5), 46-49.
Susan McCloud, Principal of T.C. Cherry Elementary School in Bowling Green, Kentucky, talks about how she and her staff transformed a school in total chaos to a school where safety and respect govern behavior. Using Foundations, staff developed a comprehensive plan that details the responsibilities of everyone in the school building and defines the logistics of every school activity.
Ms. McCloud goes on to describe how the change in school climate affected student achievement. Find out how Foundations and CHAMPs helped T.C. Cherry earn the National Blue Ribbon Award.
Civil Schools are Safe Schools: But Are They Attainable?
Posted on this site with permission. Copyright [2004] Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. All rights reserved.
Sprick, R.S. (2004). Civil schools are safe schools: But are they attainable?. Instructional Leader, 17(6), 3-5.
Randy Sprick, Director of Safe & Civil Schools, author, and trainer, explains his proactive, positive, and instructional approach to behavior management. In the article he argues for the attainability of safe, civil schools and delineates the research-based principles on which they can be built.
Positive Schoolwide Response Prevents an Athletic Disaster
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Zaklan, D. (2004). Positive schoolwide response prevents an athletic disaster. Classroom Leadership, 8(1).
Dan Zaklan, Director of Secondary Education Personnel at Medford School District in Oregon, describes how Foundations helped the Medford School District keep its basketball season alive.
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McCloskey, P.J. (2004). Point guard. Teacher Magazine, 15(4), 30-36.
Patrick McCloskey writes about Timothy Hearn, then a chemistry teacher at Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, who relied on Randy Sprick's Discipline in the Secondary Classroom to develop a Positive Behavior Support system that curbs misbehavior in his classroom and keeps his students on task.