B. Support and Training for Teachers and Leaders
A wealth of research links effective classroom management with improved educational outcomes (Brophy, 1986). The significantly higher rates of suspensions as students move from elementary to middle school suggest that classroom management issues become greater as young children become adolescents and are more likely to challenge authority figures. Teachers serving adolescents may need more specialized training and greater understanding of adolescent development. Large racial differences in suspension rates also raise questions about whether training to bolster classroom management skills might be even more useful if it included components of multicultural sensitivity to make teachers aware that implicit bias may affect how they discipline their students. Likewise, the data suggest that teachers might benefit from increased support and training in working with students with disabilities, who are increasingly mainstreamed in general education classrooms.
Leadership training might also generate improvements. As noted earlier, variations in a leader's approach to school discipline can make a profound difference in attendance and educational outcomes. Therefore, significant gains might be made toward both reducing school exclusion and improving academic progress if we replaced the attitude of kickout proponents like Joe Clark with the attitude embraced by Baltimore's superintendent Dr. Alonso: “Kids come as is, and it's our job to engage them” (Tavernise, 2010).
In addition to PBIS and professional development strategies, other methods include “ecological approaches to classroom management” and “social emotional learning.” Research suggests these might be most effective if implemented in combination with PBIS (Osher et al., 2010).
