Consultation project: Helping kids get Along

1. Consultation project: Helping kids get Along LDR 696 Kristin Threet

2. Madison Middle School Adrian, MI client

3. Client Madison Middle School • Title One School • 60% of student body receives free or reduced lunch • Third largest district in Lenawee County • 1,592 students DK-12 • Student Body • 60% Caucasian • 25% Hispanic • 7% Asian, African American, Native American

4. Initial Meeting Setting up contract Entry and Contracting

5. Entry and Contracting • Initial Meeting • Explore the problem • Technology has made mean/aggressive behavior more available • No longer part of growing up, has become a dangerous phenomenon • Client Expectations • To incorporate and apply stricter policy of mean/aggressive behavior • Consultant Expectations • Access to students, teachers, administrators, support staff, and behavior reports for collecting data

6. Entry and Contracting • Setting up the contract • The Boundaries of Your Analysis • What problem/possibility you are going to focus on • Objectives of the Project • Identifies the organizational improvements you expect if consultation is successful • The Product You Will Deliver • Specifics about what you are offering • Time Schedule • Start time, intermediate mileposts, and completion date

7. Problem through the eyes of the client Problem through the eyes of the consultant Problem

8. Problem • In the eyes of the client: • Mean/aggressive behavior incidents have increased • Reports of bullying incidents increased • In the eyes of the consultant • Education of students, parents, teachers, and administrators needs to increase • Lack of school-wide policy

9. Collect and Analyze Data How will client be involved Feedback: Reporting Data Planning: Setting goals. Action Steps. Analysis & decision to act

10. Collect and analyze data • Survey students and parents • Anonymous • Large amounts of feedback • Sample Questions • I believe no student ever deserves to be picked on • If I saw a target being picked on, I would try to help in some way • I have been picked on by a student in this building • I would report it to an adult if I were being picked on and I couldn’t make it stop. • I don’t want name calling based on body shape or appearance.

11. How will client be involved • Select the Method • The client has ideas about how the data should be collected. Ask what they are. • Talk to students and teachers. • Consultant suggests how to go about • Do Discovery • Have the client do the discovery with you • Perhaps trusted member of the staff could interview a sample of teachers to determine what they think can be done differently. • There are issues of having client involved in discovery: may not get complete answers, answers may be distorted

12. Feedback: reporting data • Presentation of findings • Reducing large amounts of data to a manageable number of issues • Have clients report their findings • Present findings to administration, teachers, as well as students. • Different forms needs to meet the needs of the group

13. Planning: Setting goals. Action steps. • Persistence and sustained effort will result in large benefits: • Significant reductions in frequency, severity, and intensity of student aggressive behaviors • Improved school climate • Positive feeling tone • Improved staff-student relationships • Improved student attitude • Better performance on academic measures • Happier environment for staff and students

14. Engagement & implementation

15. Transparent purpose • Concerns that began the process • Increased amount of mean/aggressive incidents • Where is the change effort now? • Have goals, need action steps to make them happen • Weaknesses and failures • Not sweating the small stuff • Full participation of staff

16. Platform for openness and doubt • Right of assembly and freedom of speech • Create platform to allow people to voice their doubts and reservations • Honest, confronting conversations in public setting • “In creating high engagement, it is the expression of doubt that counts, not its resolution. We cannot construct a plan that eliminates all doubts, but we can always acknowledge them” (Block, p. 267)

17. Commitment and accountability • Peer Accountability • More formal peer conversations about commitments and consequences • Work is eased when we do well, made difficult when we do poorly • We are functionally accountable • Speak for the well-being of the organization

18. Carrying out the plan • Form a subcommittee to coordinate school-wide activities and policies. • School improvement team: teachers, administrators, board members • Reach consensus as a staff on a definition of mean behavior/aggression • Any mean look, gesture, word, or action that hurts a person’s body, feelings, friendships, reputation, or property. • Create signs with mean behavior/aggression definition and post in classrooms for reference.

19. Carrying out the plan • 15 Second Intervention for staff when they see mean behavior directly. • Pull student aside privately. Use a clam voice. Don’t argue. Stick to the points below. • I saw you _______ (repeat to them what you saw and heard exactly.) • That was mean(hurtful) • I would never let someone do that to you, and its not ok that you did that to _________. • We don’t do that here. • That needs to stop

20. Carrying out the plan • Develop a consequence rubric for mean/aggressive behaviors • Level 1: Verbal or Physical Behavior that is horseplay • Level 2: Teasing- actions that will hurt feelings/body of others • Level 3: Physical contact with intent to hurt others • Level 4: Severe physical contact/harassment

21. Carrying out the plan • Develop an Aggressive Behavior Report Form for staff to use that mirrors rubric • Where the behavior occurred • Level of behavior that occurred • Consequences

22. Carrying out the plan • Create silent supervised detention • Time to Think Form • What did you do? • What was wrong with that? • What problem were you trying to solve or what goal were you trying to reach? • How will you solve that problem or reach that goal the next time without hurting anyone? • Silent Detention Rules • Report on time • Sit up in chair, feet flat on the floor, look forward. • No schoolwork, reading, writing(besides the Time to Think form), or drawing. • No talking or non-verbal communication with other students. • No chi-chatting with the adult supervisor. • No arguing over the Time to think sheet

23. Carrying out the plan • Identify the meanest students in school, create small daily opportunities for them to be helpful and altruistic • Altruistic Acts: Changes in Behavior Leads to Changes in Attitude • Open/hold doors for classmates • Assist another student with one homework problem • Help the teacher by cleaning the board, running errands, delivering papers to office • Walk someone who is hurt or not feeling well to office • Smiles and say hello to a particular students every day for a week • Give a particular student a compliment

24. Carrying out the plan • “Hot Spots” • At a staff meeting, discuss and identify the locations of “hot spots” in the building and on the grounds where problems with aggression, bullying, and harassment may be occurring more frequently. • Create specific plan for improving adult supervision during high risk times

25. Carrying out the plan • Class Meetings • Discuss behaviors that help or hinder the quality of learning or the quality of classroom life. • Everyone has the right to speak. Raise your hand. No interrupting. You can disagree, but no disrespect or put-downs. Take a risk. • Create structure for regularly scheduled class meetings • Set specific times for these to occur • Identify staff who could take a leadership role and run meetings • Create structure for staff to report the outcomes of these meetings and the concerns that were raised.

26. Carrying out the plan • Feedback • Yearly basis, ensure new staff are trained • Plan for periodic booster skills training • Be public about what is working • Advertise your successes • Staff, students, and parents need to know that what they are doing is making a difference. • Specific positive feedback and success stories help everyone stay motivated to continue their efforts

27. Extension, Recycle, termination

28. Extension, Recycle, termination • Following implementation a clear picture emerges: • Extend: • The process can be extended to a larger segment of the organization • Recycle: • After implementation, the real problem comes to light. Recycle process and discussed a new contract • Termination: • If implementation was huge success or failure, termination of the project may be in order.

29. End result • Persistence and sustained effort will result in large benefits: • Significant reductions in frequency, severity, and intensity of student aggressive behaviors • Improved school climate • Positive feeling tone • Improved staff-student relationships • Improved student attitude • Better performance on academic measures • Happier environment for staff and students

30. References • Block, P. (2011). Flawless consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.