This product was developed by the Florida Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Project, a project

funded by the State of Florida, Department of Education, K-12 Public Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, through federal assistance under the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B.

Deconstructing Inequitable Systems: Walking the Walk & Talking the Talk

APBSWashington, DC

Ashley White, M.A.T.Therese Sandomierski, Ph.D.Rebecca Webster, M.Ed.

Objectives

• Identify common attitudes and beliefs that contribute to persistent educational disparities.

• Use reflection strategies to gain insight on practices that contribute to inequitable outcomes.

• Describe techniques to ease difficult conversations with other educational stakeholders.

Confronting Difficult Issues

Racism, homophobia, misogyny, and disability are not easy, pretty, or light-hearted topics.

“A literature that tells us what works for middle-class, advantaged students typically fails to reveal the social and cultural advantages that makes their success possible. But success among the ‘least of these’ tells us more about what (pedagogical) choices can support

success” (p. 76).

Ladson-Billings, G. (2014). Culturally relevant pedagogy 2.0: A.K.A. the remix. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), 74-84.

Session Norms

• Avoid Generalizations– “I” Statements

• Safe Space– “What is said stays. What is learned leaves.”

• Be Supportive– Learning Alternative Approaches– Challenging our Norms

• Be Present

Hypotheses about Disproportionate DisciplineC Curriculum & Instructional Practices Academic, behavior & SEL

A Awareness Personal, cross-cultural, best practices

R Relationships Positive, authentic; Students, family, community

E Environment Climate, systems & policy variables; District, school & classroom levels

D Discipline Implementation of policies/ procedures

• Dear Colleague letter, USDOE (2014)• Lit review: culturally responsive classroom management• Lit review: systems change• Lit review: problem solving process• McIntosh, K., Girvan, E. J., Horner, R. H., Smolkowski, K., & Sugai, G. (2014). Recommendations for addressing

discipline disproportionality in education. OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

Where do the CARED domains

come from?

This product was developed by the Florida Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Project, a project

funded by the State of Florida, Department of Education, K-12 Public Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, through federal assistance under the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B.

Defining CRHandout:Building a Common Language

Our Definition

Cultural responsiveness reflects a commitment to partnering with historically marginalized groups to build caring and

inclusive communities.

Culturally Responsive

Individuals Organizations

Groups

Cultural Responsiveness Requires:

Attitude

Holding affirming

views about diversity

Reflection

How beliefs & practices are constructed

Others’ lived experiences

Learning

Understanding the interaction

between historical, cultural & politicalcontexts

ActionUsing

meaningful communication

strategies

Advocating for the rights of

others

Standing on the Shoulders of GIANTS

• Ladson-Billings• Beverly Tatum• Pedro Noguera• Geneva Gay• Anna Maria Villegas • Tamara Lucas• Andreal Davis & Wisconsin’s PBIS Network

How our Definition Aligns with the CRPBIS Field Guide

Attitude Reflection

Learning Action

What to do How to get there

https://www.pbis.org/Common/Cms/files/pbisresources/PBIS%20Cultural%20Responsiveness%20Field%20Guide.pdf

This product was developed by the Florida Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Project, a project

funded by the State of Florida, Department of Education, K-12 Public Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, through federal assistance under the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B.

Digging into the Definition…

The Importance of Reflecting on Attitudes & BeliefsFirst & Most Necessary Part of Cultural Responsiveness

UNDERSTANDING

Component 1: Attitude

Definition: Tendency to respond in a particular manner• Encompasses implicit biases, observation bias, attribution errors, and other

cognitive errors• Influences personal motivation, open-mindedness to new ideas and practices• Impacted by personal experiences & beliefs

“If teachers have negative attitudes toward certain students, they may avoid contact with those students, or, worse, express their negative attitudes either directly or indirectly and invite student hostility and anger” (Johnston, 2011, p. 2).

Examples• Appreciation of multiple perspectives and

ways of knowing, talking & behaving• Commitment to seek out those who are

different from you• Believing that all students are capable of…• Articulating the value of all students• Appreciation of books by diverse authors• Preference for instructional, positive

and/or restorative disciplinary strategies

Non-Examples

• Deficit-oriented thinking– Assuming a student (or their family)

doesn’t value education because they don’t participate in school/classroom events

• De-valuing cultures other than your own– “Culturally responsive practices don’t

apply to our school/my classroom. We have 99% White students.”

Attitudes Related to Cultural ResponsivenessA Sample

Influencing Attitudes

Positive Interactions

Acquire deep personal

knowledge

Identify & replace

personal biases

Focus on positive role

models

Raise awareness

Provide positive

examples

Use preventative

strategies

Have / emphasize empathy

Component 2a: Reflecting on Beliefs & Practices

Example Non-ExampleBelieving that instructional & restorative discipline

strategies will be effective in changing students’ behaviors.

Believing that students need exclusionary discipline for non-dangerous behaviors to understand & follow school

rules

Translates into Behavior

…how we interact with those truths …our treatment of these students

A Belief

…what we perceive as truth …the value/potential of students

Strategies for Reflecting on Beliefs & Practices• Guided Questioning (handout)• Disaggregating data, engaging in meaningful conversations with those who are

impacted by the patterns.– What do we believe?– How would people know what we believe?– How do our outcomes & practices align with our beliefs?

• Study + Journaling• Outside observations + feedback• Videotaping

– The Value of Self-Reflection: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/14/10/value-self-reflection

– 20 Judgements a Teacher Makes in 1 Minute: https://hechingerreport.org/20-judgments-a-teacher-makes-in-1-minute-and-28-seconds/

Component 2b: Reflecting on Others’ Lived Experiences

• Acquired through authentic/deep communication with…

• …a variety of culturally, socially, and professionally diverse individuals (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, family, student, community, etc.)

Knowledge of others’ perspectives, experiences &

beliefsWell-informed

knowledge

Reflection on personal

similarities & differences

Concern & Interest

RationaleHelps to Create an Inclusive & Supportive Environment

• We need to know what to include & why– May lead to more effective adult responses

• Reduces the tendency to assume a universal perspective• “Everyone should sing the national anthem.”

• May help to reduce microaggressions (www.microaggressions.com)– Subtle reminders of difference that are based on stereotypes

• “You speak so eloquently;” “indian giver!”– Accumulated negative impact on engagement, attitudes,

relationships, health, and more

Strategies for Reflecting on Others’ Lived Experiences• Have meaningful conversations about sensitive topics with

individuals who are different from us• Seeking diverse perspectives & information

– Wisconsin PBIS’ 7 Experiences: https://www.wisconsinrticenter.org/educators/understanding-rti-a-systems-view/crp.html

1) Articles2) Book studies3) Coaching & modeling4) Conferences & workshops5) Community site visits6) Guest speakers7) School visits

Collaborative planning &

debriefing are needed

Component 3: Learning about Context

Historical

School Segregation

Redlining, G.I. Bill, Urban Renewal

Program

Pupil Placement Boards & Special

Education

Cultural

Colorblind Philosophy

Poverty Theory

Being “nice”

Political

Struggle for Civil Rights

War on Drugs

Zero Tolerance

“The circumstances that form the setting

for an event, statement, or idea,

and in terms of which it can be fully

understood.”

Historical Context and Education

The Historical Separation of

Students

Education of Students with

Disabilities

Brown v. Board of Education

Pupil Placement Boards, Special

Education

Current State and Consequences

Strategies for Learning about Context• Book studies:

• Podcasts– Malcom Gladwell’s Revisionist History “Miss Buchanan’s Period of

Adjustment”• Museums• Films

– The Green Book, Hidden Figures, Roots– Documentaries

• Guest speakers• Social Media

• The Children in Room E4 – Susan Eaton• The History of Special Education – Margaret Winzer• Double Jeopardy: Addressing Gender Equity in Special

Education – Rousso & Wehmeyer

• The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander• Pushing the Bear– Diane Glancy• A Different Mirror – Ronald Takaki

• Providing multiple opportunities for stakeholders to provide input, give feedback, ask questions or express needs/concerns

• Diversifying leadership positions• Ensuring stakeholders are able to actively participate in

discussions & decision making– Providing background knowledge, expertise– Interpreter supports– Logistical support (scheduling, location, child care, food,

etc.)• Pushing-in: on-site community agency &/or business

visits • Educators attending or participating in community events

Non-Examples

• Ignoring stakeholders’ preferences for language, use of titles, styles of dress, etc.– “Ma'am”– “They come to school dressed in their

pajamas”• Holding school related meetings and

events at inappropriate times• Ignoring stakeholders’ preferences

for communication strategies

Component 4a: ActionUse Meaningful Communication Strategies

Examples

2-way flow of information

across school, students, families

& community

Examples• Hiring staff that represent the student

population • Using culturally responsive and inclusive

curricula to teach self-advocacy • Establishing a culture where individuals

can ask respectful questions of one another so that everyone may improve their advocacy skills

• Examining disaggregated data and responding to disparate patterns

Non-Examples• Culturally blind or destructive practices

– School Schedules• Non-Christian religious holidays

– Physical Environment• Superficial disaggregation of data that

does not include all student groups • Seeking restrictive/segregated

placements for students with exceptional learning needs

Component 4b: Advocating for the Rights of OthersAdvocacy is a strategy to actively support the rights of the individual and their access to

resources while respecting their personal dignity and culture.

This product was developed by the Florida Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Project, a project

funded by the State of Florida, Department of Education, K-12 Public Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, through federal assistance under the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B.

Strategies to Ease Difficult Conversations

Branching Out

Setting Yourself up for Success

• Superficial vs Critical Reflection - Compare Beliefs with Observable Outcomes• Dig into your data• Implicit Association Test: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/• Evaluate the diversity of your inner circle. Reflect on the reasons your

circle is /is not more diverse

• Educate yourself about common ideas/reactions that sabotage conversations about differences by race, gender, ability, or sexual orientation• White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism.

Robin DiAngelo (2018); Earlier article: https://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/viewFile/249/116

Do the Personal

Work

Activity

Complete the first 2

columns

Resources for the Personal Work• Guide for discussing race, racism & other difficult topics (“Let’s

Talk!”): https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/lets-talk• Common Beliefs Survey & discussion prompts:

https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/common-beliefs-survey-teaching-racially-and-ethnically-diverse-students

• Difficult Conversations Self-Assessment: http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/Difficult_Conversations_Self_Assessment.pdf

Teaching Tolerance

• https://www.justiceinschools.org/iesJustice in Schools case studies

• https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/your-stories/conversations-on-race

New York Times’ “Conversation on Race”

video collection

Partnering with Impacted Groups

• Obtain Support from Leadership• Plan Collaboratively

– Intentional collaboration –“Nothing for us, without us”

– Get and use students & families ideas on what they would like to see to know that the school is serious about this topic.

• Establish Trust

Collaborate

Be Transparent

Actively ListenBe Humble

Follow through on your commitments

BUILD TRUST

Starting the Conversation

Share • Your reflections with people who are different from you• Be clear about your purpose in having the conversation

Learn• About others’ perspectives & experiences; • Identify common objections & priorities among

staff, students & families;• Your triggers

Develop • A buddy system• Self-care strategies

Conversational StrategiesConstructivist listening: http://schoolreforminitiative.org/doc/dyad.pdf

Serial testimony: https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2014/toolkit-for-beyond-the-knapsack

Active listening skills• Paraphrasing• Summarizing• Open-ended questions• Empathetic listening

All conversations include reflection & debriefing

Assume good intentions; listen as if you might be wrong• “I wonder what information they have that I don’t?” • “How might they see the world so that their view makes sense?”

Identify what is needed to be vulnerable

Good questions can be just as

powerful as your statements

Teaching Tolerance Activity: Serial Testimony

• Reflect on the last two columns

• Offer your thoughts for group reflection (30 seconds)

The 6 Conditions of Conversation

adapted from Singleton and Linton, 2006

The 6 Conditions of Conversation Continued

The 6 Conditions of Conversation Continued

Intent vs. Impact

National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems Facilitator’s Manual Module 5: Culturally Responsive Literacy, Academy 1 Literacy for What? (2008). www.nccrest.org

Don’t Ignore Conflict

• Respectfully share & explore different points of view

Monitor Impact

• Invite other group members to share their emotions, thoughts, and solutions

Set Clear Expectations

• Establish guidelines/norms for conflict (e.g., productive conflict is encouraged; personal attacks aren’t tolerated)

Recognize

• Thank those who take a stand to respectfully support their position

Interrupting the Cycle:1. Recognize physical signs of agitation:

• Tone of voice• Voice volume• Posture• Movement• Muscle tension

2. Identify underlying emotion(s), achieve understanding

3. If person is venting, maintain respectful distance• “Logic” or reasoning may be

counter-productive• Help the person to feel “heard”

The Family Life Development Center (2001). The Residential Care Project Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Student Workbook.

Managing “White Fragility” Robin DiAngelo (2011, 2018)

“A state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes

intolerable, triggering a range of defensive

moves.”

Self-Regulation (Emotional)

Informational Fluency• Teach• Include strategies to

address personal attitudes (slide 16)

• Teach & prompt self-regulation skills for adults (set norms)

• Show empathy• Use active listening skills• Be consistent & calm• Take breaks• Consider* ways for individuals

to “save face” • Start with “easier” topics• Provide regular practice with

feedback (i.e., debrief after every session)

Racial Differences in Discussing Racial Differences“The Color of Fear – What it Means to be American” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nmhAJYxFT4

(Stirfry Seminars & Consulting, 1994). DVD available for purchase at: http://www.diversitytrainingfilms.com/films-2/films/

Do’s

• Use active listening skills & non-verbal communication so individuals feel “heard,” and can provide clarification if you didn’t completely understand.

• Listen quietly & closely to the emotions behind the language. Get comfortable with intense feelings & strive to give empathy.

• Take action to better understand the speaker.

Don’ts

• Expect an individual to be the spokesperson for their group.

• Become upset if a person from a marginalized group doesn’t want to participate in the discussion.

• Expound upon topics about which you are not knowledgeable (e.g. offer token statements as an effort to ”chime in”)

Conversation “Do’s & Don’ts”

Students

• During focus groups: “Mr. X is racist!”– Refer back to group norms: avoid using

names– Ask for clarification: Why do you feel that

way? What are some specific things you’ve seen that caused you concern?

• Outside of focus groups: “I heard you were talking about us Black kids!”– Be transparent– Offer to start a conversation

The Community

• When the community is a part of the group you’re trying to reach– Be transparent– Listen.– Find out what they need to feel that the

school is going down the right path• When the community is White (or

heterosexual, cisgender, non-disabled, etc.)– Be transparent– Hold firm.

Into the Rabbit Hole…

Scenario 1

You are a _________ at your school and have personally witnessed multiple faculty lounge conversations where several different staff members make disparaging comments about preparing for parent/teacher conferences. The beliefs that family members will be difficult to reach, that they will offer little insight into their child, and that they will fail to follow through with recommendations are commonly expressed. Several demeaning statements about families of African American students are made.

Debrief

Please share your reactions to these ideas & practices

What Now?

• What do I do personally with this information?– Examine personal attitude, engage in reflection, learn about the context, and

take action

• How do I apply this in my classroom/school?– Examine attitude, engage in reflection, learn about local context, and take action

• Determine how core beliefs are reflected in policies & practices• Intentionally partner with families & students

• Keep learning– External resources: http://Tolerance.org– Reflection – Working locally

http://Tolerance.org

Registration opens April 15th. For more information, visit the Upcoming Events page at www.pbis.org in March.

The National PBIS Leadership Forum is atechnical assistance activity of the OSEPTechnical Assistance Center on PBIS andprovides an opportunity for the Center to shareinformation on the latest applications of PBIS.Center Partners select and organize conferencestrands, select session topics, and invite sessionleaders based on content area expertise.Session leaders invite exemplar presenters fromsites known to be implementing specificapplications of PBIS. Exemplar presenters areoften identified from sites participating in theprevious year’s poster presentation.

SAVE THE DATEOSEP Technical Assistance Center on PBIS

2019 National PBIS Leadership Forum

This two-day forum for school, state, district, andregional Leadership Teams and other professionalshas been designed to increase the effectiveness ofPBIS implementation.

Sessions are organized by strands that supportinitial through advanced implementation in a fullrange of education settings, and assist state levelplanning to improve school quality and studentsuccess. Featuring sessions specific to JuvenileJustice, Alternative Educational Settings, MentalHealth, and Family partnerships.

OCTOBER 3-4, 2019Chicago, Illinois

PBIS: Supporting Our Most Vulnerable

Children & Youth

Facebook Live Options

2020 PBIS Leadership Forum

October 22-23, 2020

2021 PBIS Leadership Forum

October 21-22, 2021

Follow us on Facebook and stay tuned for our

FB Live events!

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Save the dates, March 11-14, 2020 for the…

For more information, visit:conference.apbs.org

Miami, FLHyatt Regency Miami

CALL FORPAPERS OPENS

JUNE 2019

Contact Information and ResourcesFLPBIS:MTSS Project

• Phone: (813) 974-6440• Fax: (813) 974-6115• E-mail: flpbis@cbcs.usf.edu• Website: www.flpbis.org

OSEP TA Center on PBIS• www.pbis.org

Association on PBIS• www.apbs.org

www.facebook.com/flpbis

www.twitter.com/flpbis

https://www.youtube.com/user/flpbs1