Inclusive Outcomes:
How one school created a more inclusive program for students with emotional and behavioral disorders
Abstract
Many educators are not adequately prepared for effectively managing the challenging behaviors that arise when including students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the general education classroom. This action research study sought to understand and overcome the challenges facing educators at Kingston Hill Academy when including students with EBD in the general education classroom. Qualitative data was collected through interviews, focus groups, and observations to discover the challenges facing participants and what they needed to successfully include this demographic of students. Action steps were designed, implemented, and evaluated through two cycles of action research to improve training, opportunities for collaboration, and resources for educators to become more effective when including students with EBD in the general education classroom. Findings indicate that the steps taken to increase training, collaboration, and resources for educating students with EBD were successful in making educators feel more prepared, supported, and effective. Participants reported increases in the use of proactive approaches, consistency, and positive behavior change and a reduction in challenging behavior, punitive consequences, and emergency calls for support. Implications from this investigation include that educators need adequate training and support to effectively educate students with EBD and to make the general education classroom more equitable for these students.
Action Research
Action research is a systematic approach that enables people to find effective solutions to problems they encounter in their everyday lives through continuous cycles of investigation. It seeks to make life-enhancing social changes for the participants.
The first phase of action research is to observe and gather information to enhance the researcher’s understanding of the nature of the problem and the underlying issues. It is important to understand what the problem is, for whom it is problematic, how stakeholders perceive the problem, and if there are problems and issues within or behind the initial problem. Once the problematic features have been identified, the next phase of action research is to reflect.
Reflecting involves analyzing the data for patterns and brainstorming solutions to the problem. These ideas are used during the plan phase, where participants create an action plan to lead to practical solutions to the problem. The action plan is then systematically formulated, implemented, and evaluated. The act phase puts the plan into action. Once action has been taken, the next cycle of action research begins where the researcher and participants once again observe, reflect, plan, and act by modifying their actions.
The next cycle is set in motion by observing and collecting data to evaluate the effectiveness of the action. Evaluating the action plan is important because it allows the participants and researcher to review the progress. Action research is an iterative and cyclical process of observing, reflecting, planning, and acting to create sustainable solutions.
Through this process of action research, I worked as a change agent to help create positive change in my school by finding ways to better prepare and support teachers when including students with EBD in the general education classroom.
Problem of Practice
The teaching staff at Kingston Hill Academy did not feel adequately prepared or have the necessary supports for handling the challenging behaviors exhibited by students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in their classrooms.
Cycle 0: Understanding the Problem
School Year 2018-2019
Inadequate Training
Educators expressed feeling unsure of what to do when behaviors escalate
Educators expressed feeling unsure of how to de-escalate challenging behavior
Educators expressed feeling unsure of how to prevent challenging behavior
Educators expressed feeling unsure of how to maintain the learning for the rest of class when intervening with challenging behavior
Inadequate Communication and Collaboration
Teacher assistants (TAs), specialists, and consultants feel “out of the loop”
Specialists feel unsure of individual and classroom behavior plans
Practices among educators are inconsistent
Everyone is not on “the same page”
Inadequate Resources
Staffing:
Only 1 administrator who is frequently out of the building
Special education and lead teachers pulled from instruction to deal with behavior
Resources:
No SEL curriculum
Zones of Regulation and mindfulness used inconsistently
Spaces:
No safe place for students in crisis
Not enough sensory materials
Cycle 1: Implementation & Evaluation
School Year 2019-2020
Action Plan
Training for all staff:
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Zones of Regulation
Identifying and Meeting Student Needs
Collaboration:
Behavior check-ins during common planning time (CPT)
Staff/resources:
Created assistant principal position
Created floating special education teacher assistant position
Increased social worker’s hours
Adopted social emotional learning curriculum (SEL) of Choose Love
Reported Improvements
Improvements from Training:
More consistent and proactive approaches; less reactive consequences
More aware of precipitating factors, student needs, and de-escalation techniques
Improvements from Collaboration:
Better follow through from administration
Using common language and more on the “same page”
Practices are more consistent
Improvements from Staff/Resources:
More support for educators and students
Special education and lead teachers able to follow their schedules and not missing instruction time
Recommendations for Future Practice
Training for all staff:
Restorative Practices
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Licensed Behavior Analyst to coach teachers
Collaboration:
Behavior check-ins during CPT
Special ed. CPT
Professional Learning Community for behavior
Staff/resources:
Multi-sensory pathway
Multi-sensory room
Toolkits
Social worker teaching SEL in classrooms
Second Step SEL program adopted
Cycle 2: Implementation & Evaluation
School Year 2020-2021
Action Plan
Training for all staff:
Restorative Practices
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Licensed Behavior Analyst to coach teachers
Collaboration:
Behavior check-ins during CPT
Special education department CPT
Professional Learning Community for behavior
Staff/resources:
Multi-sensory pathway
Multi-sensory room
Toolkits
Social worker teaching SEL in classrooms
Second Step SEL program adopted
Reported Improvements
Improvements from Training:
Educators report that prevention and de-escalation are becoming “second nature” to them
There are less calls for behavioral support on the walkie-talkie
Improvements from Collaboration:
More consistent and proactive approaches; less reactive consequences
There is a supportive community in the school where educators are learning from each other
Improvements from Staff/Resources:
The behavior plans are effective in creating positive behavior change
Educators report that there resources and areas for relaxation, movement, and breaks
These resources are effective in preventing and reducing challenging behavior
Recommendations for Future Practice
Training for all staff:
Specific disabilities
More role-playing and scenarios during NCI
Promoting positive behavior during unstructured times
Incorporating SEL into daily practices
Collaboration:
Teambuilding for staff and students,
SEL Professional Learning Community
Staff/resources:
Update school-wide behavior program - with a larger focus on positive rewards than consequences
Cycle 3: Stay Tuned!
School Year 2021-2022
Action Plan
Currently in development…
Reported Improvements
Suggestions for Future Practice
What People are Saying…
“I've always been impressed that kids have not been labeled as bad or troublesome, even though their behaviors can be. I was really amazed that this school is always trying to get to the bottom of what's going on? What's behind it? What could be done to adjust the behavior, not the kid.”
-Special Education Teacher Assistant
“The trainings helped us understand that these behaviors are coming from something and it's never the kids just acting out to make our day harder. There's usually an underlying issue and we should try to figure out what that is. I think the training helps with that and gives different techniques and strategies of dealing with all these different behaviors and kids and what we can do to help.”
-Teacher Assistant
“Everyone has a walkie-talkie. If someone needs help, they can call for support on the walkie and help arrives in seconds. You’re never alone.”
-Special Education Teacher Assistant
“It's a place that you're able to talk about a couple of the kids and what is hard. You just kind of brainstorm and bounce some things off each other.”
-Therapist
“This is my first school that I've had special ed. and even regular ed. students be able to ask for breaks if they need it and advocate for themselves. They're learning how to calm themselves down. They learn maybe jumping on the trampoline isn't the best thing for them because it just winds them more up, so the next time they come and they're like, ‘Maybe I'll just sit in the egg chair and cool down for a little bit.’”
-Student Teacher
“For a seasoned teacher, 20 something years, I wasn't afraid to say, I need help, what am I doing wrong? It's the whole group. And they were feeding off each other. [Behavior Coach] did a whole class system with me and it was amazing. Her suggestions worked and changed the behavior in my class. She gives great feedback. I thought she did a great job.”
-Classroom Teacher
“It’s really comforting to see that you guys take care of the people around you, not just the children, which is our main goal, but also the staff needs to feel okay because it’s stressful.”
-Specialist
“It feels good to talk about it with other teachers and know that you're not the only one who's been through something and that we're not going to get it right the first time. It's a process that takes time. But when you have success stories like in [teacher’s] room, it makes you feel good about all the effort that went into it.”
-Classroom Teacher
I understand a lot more how to see the signs coming. Of what's coming up so that I could have several chances to stop the rolling ball instead of letting it roll me over.
-Teacher Assistant
“Providing the trainings and having these tools makes it so we're better prepared. It's fitting together very well. The fact that the vice principal provided the training that had that background, trauma-informed practice, and he's the one that's going in and providing behavioral support. It all makes you feel like we're getting it more, that we're understanding more about how we should respond and how we should help.”
-Therapist
“I think one of the most important things is to put yourself in the shoes of the student because often we look at it from our perspective. You're like, ‘Oh, my God, I don't know what to do. This is crazy. Why am I having to deal with this?’ But you don't really think about what is making him or her act that way. What is she feeling, what is he feeling? I think it's enlightening to just try to focus on the student’s perspective because that's not necessarily the instinct all the time.”
-Teacher Assistant
“Working with special ed. and different classroom teachers, they all have their own ways of doing things. I’ve grabbed a little bit from this one and a little bit from that one and you see what you like and what you don't like. What works for you and your kids and what doesn’t.”
-Teacher Assistant
“It’s a good thing to do all together. Cause we really learn from each other's experiences. Especially because we're getting each other's kids.”
-Teacher