Addressing the School-to-Prison Pipeline through a Multi-tiered

Framework of Behavioral SupportDr. Brenda K. Scheuermann

Texas State UniversityDr. C. Michael NelsonUniversity of Kentucky

*Webinar sponsored by the Connecting School Mental Health with Juvenile Justice and Dropout Prevention Practice Group, the IDEA Partnership, the Center for School Mental Health, and the UNH Institute on Disability.

Connecting School Mental Health with Juvenile Justice and Dropout Prevention Practice Group

MissionCommitted to working across stakeholders

to advance knowledge and best practice related to effectively integrating

school mental health with juvenile justice and dropout prevention. 

Addressing the School-to-Prison Pipeline through a Multi-tiered

Framework of Behavioral Support

Dr. Brenda K. ScheuermannProfessor, Texas State University

Dr. C. Michael Nelson Emeritus Professor, University of Kentucky

What is the school-to-prison pipeline? What factors put students at risk for entry? What is the multi-tiered framework of

behavior support (PBIS)? How can implementation of PBIS in schools

help prevent entry and improve services and outcomes for affected youth?

Overview

What it is: School policies and practices that push students out of traditional school settings into more restrictive settings, including juvenile justice settings

Pathway:

5

School-to-Prison Pipeline/Discipline Gap

Students failing

academical-ly and

behaviorally

Reactive disciplinary

policies (zero tolerance,

criminalization of behavior)

Disciplinary exclusion

(AE, suspension, expulsion)

Youth disengage-ment from

school

Court involvement and juvenile

detention

M

Parent or caregiver of an at-risk child Classroom teacher School support services professional

(counselor, psychologist, social worker, speech/language therapist, etc.)

School administrator Community provider (mental health, social

services, juvenile court worker, etc.)

Polling Question 1: What is your professional or personal role?

Youth in Secure Juvenile Care

• Special education classification• Mental health disorders• Drug and alcohol abuse• History of abuse, neglect, and

witnessing violence • Average literacy 5th-9th grade

66-75% of Incarcerated Youth have these Characteristics

• Nationally, black youth under age 18 represent 15% of the juvenile population, but they make up:

» 26% of juvenile arrests; » 31% of referrals to juvenile court; » 44% of the detained population; » 34% of youth formally processed by the juvenile

court;» 46% of youth sent to adult court; » 32% of youth adjudicated delinquent; » 40% of youth in residential placement; and» 58% of youth in state adult prisons.

Racial Disproportion in the Justice System

Why do these troubled, disabled, and minority youth end up in the juvenile justice system?

When do their problems first emerge? What role do social institutions (family

services, early childhood programs, schools, mental health & juvenile delinquency programs) play in either addressing or adding to these problems?

Questions

What Factors put Students at Risk for Pipeline Entry?

Ethnic Minority (disproportionally African-American)

High school age, Male

Educational Disabilities

Poor Mental Health Status

History of Neglect, Abuse

12

Characteristics and Needs of Students Most at Risk

Citations 1, 11

Yes, with students who have been or are currently incarcerated

Yes, with students who have some of the characteristics that place them at risk.

No

Polling Question 2: Have you or do you work with students who are at-risk for involvement with the juvenile justice system?

Each additional referral to the office reduces a student’s chances of achieving proficiency on standardized tests at the end of the school year, and reduces academic growth over the year

The effect persists into the next academic year and the year after, influencing achievement and growth for three years

Adverse effects hold for all disciplinary outcomes, but out-of-school suspension had the most devastating and lasting impact

What is the Impact of School Discipline on Academic Progress and Achievement?

Office of Civil RightsTransformed Civil Rights Data Collection (CDCR, 2009-10)

Arrests and Referrals of Minorities

Students with Disabilities

Only 35% of students identified as emotionally disturbed graduate with a regular high school diploma.

35%

Students are more likely to drop out if:

They have been suspended repeatedly They have been expelled for any period of

time They have been retained in a grade below

their age-level peers

The more days a student misses, the more likely he or she is to drop out of school

School Policies and Practices that may Promote Pipeline Entry

Zero Tolerance High Stakes Academic Testing Repeated

• Office Discipline Referrals • Suspensions • Expulsions

Below grade level

achievement

Disruptive, acting-out classroom behavior

Repeated office disciplinary

referrals

Loss of instructional

time

School exclusion, alternative educational placements

Greater academic deficits,

delinquent activity

School disengagement

(truancy, dropping out)

Juvenile court involvement, incarceration

21

How the pipeline works for at-risk youth

Citations 1, 11

“Quality educational interventions may constitute the most effective and economical protective factors against delinquency” (Center on Crime, Communities, and Culture, 1997)

Keeping youth engaged in school is a logical and cost-effective prevention.

Preventing entry: Most effective, least expensive

What Should We Do?

Look for alternatives to traditional school discipline practices

that are:

◦ Proactive

◦ Preventative

◦ Based on teaching, modeling, and reinforcing appropriate

expected behaviors and skill sets

◦ Fairly and equitably applied across all youth

◦ Consistent across persons and settings

◦ Economical in terms of resources, effort, and teacher/student

time spent engaged in instruction

◦ Supported by empirical evidence

23

Addressing the Needs of Students with Challenging Behavior

Citations 1, 4, 5, 13–21

Goal: Design systems to enhance

protective factors

Schools and juvenile justice systems are the most

important factors over which we have the greatest control.

B

Protective Facto

rs Related to Positi

ve Outcomes

Academic success

Friends, positive

peer network

Behavioral competenc

e

Positive relationship with one

or more adults

Orderly, clear,

predictable environme

nts

Appropriate behavior effectively produces desired

outcomes

a. To a great extent!b. Not as much as is neededc. Not at alld. Not applicable

Polling Question 3: In your professional role, to what extent are you able to influence programs and practices to enhance protective factors for youth?

Based on all the evidence…

We advise designing programs based on an approach known

as “multi-tiered systems of support”

Cancer treatment; nursing homes; dentures; organ

transplantsMedication; medical

treatment; fill cavities; vision

correctionCheck-ups; diet;

exercise; vaccinations;

fluoride; seatbelts

U.S. Public Health:3-Tiered Logic Model

Walker et al., 1996

All

Some

A few

PBISPositive Behavior

Interventions and Supports

PBIS is an evidence-based, systems-wide, multi-tiered framework for enhancing

protective factors and improving student outcomes.

Individualized behavioral assessment

and interventions, wrap-around servicesCheck-in with adults during the day; small group instruction in

behavioral skills; academic supportsClear expectations;

procedures for teaching and acknowledging expected behaviors,

continuum of procedures for responding to

unacceptable behavior

PBIS: 3-Tiered Logic Model

All

Some

A fewPBIS team

Relevant data

Problem-solving

PBIS team to lead and coordinate

Data to determine needs and monitor progress

A few overarching expectations

Expectations defined for all areas and activities

Expected behavior is systematically taught and prompted

Environmental enhancements

One or more systems for acknowledging appropriate behaviorContinuum of responses for inappropriate behavior

Systems-level components of PBIS

Let’s look at a few examples of

systems-level PBIS

PBIS team

PBIS team members:◦ Juvenile correctional officers◦ Teachers◦ Case managers◦ Administrators◦ Treatment providers

“I did not know Ms. X, a Caseworker, before PBIS, but she has not only been my right hand co worker for PBIS but has become a good friend that I can call on for help anytime.”

Helps foster interdisciplinary cooperation

Expectations defined for all areas and all activities

Provides clarit

y

and predictabilit

y

for all

Acknowledgment for Appropriate Behavior

Immediately useful and relevant data

1st Period 2nd Period 3rd Period 4th Period 5th Period 6th Period Before School

Passing Pe-riod PM

Series1 63 67 76 52 87 61 1 1

5152535455565758595

Infraction Times, June 2011

Time

Ref

erra

ls

Reductions in:

Office discipline referrals

Disciplinary actions

Specific behavior problems

Problems in specific areas

Rapidly increasing body of research indicates PBIS, implemented with fidelity, can produce:

PBIS and Reducing Suspensions in KY

2007-08 2008-09 2009-100

2

4

6

8

10

12

10.52 10.6

9.499.22

8.36

6.9

KY Average

PBIS DistrictsSuspensions per 100 Students

M

PBIS and Keeping Kids in School

M

PBIS is being implemented in alternative educational programs, including youth correctional programs

Texas (state-level secure facilities)◦ Education programs◦ Facility-wide

Georgia, Colorado, Arizona, Illinois◦ All state-level secure facilities

California, Iowa, Oregon, Washington◦ PBS in at least one JJ facility

B

Texas (2011)• School settings:

42% decrease in major incidents with a “security” (administrative segregation) referral but no admission

21% decrease in major incidents with a security referral and admission

• Non-school settings• 31% decrease in major incidents with a

security referral but no admission

• 26% decrease in major incidents with a security referral and admission

1999 - present: OSEP funded National TA Center for PBIS; PBIS implemented in >20,000 schools

1990s-present: Research documenting outcomes

2000-present: PBIS adopted by advocacy groups (e.g., ACLU, NAACP, Southern Poverty Law Center)

2014: PBIS adopted in 5 state-wide Juvenile Justice Systems (TX, GA, AZ, IL, CO)

2014: IMPACT (Integrating and Mobilizing Preventive Actions for Collaborative Tiered youth supports)

42Where we are headed with Multi-tiered Systems of Support (PBIS)

Citations 1, 11

a. To a great extent!b. Perhaps – the concepts are applicable,

but I’m not sure how this would be accomplished.

c. Not at alld. Not applicable

Polling Question 4: Do you see applications for PBIS (multi-tiered systems of support) in program with which you work?

National Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports http://www.pbis.org

National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Riskhttp://www.neglected-delinquent.org

National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justicehttp://www.ncmhjj.com

School to Prison.org: Challenging the School-to-Prison Pipelinehttp://www.schooltoprison.org

Resources

Brenda Scheuermann◦ brenda@txstate.edu

Mike Nelson◦ mike.nelson@uky.edu

Contact us if you have questions