The Experience of Black Female Principals

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Black female leader in classroom (iStock photo)
Through a $50,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation, Jennie Weiner and Laura Burton will investigate how microaggressions and discrimination affect the experiences of 25 black female principals. (iStock Photo)

Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared on UConn Today, the University’s official news website.

As of 2013, only 20 percent of school administrators were people of color and only 50 percent were women, despite women representing almost 80 percent of teachers. The number of black female principals is even harder to assess, though research suggests they represent a smaller proportion of black principals than do their male counterparts. Beyond this underrepresentation in the field, black female principals face an additional set of challenges in these positions in the form of  microaggressions.

Through a $50,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation, Neag School assistant professor of educational leadership Jennie Weiner will investigate how microaggressions and discrimination affect the experiences of 25 black female principals. Neag School professor Laura Burton is the co-investigator on this project.

Microaggressions are subtle acts of discrimination that occur on a daily basis. They can exist at the environmental level, for example, via exclusionary policies that create segregated communities and schools. They can also operate at the interpersonal level perpetrated by co-workers or strangers on the street.

Microaggressions can be enacted when someone makes a comment about a person’s race, gender or other aspect of their identity that may not be obviously or even intentionally racist or sexist. Despite the intent behind it, microaggressions carry the same prejudiced connotations and negative impact as more direct forms of prejudice.

Black female principals also tend to be relegated to the most segregated and poorly resourced schools in the country. These discriminatory practices create unique challenges for these women and their ability to thrive in their jobs as school leaders.

“We were provided an incredible opportunity to first examine the experiences of black women in educational leadership with a grant provided through Dr. Shayla Nunally’s work as the director of UConn’s Collaborative to Advance Equity Through Research on Women and Girls of Color,” Burton says. “We are thankful to have critical resources both with a community of UConn scholars and funding to support the pilot project that led to the development of the Spencer Foundation Grant proposal.”

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, just 10 percent of principals are black and 80 percent of public-school teachers are white. These demographics highlight the isolation black women principals often experience, as well as the structural nature of their exclusion. Previous research on black women and other minoritized groups suggests this environment would be a likely locus for microaggressions, and yet information about how black women experience the role of school principal has not been studied specifically.

This research provides opportunities to identify the unique challenges these women face as well as their triumphs and the source of their strength in the face of adversity, according to the researchers.

The results of this study can also be used to make recommendations for institutions to implement changes that improve the experiences of and opportunities for black women to succeed in leadership positions.

Research shows black women often have fewer opportunities to join traditional professional networks and access the resources available through them. Through this grant, the researchers hope to provide resources for participants to create professional networks to facilitate opportunities to join a supportive community and to support one another through the challenges associated with their particular situations.

“One finding in our pilot study and the foundational research we used to guide our work is the frequent sense of isolation many black women face in their schools and districts,” Weiner says.  “In addition to using our position and resources to share these women’s experiences, we also wanted to leverage the grant to help build connections between these women and establish new networks for advancement and support.”

The Spencer Foundation funds research which investigates how education can be improved around the world. Since the foundation began awarding grants formally in 1971, it has provided $500 million in funding.

Jennie Weiner holds a, ED.D. in educational policy leadership and instructional practice from the Harvard School of Education. Her areas of expertise include educational leadership, school reform and education reform. She focuses on chronically underperforming schools and districts as well as gender and racial bias in educational leadership and issues of educational structure at the state, district, and local levels.

Laura Burton received her Ph.D. in the social science of sport and sport management from the University of Connecticut. Her research interests include understanding leadership in organizations and exploring development, access, and success in leadership. She focuses on issues of gender in leadership contexts and how stereotypes and discrimination affect women in sport leadership.

U.S. News 2020 Rankings Place Neag School in Top 20 U.S. Publics

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U.S. News & World Report has issued its 2020 rankings of the best graduate schools of education in the nation, with the Neag School of Education ranking among the top 20 public graduate schools of education in the United States for the fourth consecutive year.

The Neag School of Education is ranked No. 17 among public graduate schools of education, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Education Schools.
The Neag School of Education is ranked No. 17 among public graduate schools of education, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Education Schools. (Sean Flynn/UConn)

According to the report, the Neag School ranks No. 30 among all graduate schools of education in the nation, and No. 17 among public graduate schools of education. At the same time, five of the Neag School’s specialty programs now place among the top 25 in the United States:

  • Special Education, No. 16 (tie)
  • Elementary Education, No. 19
  • Educational Psychology, No. 19 (tie)
  • Educational Administration, No. 19 (tie)
  • Secondary Education, No. 22 (tie)

“For the fourth year in a row, the Neag School is standing strong among the nation’s leading public graduate schools of education,” says Dean Gladis Kersaint. “It is the hard work of our faculty scholars, the remarkable talent of our students, and the far-reaching impact of our alumni that contribute to our continued success, and for that we are grateful. We are proud to be recognized among a cadre of tremendous peer institutions.”

“For the fourth year in a row, the Neag School is standing strong among the nation’s leading public graduate schools of education.”

—Dean Gladis Kersaint

The U.S. News graduate education program rankings are based on data calculated from a weighted average of 10 measures, including research activity, student selectivity, and peer assessments. For the 2020 rankings, U.S. News surveyed graduate education programs at 392 schools granting doctoral degrees in the fall of 2018 and early 2019; 258 of those schools responded.

For the U.S. News specialty program rankings, the methodology is based solely on nominations by education school deans and education school deans of graduate studies from the list of schools surveyed.

A full list of the 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Education Schools rankings are available online. Follow the conversation on Twitter at #BestGradSchools.

10 Questions With Connecticut’s Superintendent of the Year

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Alan Addley in the Granby (Conn.) Public Schools' Board of Education Room.
Alan Addley ’07 ELP, ’14 Ed.D., superintendent of Granby (Conn.) Public Schools, was named the state’s Superintendent of the Year for 2019. (Shawn Kornegay/Neag School)

Editor’s Note: Alan Addley is currently the superintendent of Darien Public Schools.

In our recurring 10 Questions series, the Neag School catches up with students, alumni, faculty, and others throughout the year to offer a glimpse into their Neag School experience and their current career, research, or community activities.

Alan Addley is in his 11th year as the superintendent of Granby (Conn.) Public Schools. A native of Northern Ireland, Addley started his career as a professional soccer player and mathematics teacher. He has 34 years of administrative and teaching experience in private and public schools in the United States and Ireland. Addley completed a Connecticut Superintendent Certificate through the Executive Leadership Program in 2007 and earned his Ed.D. in 2014, both at the Neag School.

Why did you decide to pursue the Executive Leadership Program (ELP) at the Neag School? Having spent seven years as a high school principal, I was professionally ready for the next step in my career as an educator. The Neag School of Education’s Executive Leadership Program has always been highly regarded asone of the premier superintendent preparation programs in the nation. As a UConn alumnus, having previously gone through University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP), it was an easy and natural decision to pursue my executive level training to become a superintendent through UConn’s ELP.

“Providing the community with clear and consistent communication, engaging them in meaningful decision making, and developing strong relationships are critical skills for a successful superintendent.”

— Alan Addley, ’07 ELP, ’14 Ed.D.

How have the ELP program and your doctorate in education helped you in your career? UConn’s reputation for educational excellence positioned me well for the job market, but, most significantly, the ELP was instrumental in providing me with the theoretical, technical, and practical learning experiences necessary in order to best prepare me to meet the complex challenges of the contemporary superintendency. My experiences in the ELP also exposed me to some of the most dedicated and knowledgeable professors and educations in the state who, to this day, remain my teachers, friends, and mentors.

The design of the programs have complemented one another. The quality and consistency of faculty and curriculum have provided thoughtful alignment and coherence to the learning experiences. The common preparation and research-based learning experiences are all practitioner-orientated and include learning via case studies, cohorts, internships, seminars, and problems of practice.

Alan Addley ’07 ELP, ’14 Ed.D
Addley was recognized by the Neag School’s Alumni Board with the Outstanding Superintendent Award in 2017. (Roger Castonguay/Neag School

What does being recognized by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) as this year’s Superintendent of the Year mean to you? I am privileged and honored to be named Connecticut’s 2019 Superintendent of the Year (SOY) in recognition of the collective achievements and accomplishments of a wonderful Granby community, Board of Education, staff, and student body. As the SOY and an ambassador for UConn, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to provide impactful leadership and service in the educational arena, give back to the university and teaching profession, and use the SOY honor to make a difference for educators and children. 

What do you see as some of the most significant challenges for superintendents today? The complexities of the superintendency are varied and the challenges plentiful. Most pressing issues include ensuring appropriate, equitable funding for public education; reducing achievement gaps; preparing the next generation of teachers and administrators; managing special education programming; addressing students’ social and emotional issues; effectively working with constituents and policymakers; a slow erosion of public trust in the profession; and, most importantly, ensuring schools can prepare our students for the future. Doing so requires sophisticated superintendent leadership to build adaptive learning environments that execute what is now working well, while, at the same time, exploring what might be in the future.

How has the challenge of engaging the community changed over time? To what extent does the achievement gap challenge your work? Providing the community with clear and consistent communication, engaging them in meaningful decision making,and developing strong relationships are critical skills for a successful superintendent. Positive relationships with the community provide the trust and foundation for the hard work that needs to take place. Technology has increased communication exponentially, and superintendents must be adept in harnessing social media as a strategic communication tool. Some of the ways I communicate with the community include the use of Twitter, superintendent forums, district website, educational supplements, and monthly newspaper articles.

Connecticut continues to have one the greatest achievement gaps in the nation and schools are microcosms of society. Achievement gaps exist in urban, suburban, and rural communities alike. Championing and being a leader for equity defines the work of being a superintendent. A superintendent must disrupt inequities, create a sense of urgency, and be the voice for all marginalized students. The superintendent must also implement policies and practices and secure the appropriate resources to address inequities. A successful superintendent must have the professional will and courage to do the hard work in the equity arena. 

What motivated you to move to this level of responsibility and complexity? I have always looked at teaching and the superintendency as a calling. While complex and difficult, the superintendency is also tremendously rewarding and, at times, exhilarating. For me, it is a wee bit akin to the ministry. Every day we have the awesome privilege and responsibility to touch the hearts and minds of children. Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s during the Troubles of Northern Ireland, and being the first in my family to go to college, I understand that education was my passport to a better future and that it still remains the foundation of the “American Dream” for all students.

What attributes or skills do you bring to your job that you think are shining examples of what make you successful? Skills and attributes I would consider important and integral to my success, include relationship building, communication, empathy, trustworthiness, integrity, humor, high expectations, and principled leadership. My skills as a mathematician and as a high school principal also served me well in preparing for the superintendency. Over the years, I have also learned the skill of ‘Knowing when to hold’em, Knowing when fold’em, and Knowing when to walk away!’ It has served me well.

What are you most proud of in serving as a superintendent? In some small way, the ability to have positively influenced the lives of adults and children … simply, to have made a difference in people’s lives and to have provided some meaningful programmatic changes and experiences to the district during my tenure. My hope is that I have influenced, inspired and encouraged.

As a previous educator and administrator in Ireland, what elements of U.S. education are similar or different? While many characteristics of the Irish and U.S. education system are similar, there are perhaps two notable differences, and that is, in Ireland, there exists a very high respect for the profession. The teaching profession is held in high esteem by parents and the community. Another notable difference is that Irish schools are not partially funded through local community property taxes. Fundamentally, the characteristics of students, teachers, and schools are the same all over the world. The challenge for a superintendent is to understand and skillfully manage the context in order to provide caring learning environments where both students and adults learn. 

What would you say anyone considering a career as a superintendent? ELP is preparing the next generation of superintendents. I believe the most successful and happiest superintendents will be those who feel called to the profession, inspired by the challenges,and are able to maintain a healthy balance between home and work.…I have been truly fortunate and blessed, for my passion has also been my career.

The Neag School’s Executive Leadership Program will hold a final information session this spring on March 21 in Hartford.

Read past installments of the Neag School’s 10 Questions series here.

Putting Passion to Work for the Neag School

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South Africa Student Study Abroad — Cheyann Kelly
A new Neag School Global Education Fund launched by Sandi Hastings ’89 MA, ’94 Ph.D. will provide women at the Neag School with support for study abroad opportunities. (Photo Courtesy of Cheyann Kelly)

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the UConn Foundation’s Inside UConn Nation.

Sandi Hastings ’89 MA, ’94 Ph.D. began to contemplate the kind of relationship she wanted to have with her graduate school alma mater after her son was involved in a serious car accident.

“That experience made me aware of how short our lives can be,” she says. “I decided I should stop procrastinating and start doing what I wanted to do to give back to UConn.”

Now, with her son recovered and the schedule of someone who’s “semi-retired,”  Hastings has joined the Neag School’s Board of Advocates and volunteered to serve as the board’s inaugural chair. She began her service in September 2018.

“One of my major strengths is helping organizations set up processes and procedures that would elevate their work,” she says. “And one of the reasons I agreed to do this is that I think Neag’s Dean [Gladis] Kersaint is a visionary. She has real clarity about what needs to be done to lift Neag to the next level. Her enthusiasm sold me.”

Hastings is not new to board work, having served for many years on the board of Journey Home, an organization that works to alleviate homelessness in the greater Hartford area. But, until now, she had not done much direct fundraising.

That all changed when she asked herself about her philanthropic interests and the impact that she would like to have on others.

“I had this ongoing dream of doing something to help women.”

—Sandi Hastings, ’89 MA, ’94 Ph.D.

Sandi Hastings ’89 MA, ’94 Ph.D. has raised more than $45,000 toward the endowment minimum of $50,000 for a Neag Global Education Fund. (Photo courtesy of Sandi Hastings)
Sandi Hastings ’89 MA, ’94 Ph.D. has raised more than $45,000 toward the endowment minimum of $50,000 for a Neag Global Education Fund. (Photo courtesy of Sandi Hastings)

“I had this ongoing dream of doing something to help women,” she says. “And the Dean has this vision that we should offer all students an opportunity to do a semester or a summer abroad during their time at Neag. I thought this might be the chance to combine my interests in women, education, the global workforce, and having a lasting impact.”

With a goal of funding a $50,000 endowment to provide women at the Neag School with support for study abroad opportunities, Hastings put her plan into action. She began by speaking with personal friends who shared her interest in supporting women and education. In three weeks’ time, she had spoken to 15 people and secured a number of five-year commitments.

Knowing that not everyone could make a long-term commitment, she next invited a group of friends to her home for dinner with Dean Kersaint, asking them to contribute whatever amount they could to the cause.

“I knew the collaborative nature would be something that would reel them in,” says Hastings. “We had a very engaging conversation about the future of education. Dean Kersaint talked about the need for students to have diverse educators in the classroom and how global experiences will help new teachers better understand the needs of their students. Even if people decided not to give, they walked away learning something about UConn and what Neag is trying to accomplish.”

The results have been inspiring. Hastings has raised more than $45,000 toward the endowment minimum of $50,000 for a Neag School Global Education Fund. With a list of more than 350 additional contacts at her disposal, she is considering upping her goal to $100,000.

She has also worked with other members of the Board of Advocates to get them comfortable with both their giving and fundraising strategies. The Board will be offering matching funding for the Neag School faculty project that garners the most support during UConn’s 36-hour giving initiative, UConn Gives, on March 27 and 28.

“Neag changed the trajectory of my life,” says Hastings. “I’ve traveled all over the world, done consulting, and been involved in work I didn’t even know I wanted to do. None of that would have been possible without my graduate education. I’m really happy I’ve reconnected, and I’ve found joy in working with people who have similar interests.”

Join Hastings in supporting global education opportunities for women at the Neag School.

Report Recommends Ways to Promote Equity in Charter Schools

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Pupils In class using digital tablets. Source: Thinkstock
A report co-authored by Preston Green provides recommendations for planning, oversight, and complaint procedures at charter schools to ensure that policymakers on the state and federal level, as well as charter school operators, are mindful of equity throughout the charter school authorization process. (Thinkstock)

Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared on UConn Today, the University’s official news website.

Charter schools should only have a place in our public education landscape if they further the public policy goal of advancing educational equity, according to a new report from professors at the University of Connecticut and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Published by The Century Foundation, the report, “Advancing Intentional Equity in Charter Schools,” provides a comprehensive list of recommendations for planning, oversight, and complaint procedures at charter schools to ensure that policymakers on both the state and federal level, as well as charter school operators, are mindful of equity throughout the charter school authorization process.

“Charter schools can and should play a role in improving equal educational opportunity,” says Preston Green, a professor of educational leadership and law at UConn’s Neag School of Education, who co-authored the report with Julie F. Mead, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “In order for that role to be realized, policymakers need to be dedicated to ensuring educational equity at all levels and throughout each stage of charter school authorization, with particular focus paid to planning, oversight, and complaint procedures.”

“It’s our view that charter schools should protect the educational rights of students.”

— Professor Preston Green

The number of students enrolled in public charter schools has grown steadily since their creation in the 1990s. Six percent of all students enrolled in public schools around the country now attend charter schools, which are publicly funded, voluntary-enrollment schools that are created through a legislative process and operate through a specialized contract in exchange for relief from compliance with some state statutes and regulations.

Research into charter schools has documented that many tend to serve more black and Latino students than white students, enroll smaller proportions of children with disabilities, and serve fewer children who require special attention because their first language is not English.

“Charter schools vary greatly from state to state, district to district, based on the statutes governing their authorization and differing oversight measures that depend on the individual jurisdiction,” Green says. “But it’s our view that charter schools should protect the educational rights of students.”

Supporters of charter school expansion have claimed that such expansion causes little to no harm on the school districts in which they’re located, but researchers have argued that the costs associated with charter schools have a negative impact on public school funding, particularly in minority school districts that already struggle with underfunding. Additional research suggests that financial difficulties are a leading cause of charter school failure.

The report suggests that the federal government should adopt funding priorities for charter schools that grant awards to applicants that clearly describe their strategies to serve a diverse set of learners, and further recommends that the U.S. Department of Education require states to include descriptions of their charter school programs and the measures in place to ensure equity as a part of the state plans required under both the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). These federal laws require states to comply with certain rules and regulations as a condition of federal financial support.

The authors recommend that states adopt parallel incentives to ensure that entities seeking to operate charter schools plan for equity. To address some of the fiscal issues associated with charter schools, they suggest that operators be required to articulate a clear financial plan, and that states adopt statutory requirements to ensure that charter school authorizers consider the fiscal impact of the charter school on the school district in which the school will be located.

In terms of comprehensive oversight, the authors say, the federal government requires the collection of attrition data from charter schools, arguing that authorizers and state and federal officials may never understand whether discriminatory practices impacted parents’ choices to withdraw from voluntary enrollment in charter schools without attrition data.

The authors also recommend that charter school authorizers consider student demographics and service provision as part of any charter school performance review, and argue that states should be able to revoke the authority to charter from any authorizer that fails to fulfill its obligation to provide adequate oversight to the charter schools under its supervision.

“By focusing on planning, oversight, and complaint procedures,” says Green, “policymakers and authorizers can help create an environment in which charter schools can provide equal access to all students.”

The Century Foundation is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C.

Neag School Announces Recipients of 2019 Alumni Board Scholarship

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Ashley Robinson, a third-year doctoral student studying learning, leadership, and education policy in the Neag School, and Tashua Sotil ’17 (CAHNR), ’18 MA, a sixth-year graduate student in its educational psychology program, have been named the recipients of the Neag School of Education Alumni Board Scholarship for 2019.

The Alumni Board Scholarship provides a $1,000 award annually to students enrolled in a Neag School master’s, doctorate, or sixth-year program who have proven academic excellence or demonstrated financial need.

“The Neag School Alumni Board Scholarship is an opportunity for alumni who have benefited from the UConn experience to give back to current students who are pursuing advanced educational degrees,” says Neag School Alumni Board President Joseph P. Macary ’94 (ED), ’08 ELP, ’16 Ed.D. “This scholarship is a financial incentive and professional recognition to encourage students to achieve their next level of education.” 

“Earning my Ph.D. will help me reach my goal of becoming a change agent in higher education, and more importantly, will give me the tools to engage and invite others into similar work.”

— Ashley Robinson, Alumni Board Scholarship Recipient

‘A Change Agent in Higher Education’

Ashley Robinson
Ashley Robinson is a doctoral student studying learning, leadership, and education policy in the Neag School. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Robinson)

Robinson received her master of education in student development in higher education, with a concentration in social justice and diversity, and a bachelor of arts in English, both from the University of Maine.

Robinson’s research agenda focuses on higher education diversity policies and practices, specifically focusing on hate speech and bias incidents in higher educational environments. In addition, she serves as a research assistant with Dorothea Anagnostopoulos on a National Science Foundation (NSF) and Spencer Foundation-funded study of ambitious teaching in elementary math and English language arts, as well as a research assistant with Suzanne Wilson on an NSF-funded project focused on the professional development of science teachers.

Since joining UConn Residential Life in 2012 until she started graduate school in 2018, Robinson served as a residence hall director for approximately 1,000 students and most recently served as the assistant director of residence education, where she oversaw the operation, staffing, and educational programming of three residential life areas covering 2,000 students. During her tenure in Residential Life, she also served as the residential life learning committee chair, where she led the development and implementation of a residential curriculum model.

“Through my graduate studies, I have begun to see the crucial role of inquiry, knowledge creation, and application of research to action,” says Robinson, whose goal as an educator is to change society by challenging colleges and universities to be more “equitable and humanizing.”

“Earning my Ph.D. will help me reach my goal of becoming a change agent in higher education, and more importantly, will give me the tools to engage and invite others into similar work,” she says.

Dedication and Diligence

Tashua Sotil
Tashua Sotil ’17 (CAHNR), ’18 MA is a sixth-year graduate student in educational psychology. (Shawn Kornegay/Neag School)

Sotil received her master of arts degree in school psychology from the Neag School in 2018 and her bachelor of science in animal science, with a minor in therapeutic horsemanship education and psychological sciences, from UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources in 2017. She put herself through college by working numerous jobs, including living in the Kellogg Diary Center for two years, milking the cows at night to pay for her housing.

“It’s the values of dedication and diligence that were instilled in me by my parents and teachers that led me to success,” says Sotil. “These values carried me through an intense undergraduate and graduate program and will launch me into a lifelong career that I love. It is my goal to help others do the same.”

Although Sotil says that she has never considered herself “naturally smart” and has to work hard to “keep up with the brightest students,” she managed to complete her undergraduate degree in three years by taking on heavy course loads during the semester, and enrolling in classes over the summers and winter breaks.

As a sixth-year candidate, Sotil is currently taking on a full course load for her school psychology program and graduate certificate in Postsecondary Disability Services. She is also working at the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) as a full-time graduate assistant and as a practicum student for 10 hours a week at Glastonbury (Conn.) Public Schools. Next year, she will be interning 40-plus hours, splitting her time between East Hartford (Conn.) Middle School and CSD.

Robinson and Sotil will be formally recognized at the 2019 Neag School Alumni Awards Celebration, taking place at the Storrs campus this month. Register online for the event at s.uconn.edu/NeagAlumni2019.

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NIH Awards $2.4M Toward Schoolwide PBIS Project

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Two students in classroom at East Hartford Middle School
Tamika La Salle is co-leading a five-year $2.4 million study that will work with 20 middle schools in Alabama. (Nathan Oldham/Neag School)

Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared on UConn Today.

Segregation in schools was abolished in 1954 in the Supreme Court’s historical decision in Brown v. Board of Education. But this decree from the court did not magically wipe segregation or racial prejudices and tensions away.

There are a variety of models schools around the country used to deal with student behavior problems, and while they have been successful in many cases, these models fail to account for specific issues caused by race-related behavioral problems.

In a collaborative grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities for the University of Connecticut and the University of Alabama, assistant professor of the school psychology program in the UConn Neag School of Education Tamika La Salle and Sara McDaniel, associate professor of psychology at the University of Alabama will work to look at ways to address this gap.

The five-year $2.4 million grant will work with 20 middle schools in Alabama with both homogenous and heterogeneous student populations in terms of race and poverty levels.

“We are including only middle schools in this project because of the importance of adolescence as a critical timepoint for intervention to prevent violent behavior,” McDaniel and La Salle say.

The program will introduce targeted modifications such as making the language schools use more culturally responsive, increasing parent and community outreach, and holding ongoing discussions about implicit bias and tolerance.

SWPBIS (Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) has been implemented in more than 26,000 schools in the United States and has been shown to improve both student and school-level outcomes by using evidence-based practices, early interventions matched to individual student needs and ongoing progress monitoring to address behavioral problems.

While this program has generally been successful for decades, there is a gap in its effectiveness. SWPBIS does not adequately address specific issues related to racism and discrimination for both students and adults. In this project, La Salle and McDaniel will look at enhancing the traditional SWPBIS model with SWPBIS+: culturally responsive SWPBIS.

SWPBIS+ will introduce targeted modifications such as making the language schools use more culturally responsive, increasing parent and community outreach, and holding ongoing discussions about implicit bias and tolerance.

The team will also work on training educators on implicit bias. Implicit bias is the set of stereotypes that unconsciously affect our understanding, actions and decisions. These biases are often deeply rooted in our early experiences and examples from media and can inform our actions, often in negative or discriminatory ways.

Research by other members of the research team working on this grant indicates racial discipline disparities are less due to explicit bias and more due to implicit biases. This training will help educators become more aware of their own implicit biases and how these biases may be seeping  into their practices in the classroom.

82 percent of teachers nationwide are white. This creates a majority culture among those teaching majority minority student bodies setting the stage for cultural conflict.

“Because of the race component, this is really important work for Alabama,” McDaniel said. “We want educators to understand the cultural mismatch and understand the mismatch of their culture and students of different backgrounds.”

Another strategy for addressing student behavioral issues is “coping power” (CP). CP focuses on students who are at an increased risk for negative outcomes such as delinquency and substance abuse. While CP has proven to be an effective model broadly, it does not specifically address interracial and intraracial aggression and violence.

Coping Power + will introduce additional lessons to the standard CP framework. These lessons will include a discussion about the unequal access to educational and employment opportunities for African Americans and how they overcome these barriers and lessons learned from the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the progress that has been made since then.

“The primary focus is for students to be able to understand the historical context of race and discrimination in schools and to also make them feel empowered to be able to still be successful in school setting through targeted efforts on behalf of themselves, their parents and their teachers,” La Salle and McDaniel say.

John Lochman, UA professor of psychology who has implemented CP globally, will serve as co-PI on this grant. Co-investigators include: Daniel Cohen, UA assistant professor, school psychology; Kent McIntosh, professor, University of Oregon College of Education, and expert in PBIS; and  Sterett Mercer, associate professor of special education, University of British Columbia (Canada), will serve as a consultant.

La Salle holds a Ph.D. in school psychology from Georgia State University, where she also received her Ed.S. She is a research scientist for the Center for Behavioral Educational Research. She serves as a consultant to the Georgia Department of Education. Her research interests include school climate, school improvement, culture, and culturally responsive educational practices.

McDaniel received her Ph.D. in special education from Georgia State University. She is an associate professor in special education at UA. Her primary concentration is in universal prevention for school discipline and behavior and her secondary concentration is in targeted interventions for students placed at risk.

This project is NIH Grant No.: 1R01MD013806-01.