FCS model schools featured in showcase on positive behavior
On March 5, Creek View Elementary School, Renaissance Middle School and Langston Hughes High School were featured as model schools in a first-ever event showcasing their success with Positive Intervention Behavior Supports (PBIS), a national initiative to help support schools dealing with discipline issues. Sponsored by Metropolitan Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA), an agency that provides services to Georgia school districts, the RESA PBIS event highlighted data and strategies that address root behaviors to ultimately keep students in class and minimize suspensions, making schools successful learning environments.
“Metro RESA was pleased to partner with Fulton County Schools for our first-ever PBIS Showcase,” said Michelle Sandrock, school climate specialist with Metro RESA. “The three schools represent model PBIS schools across the state who are not only implementing PBIS with a high level of fidelity, but are sustaining it. We appreciated their willingness to serve as demonstration sites by hosting school leaders across metro Atlanta. Participants benefitted by not only getting to hear about how PBIS has worked, but were able to see how PBIS has helped transform school culture and climate.”
More than 100 PBIS team members from seven metropolitan Atlanta school districts, and two guests from Hong Kong attended the event. Guests received PBIS data from the three schools, a school tour and the opportunity to ask questions about best practices.
Creek View Elementary School shared its Cheetah Show featuring “PAWS,” which stands for Positive attitudes, Accepting responsibility, making Wise Choices and Safety first.
“Creek View Elementary is committed to ensuring every student has both the social-emotional and academic skills to become community leaders and to experience success in their lives,” said Principal Monica In. “The implementation of PBIS has allowed us to create a consistent school-wide system that teaches students about positive behaviors and is focused on the use of positive reinforcement and encouragement to build a school climate that enhances learning and growth for all students.”
Creseda Hawk, Renaissance Middle School principal, gave participants a handbook on PBIS titled, “The Secret’s in the Sauce.”
“We have worked together as a team over the past three years developing our systems for culture and climate at our school,” said Principal Hawk. Visitors toured the school’s mindfulness room and literary garden, and heard PBIS Coach Benqueshya Milligan describe how students are supported and encouraged.
Visitors to Langston Hughes High School got a taste of “Panther Pride,” with the qualities of Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dignity, and Excellence (PRIDE) spelled out on a sign featuring the poet Langston Hughes, for whom the school is named.
PBIS team members at Langston High wore PRIDE t-shirts and showed how discipline data had changed over the past three years. “We’re proud of the work that we’ve been doing at our school to reduce school discipline,” said Principal Latesha Reeves. “We have seen a 25 percent decline in discipline and each year our numbers continue to decline.”
Maribel Bell, Fulton County Schools’ director of Student Discipline, was excited about the three schools chosen to represent the district. “We had people all across Atlanta come to see our programs in play today,” Bell said. “They got to see the PBIS framework at its best.”
Creseda Hawk and Maribel Bell at Renaissance PBIS Showcase
Reps tour Langston Hughes PBIS Showcase