Background

White River Valley (a public school located in Vermont, USA, serving students from grades 7-12) was struggling with a high number of behavioral referrals. On average of 150+ referrals per month. In an effort to address this issue and promote positive behavior among students, the school needed a solution to reduce the high number of behavior referrals.

The School Used used the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework, which led to the discovery of the high number of behavioral referrals.

Assessment

As the Coordinator of Student Support Shane Oakes was uniquely positioned to see the behavior issues with the entire school firsthand.

Shane had been using the Lead ‘Em Up Coaches Membership program with his sports teams. He noticed an overall behavior improvement in the players who went through the Lead ‘Em Up exercises.

He began to ask himself “why are we just doing this with athletes? All of our students need to be engaged in these sorts of life lessons.”

Implementation 

The Green Team exercise provides a frame of reference, offering measurable results and gives students direction to help each other. In order for students to reach their full potential each of them needs to be operating in the green.

With the Green Team, students themselves determine and define the traits that they value the most.

This gets everyone to be on the same page, and have the same vision for what they want their school to be and feel like.

The practice of celebrating and recognizing others spreads positivity and has made a big difference in the way students and staff feel about the school’s climate and culture.

Evaluation

Where are they Now?

Before implementing Lead Em Up, White River Valley would have on average 150+ hundred behavioral referrals a month. By the spring of that first year of using Lead ‘Em Up they were down to averaging 36 referrals a month and in their second year, they were are averaging only around 23 a month!

Conclusion

The integration of Lead ‘Em Up into the school’s curriculum had a positive impact on the implementation of PBIS and the promotion of positive student behavior. The Green Team, Green verifications, and the practice of recognizing and celebrating others helped to create a school culture that emphasized positive behavior. The successful implementation of Lead ‘Em Up in conjunction with the PBIS system in White River Valley School suggests that a similar approach could be effective in other middle and high schools.