Dive Brief:
- Researchers at the University of Missouri College of Education developed the Brief Student-Teacher Classroom Interaction Observation model and used it to assess interactions between 53 teachers and their 896 students in kindergarten through third grade.
- Phys.org reports the researchers found students who got attention from their teachers for bad behavior had more problems with emotional regulation and concentration, and they were more likely to engage in disruptive behavior.
- Researchers also found teachers gave more negative attention to boys, black students, and those who received free or reduced-price lunches, but they believe their model could help principals, coaches, and consultants provide valuable feedback following classroom observations.
Dive Insight:
Many schools have implemented Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, programs to improve the school environment by focusing on positive reinforcement of good behavior over punishment of bad behavior. This is another model that has been praised as a tool to combat the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately sends black and Latino students, students with disabilities, and boys into the criminal justice system for their actions in schools.
Kids who end up getting referred to the juvenile justice system often are behind, academically, before they act out. Juvenile detention nationwide provides inadequate educational opportunities for students, putting them even further behind and contributing to a cycle of recidivism that often leads to dropping out. A 2011 study out of Texas A&M University found students who had been suspended or expelled were twice as likely to drop out of school as students who were much like them and attended similar schools, but didn’t get suspended.