1. A Strategy to Reduce the Effects of Implicit Bias in Discipline Decisions
Kent McIntosh
University of Oregon

2. A 5-point Intervention Approach to Enhance Equity in School Discipline
There are no silver bullets
“For every complex problem, there is a simple solution that won’t work.” (derived from H.L. Menken)
Honor what you are already doing – we often throw everything at the problem

3. A Unidimensional View of Bias
Racial Bias
Disproportionate Discipline
2 problems:
1. it focuses solely on one variable that has been shown in many studies to be highly resistant to change
2. fails to consider contextual variables that may be as critical to biased decision making but are much more malleable.

4. A Multidimensional View of Bias
Racial Bias
Disproportionate Discipline
Situation
no change to his or her attitudes or beliefs, an individual may selectively show racial bias in different decision situations. For example, a teacher may make more equitable discipline decisions at the start of the day but be more likely to send students of color to the office at the end of the day
More accurate predictor of biased decision making AND
Vulnerable Decision Points Subjective Behavior Hunger Vague Discipline System Fatigue Unfamiliar with Student Classrooms
(Smolkowski et al., 2016)

5. SWIS Drill Down (www.swis.org)
Add demographic group of interest as a filter (click to “Include in Dataset”).
Trainer Note:
The SWIS Dashboard can help schools/facilities identify if a problem or trend exists. The SWIS Dashboard cannot tell you where the connections are. Users need to use the Drill Down feature to explore and identify what information is connected.
This example shows how to take an ethnicity and drill down to better analyze what it is happening, when it’s likely to happen, and who is likely to engage in the problem behavior. This level of analysis can be completed by changing the graph type.
Latino students in this example school are more likely to receive a referral in comparison to their peers.
The existence of disproportionality is likely caused by multiple and complex factors that are unique to the particular school environment.
The data-mining capability that exists within SWIS allows schools to dig deeper in their data analysis to better identify discipline referral patterns within overrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
A deeper level of data analysis allows schools to examine if their current behavioral systems, practices, definitions, expectations are culturally relevant. Do students of a particular racial/ethnic group understand the school-wide system. Is it relevant to their culture? Culture is defined more broadly than race alone. An individual’s culture is more than just the group with which an individual identifies. Culture is made up of:
Local contextual factors
Community values
Customs
If a school’s PBIS system is not culturally relevant to a particular group, the school can reach out to the larger community for assistance in making it culturally relevant and compatible. By working to include a particular group’s culture within the school-wide culture, the school is being culturally responsive.
If a school’s current practices are culturally relevant and disproportionality still exists, schools can collect additional information that evaluate the systems and staff behavior.
Click each graph and compare to overall patterns.

6. Neutralizing Routines for Reducing Effects of Implicit Bias
Self-assessment
“Is this a vulnerable decision point?”
Setting event
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequence
Child is new to program
Fatigue
Not following directions after requests (subjective behavior)
Remove child from setting
Child leaves setting (Escape social interaction)
This is ME (my routine)
“You can’t punish skills into a child”
Alternative Response
Take 3 deep breaths and reteach

7. What makes for a good neutralizing routine?
If-then statement
Brief
Clear steps
Doable
Interrupts the chain of events
interruption

8. Neutralizing Routine Examples
If this is a VDP…,
delay decision until I can think clearly
take three deep breaths
recognize my upset feelings and let them go
“I love you, but that behavior is not ok”
picture this student as a future doctor/lawyer
assume student’s best effort at getting needs met
model cool-down strategy (e.g., “turtle technique”)
If using SEL program with emotional regulation skills, model it!
Or code switch – my kids and “and so you would say” – and it works! (“and at school you would say…”)
Pushback - Mike Brown - regardless of how you feel about it (I'm sure there are differences of opinion in this room), did he need to be taught to code switch/do anything a cop says? Would that have saved his life?
Like driving while black

9. Progress over Time

10. Contact Information
Kent McIntosh
Special Education Program
University of Oregon
@_kentmc
Cannon Beach, Oregon
© GoPictures, 2010
Handouts:

11. Culturally Responsive Pyramid Model Practices
Dr. Rosemarie Allen, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Culturally Responsive Pyramid Model Practices

12. The Pyramid Model PBIS for young children through age 5
Matched with the developmental needs of young children
Provides teachers, coaches, ECMH Consultants with researched-based methods to address behaviors of they view as problematic
Promotes social emotional competence of children by intentionally teaching skills
(Fox & Hemmeter, 2009; Hemmeter, Fox, Jack & Broyles, 2007).
for, (a) expressing emotions, (b) making friends and, (c) developing relationships with adults and other children

13. Multi Tiered System of Support
Universal level, where the needs of 80 percent of all children are met. 
Secondary level children provides additional support to about 15 percent of the children
Tertiary level that supports the 5 percent of children with persistent behaviors that are resistant to strategies implemented at the universal and secondary levels. 
(Fox & Hemmeter, 2009; Hemmeter, Ostrosky & Corso 2011).

14. Foundation of the Pyramid Model
Nurturing and Supportive Relationships
High Quality Supportive Environment
Culturally responsive practices are naturally embedded at the foundation of the Pyramid
(Fox & Hemmeter, 2009; Hemmeter, Fox, Jack & Broyles, 2007).

15. It is a relationship-based model that requires the development of positive relationships at all levels (Fox & Hemmeter, 2014).
Walter Gilliam, national expert on preschool suspensions, explained: “I’ve never seen a suspension or expulsion where the teachers and parents knew and liked each other”.

16. Culturally responsive practices places the child at the center of all teaching and learning
(Gay, 2002; Ladson-Billings, 1994)

17. Culturally responsive practices affirm and sustain the cultural capital the child brings into the classroom environment.
Culturally responsive practitioners use the culture of the child as the foundation for teaching and learning.
Children’s cultural identity is developed, fostered and embraced in culturally responsive classrooms.
(Gay, 2002; Ladson-Billings, 1994)

18. Cultural congruence between the child’s home and school is the cornerstone of culturally responsive practices (Joseph & Strain, 2010; Monroe, 2010).
Developing a child-centered, culturally relevant, affirming and supportive environment decreases the incidents of challenging behaviors in early childhood settings (Bal, Thorius & Kozleski, 2012; Fox & Hemmeter, 2009; James, 2013; Powell, Dunlap & Fox, 2006).

19. Culturally Responsive PBIS
Several states that have incorporated culturally responsive practices in SWPBIS models are experiencing success in decreasing the disproportionate number of children of color being suspended from school (Eber, et al., 2010; Lane, 2011; Southern Poverty Law Center SPLC, 2010).
These states have:
high fidelity use of PBIS,
district level support,
positive relationships between staff, children, and families,
families in decision-making positions in PBIS efforts,
regular discourse regarding race, bias, privilege, and power and,
a system for reviewing data points that drive discussions about race and equity (Eber, et al., 2010)

20. Effective implementation of culturally responsive practices requires professional development activities that include knowledge of:
implicit bias and its impact on decision making,
culturally responsive practices and how to implement the practices in the classroom,
the role of critical reflection in challenging assumptions, as well as interpreting, understanding and reframing experiences (Brookefield, 1995; Delpit, 2012; Gay, 2002; Mezirow, 2003).

21. The Pyramid Model coupled with culturally responsive approaches reflects best practices for reducing preschool suspensions and racial disparities in early childhood disciplinary practices.

22. Alignment of Culturally Responsive Practices and the Pyramid Model
Level 1
Pyramid Model: Building relationships with families is a prerequisite for promoting social emotional competence in children. (Joseph & Strain, 2010)
Culturally responsive practices are meaningful, positive, culturally affirming relationships between families, staff members and children . Issues of power, privilege and difference are acknowledged and addressed. (White, et al., 2005; Edwards & Raikes, 2002; Gay, 2002)
Level 2
Pyramid Model: Teaching children problem solving skills, appropriate expression of emotions and specific praise for engaging in desired behaviors (Hemmeter & Fox, 2009).
Culturally responsive practices include intentional teaching of culturally relevant social skills, raising student expectations and acknowledging the positive behaviors of children in the context of their culture (Ladson-Billings, 1994)
Level 3
Pyramid Model: Collaborative approach in developing an FBA and the use of data to determine the effectiveness of the intervention (Brown, Odom, & McConnell
Culturally responsive practices ensures collaborations with families and community members and a system for reviewing data points that drive discussions about race and equity (Eber, et al., 2010).

23. There has been substantial research on the importance of culturally responsive practices in addressing disparities in disciplinary practices, some of which has been conducted independently of PBIS efforts (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Sugai, O’Keeffe, & Fallon, 2012; Vincent, Randall, Cartledge, Tobin, & Swain- Bradway, 2011).
There is also considerable scholarship on transformational learning principles that lead to long-term, substantive changes in the way teachers view children of color (Durden, Escalante & Blitch, 2015; Mezirow, 1998).
Research on de-biasing activities show promise for countering the automatic and unconscious responses of implicit bias (Devine, Forscher, Austin & Cox, 2012).
These strategies when implemented together, show promise for reducing the number of children suspended and expelled from preschool.

24. Pyramid Equity Project
Funded by Departments of Education & Health and Human Services
The Pyramid Equity Project will develop tools, materials, and procedures to explicitly address implicit bias, implement culturally responsive practices, and use data systems to understand potential discipline equity issues. These practices will be implemented within the Pyramid Model for Promoting the Social Emotional Competence of Infants
and Young Children (Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003

25. Culturally Responsive Pyramid Model Practices Course

28. References:
Bal, A., Thorius, K. K., & Kozleski, E. (2012). Culturally responsive positive behavioral support matters. Tempe, AZ: The Equity Alliance.
Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass-Publishers.

Delpit, L. D. (2012). " Multiplication is for White People": Raising Expectations for Other People's Children. The New Press.
Eber, L., Upreti, G. & Rose, J. (2010). Addressing ethnic disproportionality in school discipline through Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).  Retrieved from
Edwards, C. P., & Raikes, H. (2002). Extending the dance: Relationship-based approaches to infant/toddler care and education. Retrieved from
Fox, L., & Hemmeter, M. L. (2014). Implementing Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support: The evidence base for the Pyramid Model and supporting social emotional competence in infants and young children. Retrieved from
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),
Fox, L., & Hemmeter, M. L. (2009). A program-wide model for supporting social emotional development and addressing challenging behavior in early childhood setting. In W. Sailor, G. Dunlap, G. Sugai, & R. Horner (Eds.), Handbook of positive behavior support (pp. 177–202). New York, NY: Springer.
Hemmeter, M. L., Fox, L., Jack, S., & Broyles, L. (2007). A program-wide model of positive behavior support in early childhood settings. Journal of Early Intervention, 29(4),
Hemmeter, M. L., Ostrosky, M. M., & Corso, R. M. (2011). Preventing and addressing challenging behavior: Common questions and practical strategies. Young Exceptional Children. doi:

29. References:
James, A. (2013) Using the teaching pyramid to promote success for all children. The Early Childhood Educator. Retrieved from
Joseph, G. E., & Strain, P. S. (2003). Comprehensive evidence-based social-emotional curricula for young children an analysis of efficacious adoption potential. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 23(2),
Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. John Wiley & Sons.
Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of Transformative Education, 1(1), 

Monroe, C. (2010). Schott Foundation Black Boys Initiative. In K. Lomotey (Ed.), Encyclopedia of African American education(pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi:
Powell, D., Dunlap, G., & Fox, L. (2006). Prevention and intervention for the challenging behaviors of toddlers and preschoolers. Infants & Young Children, 19(1),
White, K. K., Zion, S. & Kozleski (2005) Cultural identity and teaching. National Institute for Urban School Improvement. Retrieved from

30. Supporting the School Readiness and Success of Young African American Boys Pilot Project
Lisa Gordon
Center for Culturally Responsive Practice
September 28, 2016

31. Center for Culturally Responsive Practice
The mission of the Center for Culturally Responsive Practice (CCRP) at Bank Street is to build and coordinate the capacity of communities to support children and families through the collaborative development of culturally responsive strength- and evidence-based systems, programs and practices.

32. School Readiness of Young African American Boys Pilot
Purpose:
To provide input and feedback on a Culturally Responsive Strength-based Framework™ to support the school readiness of young African American boys, in order to ensure the authenticity and applicability to Early Head Start/Head Start and the early care and education community.

33. Culturally Responsive Strength-based Framework™
Focuses on increasing the knowledge, and changing the attitudes, dispositions, and skills and practices of adults.
Explores and examines key research, concepts and theories on culture and race and the historical, social, and learning contexts.
Creates a paradigm shift from a deficit to strength-based approach.
Infuses culturally responsive practice into programming by promoting change at the personal, instructional, and institutional level.

34. Institutional Level Change
“The greatest outcome for our leadership team was the paradigm shift from a deficit to a strength-based mind set. It has helped us to realize that we have wrapped all our interventions in addressing behavioral concerns around deficits – seeking to ‘fix’ students by addressing their shortcomings, learning gaps, and behaviors”
- Elementary School Principal
Leadership Commitment
Vision and Values
Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
School Culture
Policies, Practices, and Procedures

35. System Level Change in Reducing Referrals
Pilot site Response to Intervention (RTI) culturally responsive, strength-based supports*:
Strength/Interest
Intervention/Support
Communication skills
Participate on debate team
Gaming
Participate in the chess club
Drawing
Engage in art therapy
Basketball
Work on jump shot
Football
Work on pass
* Resulted in a 20% reduction in referrals over prior year

36. Preliminary Findings

37. Pilot Implications to Address Implicit Bias
Institutional Level: Establish the buy- in of leadership to affect systemic change.
Establish and communicate a position statement about implicit bias.
Be explicit and intentional in addressing issues of race and equity.
Deeply examine data to determine areas of inequity.
Establish a cross-functional team of key stakeholders to champion efforts.

38. Pilot Implications to Address Implicit Bias (cont.)
Instructional and Personal levels: Advance knowledge and awareness of culture and the effects of racial and cultural bias on children’s development.
Create safe environments to engage in courageous conversations about race beginning at the personal level.
Instructional and Personal Levels: Engage in the process of self-reflection to support and sustain change.
Support reflection overtime with targeted focus on adult practices and interactions with children and families.

39. Pilot Implications to Address Implicit Bias (cont.)
Institutional, Instructional and Personal levels: Implement culturally responsive practice.
Focus on relationships
Demonstrate high expectations for learning
Value social and emotional development
Focus on play and active learning
Implement developmentally appropriate curriculum and instruction
Strengthen home-school partnerships

40. Program Director, Professional Development and Training
Contact Us
Lisa Gordon
Program Director, Professional Development and Training
Tel: (212)

41. Reducing Implicit Bias in Preschool Expulsion through Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Presentation by Deborah F. Perry, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Evaluation
Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
September 28, 2016
Introduce self and thank Shantel for invitation to be part of this esteemed panel on this important topic.
Part of my time is spent as the Equity lead on the CoE IECMHC, Lisa and others contributing to our efforts to articulate the unique contribution that MHC can make in reducing implicit bias

42. What is ECMHC?
Teams mental health professionals with people who work with young children and their families to improve their social, emotional and behavioral health and development.
Builds the capacity of providers and families to understand the powerful influence of their relationships and interactions on young children’s development.
Consultants conduct observations, facilitate screening and develop individualized strategies to identification of children with and at risk for mental health challenges as early as possible.
Multi-level preventive intervention implemented in early childhood settings (most data in ECE, but growing evidence base in HV)
Children’s well-being is improved and mental health problems are prevented and/or reduced as a result of the Consultant’s partnership with adults in children’s lives.
Increased reflective capacity, be voice for the child, address staff mental health and conlfict
Infant/Child/Family Focused Consultation
Provider and Teacher Focused Consultation
Program Focused Consultation
System and Community Focused Consultation

43. Access to Support Associated with Decreased Expulsion Rates
With on-site versus on-call access almost cuts the rates of expulsion in half! Why?
Gilliam, WS (2005). Prekindergarteners left behind: Expulsion Rates in state prekindergarten programs. FCD Policy Brief, Series No. 3. 45

44. Essential Components of Mental Health Consultation
Mechanisms of Change
Essential Components of Mental Health Consultation
Reduced Expulsions ?
Essential components of ECMHC were articulated in a book by Kadija Johnston and Charles Brinamen (2006): referred to as the consultative stance.
There are 10 elements that describe how a mental health professional engages in the work with the consultee, in this case ECE providers and families of young children.
Highlight a few of these that we believe may be causally related to the reductions in expulsions that we saw in Walter’s study and continue to see across the last 10 years of research and evaluation in this area.

45. Theory of Change Mental Health Consultant Partners with ECE Providers
Changes in Providers’ Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviors
Reduced Implicit Bias  Expulsions
IECMHC Builds Capacity of ECE Providers
Increased Knowledge & Skills
Increased Reflective Functioning
Mental Health Consultant Partners with ECE Providers
Forms Alliances
Builds Trust
MHC adopt a stance of curiosity “wondering and not knowing” along with that they “avoid the position of expert” this allows them to use their therapeutic skills to developing trusting relationships with the ECE providers (and parents, when working on behalf of an identified child). This partnership creates a safe space for teachers to do some self discovery about their feelings and thoughts about a child at risk for expulsion
By asking reflective questions and by cultivating a deeper appreciation for the teachers’ thoughts and feelings, past experiences and current life circumstances, the MHC is helping to model “understanding another’s subjective experience” and also “hearing and representing all voices” including the child and his/her family
A key part of MHC is the “parallel process”

46. How does it work?
Research on “debiasing” supports IEMCHC mechanisms of change:
Self-discovery in a non-threatening environment
Increased perspective taking
Individuation versus categorization
Self-regulation
Increased empathy
Burgess, et al, 2007; Devine, et al., 2012; State of the Science: Implicit Bias Review 2015
“Debiasing: construction of new mental associations requires “intention attention and time” Devine (1989)
breaking the habit analysis of prejudice reduction: first need to be aware of biases, 2nd be concerned about the consequences
Learning about the contexts that activate bias and how to replace biased responses
Requires repeated practicing and training
Not repressing, which can actually amplify biases
MHC=non threatening environment where teacher can explore their feelings and uncover implicit biases
Understanding another’s subjective experience is key to increasing perspective taking
Individuation=focus on the individual attributes of a particular person (in this case the child and/or family) rather than categorization (Burgess et al, 2007) social cognitive psychology
Self-regulation increased by “slowing down” being more mindful about how the teacher is in the work
This cultivates increased empathy for the child reducing the impact of implicit bias

47. Future directions for the Center of Excellence for IECMHC
Publish Toolbox with Equity as a central focus
Disseminate strategies for making implicit bias a focal point for training and supervision for mental health consultants
Develop tools for IECMHC programs to articulate an equity agenda
Lots of work still to be done.
Many people mentioned the intersection of this work with the work that the Harris Foundation has been sponsoring on the Diversity Informed Tenets of Infant Mental Health. Website:
Imhdivtenets.org
Everyone mentioned the need to explicitly train MHC (and the work that Rosemarie has been doing will contribute so much to this work) as well as develop training for the MHC supervisors.
Not in abstract but in very concrete terms
The BUILD initiative has also done a lot of work on racial equity, and have some excellent resources on their website
Follow up with a Delphi process to expand and develop some consensus on this preliminary work
Many of us are excited by the work that Walter (and Shantel if she were here) talked about, and now we will want to see how best to support teachers as states begin to implement new policies prohibiting expulsions. Much more needs to be done to ensure that states are tracking data and outcomes in a way that we can ensure that systems are more equitable and there is greater transparency and accountability.
We should not have to wait another 10 years for the next OCR report to see that we have not made enough progress in this area…

48. For more information contact:
Deborah F. Perry, PhD
Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation