Latino Parents’ Perspectives on Positive Behavioral Supports in the Schools

1. Latino Parents’ Perspectives on Positive Behavioral Supports in the Schools Alicia Hoerner, Ph.D. Christian Sabey, M.S. Brandon Segura, Ph.D. Utah MTSS & Effective Practices Conference June 12-13, 2013 Layton, Utah

2. Purpose

3. Purpose of Presentation • Discuss the results of a study which explored Latino parents’ perspectives and agreement with positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) principles as they relate to behavior management in elementary schools. • Outline the convergences and divergences between Latino parents’ perspectives on behavior management and PBIS principles and practices. • Identify cultural barriers that may limit the effectiveness of PBIS with Latino families. • Present strategies for collaborating with Latino parents to improve the effectiveness of PBIS in schools.

4. Hispanic or Latino? • By the year 2050, Latinos will comprise nearly 30% of the U.S. population (Passel & Cohn, 2008), • Although the terms Hispanic and Latino are typically used interchangeably, for a certain segment of the Spanish-speaking population, the term Latino signifies “ethnic pride” while Hispanic is seen as an imposition of the Anglo establishment (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000) • For purposes of the present study, the term Latino will be used over Hispanic to signify Latino fathers and mothers who reside in the U.S., are of Spanish ancestry, and speak Spanish as their first language.

5. Latino Parents and Behavior • Review of the literature suggests that Latino parenting practices are heterogeneous and not necessarily congruent with the principles of PBIS. • Some Latino parents may perceive the use of positive reinforcement as leading to the loss of their children’s respect (Garrison, Roy, & Azar, 1999) • Latina mothers of preschool children described praise and social rewards as acceptable but objected to the elimination of spanking from their repertoire of parenting practices (Calzada, Basil, and Fernandez (2012) • Educated Latino parents may talk to their children and also use corporal punishment whereas less educated parents may resort only to physical punishment(Fontes, 2002)

6. Latino Students and Behavior • Despite its encouraging evidence-based outcomes, it remains to be shown empirically whether PBIS framework is in fact helpful among those of linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds (Kamps & Greenwood, 2005; OSEP on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, 2004) • Latino students continue to be disproportionately represented in discipline outcomes even in schools implementing PBIS (Kaufman et al. 2010; Skiba et al., 2011; Vincent, Swain-Bradway, Tobin, & May, 2011) • Available SWPBS studies typically average data across entire student populations and do not disaggregate results by racial or ethnic background (Vincent et al., 2011) • There is need for more culturally sensitive research addressing preferred behavior management practices of Latino parents and their acceptability of common school based practices such as PBIS

7. Latino Parents, Students, and PBIS • Since PBIS emphasizes the systematic teaching and timely reinforcement of appropriate behaviors rather than a focus on punishing inappropriate behaviors, it is possible that it may represent a divergence from Latino parents’ preferred strategies for behavior management. • There is a continued interest for culturally responsive PBIS implementation (Sugai et al., 2010; Wang, 2007) • the foundational principles and values of PBIS may be understood differently or be perceived as unacceptable by families from other cultures (Cheremshynski, Lucyshyn, Olson, 2012; Wang, 2007). • future studies need to address preferred behavior management practices of Latino parents and their acceptability of common school based practices such as PBIS

8. La letra con sangre entraGoya (circa 1780)

9. National Level • IDEA • OSEP Technical Assistance Center • State Level • Least Restrictive Behavioral Interventions Manual • USOE Board Rule (R277-609-3) • District Level • School Improvement Plans • Establish • Teach • Reinforce • Correct

10. What is PBIS? Prevention Establish Expectations Teach Expectations Reinforce Expectations Correct Behavior Errors

11. Participants

12. 64 Latino Parents • Spanish speakers • Children in elementary school

13. Nation of Origin

14. Education

15. 8 Schools • Greater Salt Lake City Area • 7 Title 1 Schools

16. Ethnic/Racial Makeup of Schools

17. Linguistic Makeup of Schools

18. Socioeconomic Make up of Schools

19. Measure

20. Latino Parents Perspectives Survey • 25 multiple-choice questions • Establish • Teach • Reinforce • Correct • Prevent • 8 open-ended questions • Vignettes • Reactions • Anonymous • Translation challenges (“castigo” vs “punishment”)

21. Data Collection • Procedures • Face-to-face interview (25 minutes approx.) or completed independently • Descriptive statistics • Demographic characteristics • Frequency and proportions of responses • Vignettes were reviewed and coded into frequently occurring themes • Themes that occurred in more than10% of responses were included

22. Results

23. Establish Expectations Prevention Establish Expectations Teach Expectations Reinforce Expectations Correct Behavior Errors

24. 4 Questions • The importance of establishing expectations • How to establish expectations • Consistency of expectations

26. Observations • The most endorsed PBIS concept • Highly endorsed • Consistent expectations • Demonstrating the expectations • Parent input

27. Teach Expectations Prevention Establish Expectations Teach Expectations Reinforce Expectations Correct Behavior Errors

28. 4 Questions • Who should teach expectations • How often should they be taught or reviewed • When should the expectations be taught

29. Teach Expectations

30. Observations • 70% of parents expressed the idea that parents are at least partially responsible to teach the school’s expectations • Almost ½ of parents endorsed the idea that appropriate behavior should be taught daily • 40% of parents endorsed the idea that behavior does not need to be addressed until after it occurs

31. Reinforce/Correct Expectations Prevention Establish Expectations Teach Expectations Reinforce Expectations Correct Behavior Errors

32. Reinforce Expectations

33. Correct Behaviors

34. Results: Reinforce and Correct

35. Results: Reinforce

36. Results: Correct

37. Results: Correct

38. Prevent Prevention Establish Expectations Teach Expectations Reinforce Expectations Correct Behavior Errors

39. Prevention • Questions addressed the idea behind a • preventative vs. a reactive approach to changing behavior. • Addressing behavior before or after it occurs • Changing of the environment vs. the student changing

40. Prevention • 61% of the responses on prevention questions were convergent with PBIS approach (e.g. teaching replacement behaviors or reinforcement of positive behaviors)

41. Prevention • Divergences • Less of a behavioral perspective (1/3 endorsed environmental change) • Internal processes need to be addressed • Convergences • Need for consistency of intervention with the teaching of replacement behaviors • Parents endorsed the idea of preventing misbehavior from happening before it happens, but they often did not endorse specific practices that would prevent misbehavior

42. Vignette Themes

43. Results: Themes from vignettes • Dealing with aggressive behavior or inappropriate behavior • “dialogue” with both students involved • Find out “why” • Explain why aggression is inappropriate, then apply consequences • Talk to parents in private, avoid shaming students • Use “punishment” • consequences such as removing favored items or activities • Suspension is not aversive as “kids like to stay home”

44. Results: Themes from vignettes • Use of rewards • “Ok but not use candy”; “use certificates for highlighting good effort and good grades” • Do not reward all the time or “student will only behave when rewarded” • Reward with praise • Rewards are good if used to build motivation and enhance self-esteem • Desire that justice be served • “teachers ignore misbehavior”; “they are not strict enough”

45. Barriers

46. Unfamiliarity with behavior management strategies needed to establish and maintain appropriate behavior, specifically: • Antecedent control • Environmental manipulation • Only 1/3 of respondents endorsed it as an effective strategy • Belief that talking -> understanding -> change • Misbehavior perceived as a skill deficit? • Belief in the power of punishment and reactive strategies (e.g., behavior only needs to be addressed when there is a problem) • Language differences, which may contribute to the lack of communication between school and home that many parents reported

47. Strategies

48. Have an effective culture broker • Increase parental awareness of the effectiveness of behavior management strategies specifically, antecedent control and environmental manipulation. • Misconceptions related to reinforcement • As suggested by Fontes (2002), discussing with parents the way their preferred approaches for dealing with behavior “are and are not working” may prepare the way for presenting alternative approaches such as the principles of PBIS • Improve the quality of the communication between schools and parents so that it is bilateral. • Utilize existing avenues of parent involvement to increase and improve communication and parent knowledge of management strategies etc.

49. Conclusions

50. Encouraging results • Latino parents moderately endorsed PBIS principles and practices (between 61% and 91%) • Parents expressed a desire to be involved in improving behavior management practices in the schools • Anecdotally, Latino parents were excited to provide input into the behavior management strategies