Reforming Discipline in Oklahoma City Public Schools: Changing the Mindset and Changing the Outcomes

The OKCPS strategic plan, the Great Commitment, was approved in June 2015 but arose from a long process of community engagement and planning.

One of the four pillars of the Great Commitment is ‘Safe Climate and Strong Relationships with Families & Community’.

The discipline reform work in OKCPS aligns with this strategic pillar of the overall OKCPS agenda. Goals for this pillar include

1. Provide training and revise policies to support safe and respectful environments and equitable enforcement of disciplinary procedures;
2. Create a safe climate that celebrates diversity and fosters culturally inclusive practices among all staff;
3. Provide ongoing training and two-way communication to parents, families, and community.

Chief of Staff Rebecca Kaye on how the Great Commitment aligns with this work, “the Great Commitment, which bubbled up from our community, talks a lot about cultural inclusiveness. There has been a lot of attention in working with our staff to develop cultural competence and culturally relevant teaching practice.”

OKCPS implemented a series of strategies to change the culture, policies and practices for student discipline to meet these goals.

Chuck Tompkins on where that starts, “the number one strategy, the number one priority is trying to change adult behavior. We cannot, as a district, change student behavior unless our own adult behavior is aligned with good educational practices.”

Another important mindset shift was examining the relationship between behaviors and consequences. If a child was truant or skipped a day of school, they might be suspended for three additional days. “What’s the logic in that? Other than the logic which the student certainly understands which is ‘I might get four days off if I skip one'", said Dr. Bell.

OKCPS has made a strong commitment to PBIS implementation.

PBIS in OKCPS started with school-wide expectations and a focus on consistency. School were also required to form a school climate committee to perform two key tasks:

1. Examining Discipline Data
2. Devising/Refining Whole School PBIS Strategies at the Building-Level

OKCPS set about altering the Code of Conduct.

In part, the work involved reducing consequences for some offenses, but more than that, it centered on using the code consistently and in a progressive nature rather than reaching for the most severe punishment ‘allowable’ under the code.

OKCPS developed an 10 day alternative-to-suspension program.

This program incorporates a Charter School partner and provides alternative placement to keep students academically engaged and on-track. The program also includes a social skill building and decision-making curriculum.

Another strategy includes deeper community involvement and inter-agency cooperation.

Superintendent Lora on the need to be strategic in supporting students and their families, “as we are getting deeper into PBIS implementation, for next year – even though we face another $10 million in cuts – we are committed to investing more in health supports and wrap-around service supports. We’ve learned that schools cannot do this alone. A lot of our kids come to us having experienced trauma or have undiagnosed mental health issues. We think this is something we can address more effectively”.

For example, the OKCPS response to minor drug offenses has changed and includes a mandatory counseling component.

Chuck Tompkins on cooperation, “in OKC we have a systems of care referral which deals with the major providers in our area and connects students to counseling – not just for the student but for whatever the family may be in need of – which has been excellent for us.”

Oklahoma City’s system-wide commitment to alternatives to OSS and expulsion are paying dividends.

Engaging community partners and sharing accountability has allowed for greater sustainability and coordination.

Mindset shift and change in processes are changing outcomes.

OKCPS has, to date, seen a 26% decrease in overall suspensions from 2016, down almost 30% from the 2015 school year.

Long-term suspensions are down 48% from 2016 and down 62% from 2015.

The biggest outcome shows that OKCPS students have logged 11,471 more school days with their teachers.

The number one goal is for this work to impact academic success and the best strategy for student success is to ensure students are in-school to receive great classroom instruction.

The interventions are changing behaviors and the policy changes are getting results.

The next steps in OKCPS include continuing to use data to drive decision making and to continue to link and align interventions, supports, discipline and academic success.

OKCPS is continuing critical conversations with building and instructional staff about behavior issues impacting academic success and a lack of academic success impacting behavioral issues.

Chuck Tompkins on what’s next, “We see PBIS as transitional. We’re making a change. What would be transformational though, is to get to restorative practices. That’s where we get to student behavior. Once we have traction on adult behavior and can add restorative practices, then students start taking ownership of their behavior to a higher degree.”

Reforming school discipline is about more than changing codes of conduct and finding alternatives to OSS. Reforming school discipline and school climate are about better serving the needs of the whole child and supporting students and families before, during, and after behavior problems surface.

All of the stakeholders in school systems – district staff, principals, teachers, support staff, students, and their families – deserve the tools, resources, and supports to be successful. The challenge that OKCPS has taken on successfully is how to find cost-effective ways to provide those supports and how to align and strategically coordinate those tools and supports around strategic goals, data, and new programs.

Superintendent Lora on why this work in OKCPS is so necessary:

“We were really forthcoming with the outcomes of the current year data to show that obviously we need changes and we need to do a culture shift in this district. For me, part of it is, we have to change mindsets around our role as educators and our obligation to meet kids where they are. We have to figure out ways to engage them and keep kids in the system rather than push them out if we want to be successful as educators, as a school system and as a community.”

OKCPS has challenges similar to many urban districts: high levels of poverty, budget shortfalls, and achievement gaps. But with a small budgetary allocation and a great deal of challenging and intensive work, OKCPS is making a difference for their children.

More than eleven-thousand more student days with their classroom teacher tells its own story.

Oklahoma City Public Schools has taken on the challenge of school discipline reform, enhancing student supports and addressing bias and disproportionality and your school district can too.