Why is classroom management important?

Effective classroom management:

 Establishes and sustains an orderly environment in the classroom.
 Increases meaningful academic learning and facilitates social and emotional growth.
 Decreases negative behaviors and increases time spent academically engaged.
Although effective classroom management produces a variety of positive outcomes for
students, according to a 2006 survey of pre-K through grade 12 teachers conducted by
APA, teachers report a lack of support in implementing classroom management
strategies. Chaotic classroom environments are a large issue for teachers and can
contribute to high teacher stress and burnout rates. Therefore, it is important to use
effective classroom management strategies at the universal level in a tiered model, as
they serve as both prevention and intervention methods that promote positive outcomes
for students.

Why classroom management works

Effective classroom management
Classroom management systems are effective because they increase student success
by creating an orderly learning environment that enhances students' academic skills and
competencies, as well as their social and emotional development. Classroom
management systems are most effective when they adhere to three basic principles
(Brophy, 2006, pp. 39-40):
1. Emphasize student expectations for behavior and learning.
2. Promote active learning and student involvement.
3. Identify important student behaviors for success. More specifically:
a. What behaviors are required to reach the goals of learning activities?
b. What implications does a particular learning activity have for student roles?
c. How will the teacher prepare students to take on these roles?
School Wide Implementation
Teachers concerned with classroom management typically need help with two issues:
1. Preventing discipline problems.
2. Dealing with current discipline problems.
To address these concerns, researchers have established several systems such
as positive behavior support (PBS) (Crone & Horner, 2003; Crone, Horner, &
Hawken, 2010) and social and emotional learning (SEL), (Weissberg, Kumpfer, &
Seligman, 2003).

Positive behavior support

Positive behavior support (PBS) is typically set up as a multilevel model of
intervention and involves a school-wide structure of support for teachers that adopt
evidence-based programs (Freiberg & Lapointe, 2006), and small group and
individualized programs for students who do not respond to the school-wide structure
and need more support (Robinson & Griesemer, 2006). At the school wide level,
 teachers and staff create a positive school culture by clearly defining positive
expectations that are taught to all students and adults (Bradshaw, 2014).
An example of a system of PBS as a tiered model might look like the following:
Tier 1: universal level
 The school establishes expectations for behavior.
 Ensure that students, staff and families understand these expectations; schools
operationalize positive behaviors and teach them to students.
 Teachers have pro-social contacts with students and model expected behaviors.
 Teachers receive formal training in behavior management.
 The school establishes a school-wide leadership team to support the PBS activities.
 The school implements a methodical system of recording student behavior to facilitate
decision-making regarding potential intervention or other responses.
Tier 2: secondary level of intervention
 An evidence-based program such as First Steps to Success (Walker, Stiller, Bolly,
Kavanagh, Steverson, & Feil, 1997) can be implemented with groups of students in
need of this level of support.
Tier 3: tertiary level
 Individualized evidence-based programs are implemented for students not responding
to the second tier based on results of behavior data and analysis of their behavior. Most
classroom teachers have not been trained in functional assessment or analysis of
behavior, so it is important that they consult with their colleagues (e.g., school
psychologists, special education teachers) who have expertise in this area.

Tier 1: universal instruction and intervention

Approximately 80-85 percent of students will be able to meet classroom behavior
expectations when given high-quality, universal instruction/intervention on behavior.
Explicitly teach students classroom expectations and routines
Teachers should not assume that students know the appropriate and expected
classroom behaviors. Instead, teachers should make it a priority to help their students
understand what appropriate classroom behaviors are and make this information
explicit.
 Spend extra time teaching expectations at the beginning of the school year; this plan
will help students get into the practice of following rules right from the start.
 Reteach your goals throughout the year, and make sure your students are familiar with
these goals. It could be helpful to display them in your classroom.
 Make your classroom goals easy to understand and measurable (e.g., if your goal is to
"be respectful" make sure your students know what that means. Provide them examples
of respectful behaviors that you expect from them).
 Generally, do not exceed five expectations at a time; too many expectations will cause
students to forget directions.
 Adapt behavior expectations based on context such as group size or setting.
Reward positive behaviors
 Student praise is one of the most effective ways of increasing positive behavior. Giving
behavior-specific praise that identifies what the student has done correctly is a powerful
strategy for increasing good behavior.
 Assess what rewards are reinforcing for your students: do they appreciate teacher
attention or prefer small prizes? Rewards only work if the student finds them reinforcing,
so rewards may need to be tailored for individual students.
Develop a curriculum that facilitates student engagement
 Ensure that the difficulty level of the instructional materials is appropriate for the
students. Instructional materials that are too easy or too difficult can result in off-task
behavior.
 Create opportunities for student choice in materials studied. Student choice allows for
greater ownership of academic experience. (see module on autonomous learners)
 Incorporate student interest into the curriculum, causing the students to become more
invested in what they are learning (Kern & Clemens, 2007).
What if a student isn't responding to instruction or intervention?
If a student isn't responding to universal instruction/intervention with classroom
appropriate behavior, they may need a stronger or customized intervention.
Implementing intensive socio-emotional interventions for students with behavior
difficulties is an effective means of enhancing classroom management because socio-
emotional interventions can equip students with the competencies, skills and motivation
they need to behave appropriately in school.

Tier 2: smaller group instruction

Typically an additional 10-15 percent of students need more behavior support than is
provided at the Universal level. Tier 2 support typically involves small group instruction.
Institute socio-emotional groups
Small group instruction can be established for students who need to focus on specific
skills to improve and manage their classroom behavior. Topics for these groups may
include:
a. Self-management
b. Anger management
c. Conflict resolution
d. Specialized social skill instruction
e. Mentoring programs
Institute daily check-in and check-out procedures:
Check-in and check-out procedures allow for monitoring of students' behavior as well as
provide feedback for improvement. Criteria for monitoring are based on school behavior
expectations.
Develop brief functional behavior assessments to determine the motivation
behind student behaviors.
Consult with colleagues trained in functional behavior assessment to collect data on
students' behavior and offer analyses of potential interventions that are most
appropriate and effective for specific needs.
Involve families in supporting children in group interventions
 Inform families of problem-solving plans at school and engage in consistent
communication to ensure effectiveness of plans.

Tier 3: individual intervention

An additional 5-7 percent of students may need continued support beyond Tier 2
interventions. These students typically benefit from individualized, intensive
interventions.
A problem-solving team in the school can offer support to the teacher
Problem-solving teams composed of teachers, school psychologists, principals and
special educators should meet regularly to collaborate on appropriate interventions for
students needing increased support.
Develop and implement function-based interventions for individual
students
Functional behavior assessments are effective means of determining the purpose of
student misbehavior and creating appropriate interventions (Scott et al., 2005).

Social and emotional learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is affiliated with the Collaborative for Academic,
Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) (Weissberg, Kumper, & Seligman, 2003). SEL
programs provide instruction at the universal level and are designed to teach social and
emotional competencies to students to enhance their success in school and in life
(Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnikci, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). According to CASEL,
effective SEL instruction includes opportunities to practice skills, coordination with
school and community environments, systematic and sequential programming
throughout grade levels, and continuous monitoring of programming.
Recommendations for teachers
1. Do not use vague rules.
2. Do not have rules that you are unwilling to enforce.
3. Do not ignore student behaviors that violate school or classroom rules (they will not go
away).
4. Do not engage in ambiguous or inconsistent treatment of misbehavior.
5. Do not use overly harsh or embarrassing punishments or punishments delivered without
accompanying support.
6. Do not use corporal punishment.
7. Avoid out-of-school suspension whenever possible (APA Task Force on Zero Tolerance
report).
8. Do not try to solve problems alone if you have serious concerns about a student. Refer
to your school psychologist or special education professional.

Developmental differences
 Classroom management in high schools
Although positive behavior support systems are producing strong results for increased
pro-social behaviors and decreased negative results in elementary schools, these
systems are less often implemented in high schools.
Sometimes, high schools have tried to resolve behavioral issues by:
 Repeating and restating consequences.
 Increasing the averseness of consequences.
 Establishing a bottom line or zero tolerance level policies.
 Excluding students from the "privilege" of attending school through out-of-school
suspensions and expulsions.
 Offering alternative ways of completing the high school experience someplace else
(e.g., alternative school, community college) (Sugai & Horner, 2002).
These frequently enforced consequences:
 May lead to overly controlling environments.
 Could trigger and reinforce antisocial behavior.
 Can shift accountability and educational responsibility away from the school.
 Can devalue student-teacher relationships.
 Might weaken the link between academic and social behavior (Sugai & Horner, 2002;
American Psychological Association [APA] Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008).
When implemented in high schools, prevention-based classroom management systems:
 Create and promote a positive school climate.
 Enhance student commitment to school.
 Teach and reward individual student social skills.
 Disrupt and monitor antisocial behaviors and interactions.
Effective high school classroom management adjustments
Due to developmental differences between elementary and high school students,
adaptations to classroom management strategies must be made. The following are
some examples:
 Allow students to be involved in the development and implementation of goals. Students
will be increasingly engaged in classroom management strategies if you give
them collaborative responsibility in the creation and implementation of expectations.
 Teach behavior expectations as you do in elementary school; do not assume that high
school students understand social expectations.
 Remember: not all high school students are motivated by academic success or social
success. Have students individually assist in identifying what they would find reinforcing.

Do certain classroom management systems cause problems or have

unanticipated effects?
Classroom management systems may cause problematic consequences when
administered incorrectly. Mistakes made in classroom management (e.g., reinforcing
disruptive behavior by attending only to the inappropriate behavior and not appropriate
behavior) can lead to loss of respect and cooperation on the part of students, increased
misbehavior, and students' perception that the teacher is not in control of the classroom.
Do classroom management systems work for all students?
 When applied correctly, effective classroom management principles can work across all
subject areas and all developmental levels (Brophy, 2006). They can be expected to
promote students' self-regulation, reduce the incidence of misbehavior, and increase
student productivity.
What criteria should be applied to evaluate classroom management
systems?
Classroom management systems should be evaluated by their ability to promote self-
regulation of behavior, reduce the incidence of misbehavior and maximize student
productivity. In tiered models like positive behavior support, established progress-
monitoring systems help make decisions about the level of support that a student
needs.
How should a student management system be set up?
The best model for establishing an individual, classroom, or school-wide system of
managing student behavior is a tiered approach. Such an approach involves primary,
secondary and tertiary levels of managing student behavior problems.
When should classroom management systems be started?
Research suggests that beginning-of-the-year activities are extremely important for
effective classroom management systems. Within the first few days and weeks of the
start of a school year an effective classroom management system should be fully in
place. However, an individual program for disruptive behavior can be established at any
time.
How long should classroom management systems remain in place?
Classroom management systems should be established at the beginning of the year so
that expectations for students are in place early in the semester. Once they are
established, classroom management systems should be applied throughout the year
and across the grades so that students receive constant and consistent messages
about classroom expectations, rules and procedures. This strategy will ensure positive
student behavior is supported and reinforced throughout the year.
Why are classroom management systems effective in managing student
behavior and learning?
Research indicates that classroom management systems are effective in managing
student behavior and learning because they sustain an orderly learning environment for
students, enhance students' academic skills and competencies, and further social and
emotional development.
Where can I get more information?
 “The Handbook of Classroom Management” (2nd ed.) edited by Emmer and Sabornie
and published by Routledge in 2015 is a major resource in the field. This volume
provides a comprehensive overview of issues surrounding classroom management
research and practice.
 Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (2008) is another
useful resource, produced by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education
Sciences.
Who can I contact in my school for assistance?
If you work in a public school, your school psychologist is the best person to contact.
He/she has training in classroom management procedures and evidence-based
programs and can help you implement a tiered model of services. You can also contact
your school counselor and building principal for assistance.

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