When asked about the outcomes of their district wide Time To Teach Training Lynn DiPietropolo shared, “Our referrals to the office have decreased. This data includes the total number of referrals that were given to administration that resulted in an administrative consequence. The number of referrals has decreased by 46%.”
I recently had the opportunity to attend the Time To Teach! Differentiated Instruction training course by the Center for Teacher Effectiveness. I am the Senior Training Advisor for the Crisis Prevention Institute, CPI. I teach adults in both curricula on a weekly basis in our “Train-the Trainer” courses all across the US and Canada. Since my Differentiated Instruction training by the Center for Teacher Effectiveness, I have begun to incorporate a greater array of activities and strategies in my courses for a range of adult learning styles, such as Randomization, Story Telling, Concentric Circles and Entry/Exit Tickets. Not only do these DI strategies help promote engagement of students in school classrooms, they are very effective with adult learners. If you teach at the University level, or conduct corporate trainings and presentations like I do, you know how sometimes we can encounter adults who are less than thrilled to be there. Believe me, Differentiated Instruction works for adults too.
When hired to be the Superintendent of Platte County Schools Dr. Steve Miller was asked about effective discipline, he talked about working in an urban school and discovering the merits of the, “Time To Teach program.” It concentrates on classroom behavior guidelines. “It changed my teaching career. I was ready to give up. The program eliminates escalation, nips it in the bud,” explained Miller. “We can get something in place as a district to eliminate those behaviors.”
“I have seen some of my students move up from Special Education and Title Programs to achieve at grade level performance. My referrals have been eliminated. Students that were never able to do so before are now meeting benchmark standards and making dramatic gains in reading and writing fluency. After 19 years as an educator, I finally have time to teach with care and compassion.”
“Pioneer Continuation High School has our district’s highest number of at-risk 11th and 12th grade students. Using the seminar blueprint, we saw school suspensions drop from 39% to 18% over a three year period, in-house suspensions cut in half, and significant increases in passing rates on the California High School Exit Exam and other student achievement measures. Overall, the school has experienced a positive, systemic cultural change.”
“At Lompoc Valley Middle School, the referral numbers for class disruption were reduced by 62% using the seminar strategies, and Lompoc High School’s referral numbers were lower than those of the rival high school for the first time ever.”
“Lawton Public Schools is a lower socioeconomic school district in Oklahoma that services 17,000 Pre-K through 12th grade students; over half of which are minority. Twenty-nine of our thirty-five schools were trained using these strategies, affecting more than 11,000 children. Following training, we experienced a 16% decrease in suspensions and office referrals, and a dramatic decrease in pupil enrollment for Behavior Intervention and Behavior Disorder classes. We have also seen a 9% increase in test scores and none of our schools are on the school improvement list for No Child Left Behind.”
“During my first two years as principal of Clark Street Elementary School, we experienced over 300 office referrals and over 150 out-of-school suspensions! This year we fully implemented the seminar strategies and so far we have only had two office referrals in six weeks!”
“The number of student referrals in our middle school has dropped 30% on average, every year over the past three years. It is because of the strategies shared with me that I can say with pride, “Every day I teach!”
“The training provided a discipline system that sets predetermined boundaries with a positive approach. Students are accountable for their actions. It is built on a mutual respect for the teacher and student that ensures that teachers can teach and students can learn. It creates a positive classroom environment.”
