OBM Strategies for Schools: A Behavior Analyst’s Roadmap to Success
When I stepped into a classroom as a behavior consultant, educators often half-joked about me having a magic wand to fix student behaviors. But let’s be real, if such a wand existed, it would be a godsend. Behavior challenges in a classroom are exhausting, draining the energy right out of even the most dedicated teachers.
As you are well aware, there’s no magic wand. After 25 years working across education, I’ve learned this valuable truth: Real change in student behavior almost always comes down to changing how educators behave. As behavior analysts, we’re trained in the science of behavior, but often, we’re not equipped with the right tools for effective consultation. This gap can lead to misunderstandings and resistance, and I’ve felt this firsthand. Early in my career, I was banned from a classroom, a tough lesson that it’s not just about your intention, but your impact that counts.
So, what’s needed? Skills grounded in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM). From an OBM perspective, student behavior is the end product. All those behavior plans we develop — whether for individual students, classrooms, or entire schools — they’re really for the adults. Unfortunately, most teachers and schools haven’t been trained in behavior or classroom management. This is ironic given that so many are leaving the field, a major reason for which is behavioral challenges. They work hard, and they deserve to have the tools to create an optimal environment that also makes their job easier. So it’s really about getting the educators’ practices right, because when they’re happy and at their best, the students follow suit. This approach isn’t just for one classroom or one teacher; it’s about scaling up, impacting the entire school, even the district.
The bottom line is, as behavior consultants, we need to shift our focus. It’s less about directly changing student behavior and more about empowering educators with the right strategies and supporting improvement if we are looking for long-lasting behavior. That’s where real, sustainable change happens, and there’s nothing magical about it — it’s just a good, solid behavior analysis applied in a practical, impactful way.
The Contrast of Approaches
Classroom-Level Consulting Gone Wrong
Imagine a scenario where a behavior analyst, Sarah, is assigned to Greenfield Elementary School. Her approach, grounded in traditional, observation-centric methods, starkly contrasts with the more collaborative and engaging strategies of other consultants who armed with a behavioral toolbox grounded in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM).
Sarah steps into Mr. Anderson’s classroom with the intent to collect data and observe behaviors. She maintains a professional distance, clipboard in hand, meticulously noting down everything she sees. This method, while thorough in data collection, lacks any effort to build a rapport with Mr. Anderson or engage with the students. Her presence, meant to be unobtrusive, instead becomes a source of discomfort and skepticism.
In these crucial early days, where assessing the environment and establishing relationships are key, Sarah’s interactions are limited and transactional. She asks minimal questions about Mr. Anderson’s teaching experiences or the challenges he faces, creating a dynamic more akin to an audit than support. Mr. Anderson, feeling under scrutiny, continues with his usual teaching methods, inadvertently maintaining the status quo of student behaviors that are disruptive to the classroom dynamics.
As weeks go by, Sarah, having compiled her observations, unilaterally devises a behavioral plan for the classroom. This plan, while theoretically sound, is delivered to Mr. Anderson with the expectation of straightforward implementation. However, the critical step of involving Mr. Anderson in the planning process is overlooked, leaving him disconnected from and uninvested in the strategies proposed.
Training and coaching, which are vital for the successful implementation of any new strategy, are conspicuously absent. Mr. Anderson, handed a plan without any practical guidance or support, struggles to integrate these new strategies into his classroom routine. The lack of coaching and follow-through leaves him to grapple with the plan alone, leading to inconsistent application and limited impact.
Furthermore, Sarah does not engage in a follow-up evaluation with Mr. Anderson. There are no meetings to discuss the effectiveness of the plan, no opportunities to adjust strategies based on feedback, and no moments to reflect on the progress made. This lack of evaluation further hinders the potential for any meaningful improvement in the classroom.
Word of Sarah’s approach soon spreads among the staff at Greenfield Elementary. Other teachers, hearing about Mr. Anderson’s experience, grow increasingly resistant to behavioral support, perceiving it as unhelpful and intrusive. This growing resistance catches the attention of the school’s leadership.
Eventually, Sarah finds herself called into a meeting with her department head, where she is informed that due to the dissatisfaction among the staff, the school leader has requested a new behavior analyst be assigned to support the school.
Classroom-Level Consulting Gone Right
John, a behavior consultant with a behavioral toolbox built on OBM, steps into Pine Grove School with a mission to assist Ms. Lopez, a teacher navigating challenges in her classroom. His approach is nuanced and empathetic, beginning with building a solid foundation of trust and understanding.
During their initial conversations, John dedicates time to truly understand Ms. Lopez’s experiences, preferences, and past strategies. This discussion is part of the ‘Assess’ process of his systematic approach, aimed at making Ms. Lopez an active participant in the change process. John’s listening and questioning skills not only help gather information but also establish a partnership based on mutual respect.
As their dialogue progresses, John collaboratively works with Ms. Lopez to create a practical plan. This step of ‘Involvement’ empowers her to contribute actively to the solution, ensuring the plan is tailored to the unique needs of her classroom. Together, they develop strategies that are both responsive and adaptable to their environment.
Transitioning into ‘Training,’ John adopts a hands-on approach, demonstrating effective classroom management techniques and encouraging Ms. Lopez to apply them. This training is both formal and in-vivo, providing real-time feedback and adaptation within the classroom setting.
In the ‘Coaching’ phase, John shifts his focus to help Ms. Lopez recognize the connection between her actions and the resulting positive changes in the classroom. He guides her to observe how her new strategies align with improved student behavior and other outcomes that she values. This phase is crucial for Ms. Lopez to see the direct impact of her actions, reinforcing her engagement with the new methods. John’s goal is to help her behaviors become aligned with these naturally occurring reinforcements, gradually leading to a point where his presence is no longer necessary, as the environmental contingencies themselves take over as the primary motivators and reinforcers.
The ‘Evaluation’ process is an ongoing and reflective practice. John and Ms. Lopez regularly review the effectiveness of their strategies, considering how student behavior has evolved and identifying any areas for further improvement. This evaluation is not just a measure of progress; it’s a tool for continuous learning and adaptation.
Through this comprehensive approach, John facilitates a transformation in Ms. Lopez’s classroom. She gains a deeper understanding of her own influence on the classroom dynamics and becomes more confident in her ability to foster a positive learning environment. The changes they implement together are not just temporary solutions but evolve into sustainable practices, supported by the natural reinforcement of improved student outcomes and a more fulfilling teaching experience.
Institutionalization: Embedding Sustainable Change
The shift in focus from direct student behavior change to empowering educators with effective strategies, as in the scenario above, is where the concept of institutionalization, as outlined in Sigurdsson & Austin’s (2006) becomes pivotal. Institutionalization isn’t just a buzzword; it’s about embedding sustainable change within the educational environment. In the context of our work as behavior consultants, it’s the next logical step after recognizing that real change hinges on how educators adapt and apply behavioral principles.
Institutionalization in educational settings involves several key components:
- Training and Involvement of In-House Staff: This goes beyond the superficial implementation of plans. It’s about deeply involving educators in the development and execution of interventions. They’re not just following a script; they’re co-authors of it.
- Implementation of the Intervention by Internal Staff: Here, the focus shifts from the consultant as the doer to the educators as the implementers. It’s about empowering teachers, school leaders and staff to take the reins, applying the strategies that have been collaboratively developed.
- Data Collection on Performance Measures: Institutionalization requires a shift in how data is perceived and used. It’s not just numbers on a page; it’s actionable insights. Educators are coached to understand and utilize this data to guide ongoing improvements in their approach.
- Dispensing Consequences: This is about understanding and effectively using consequences to reinforce desirable behaviors and discourage undesirable ones. It’s a skill that educators develop to manage faculty, staff, and student behavior proactively and positively. Of course, the goal here is to use the 4:1 model of positive-to-corrective interactions.
Connecting these components to our earlier scenario, it’s clear that the path to sustainable behavioral improvement in students lies through the educators. By focusing on training, involving, and empowering educators, we create an environment where positive changes are not just temporary fixes but become part of the school’s DNA. This is what institutionalization is all about – ensuring that the positive shifts we initiate and the strategies we introduce don’t fade away when we step out of the classroom or school. Instead, they become ingrained, self-sustaining parts of the educational ecosystem, leading to lasting positive outcomes for both educators and students.
The Behavioral Toolbox’s Consulting System
Developed through lessons learned across Anika Costa and my combined five decades of working in and across schools, the consulting system, when applied correctly, can bring about significant changes at various educational levels. It’s a multi-faceted approach that considers the unique challenges and needs of each environment, whether it be a single classroom or an entire school district. The system is comprised of the following five processes:
- Assessment: This is the cornerstone of the system, where the consultant identifies specific behavioral challenges and opportunities for growth. This requires the ability to zoom in and zoom out by looking at approaches through a molecular and molar lens by looking at both immediate contingencies of behavior and performance and the metacontingencies or system (e.g., classroom or school behavior management) as a whole.
- Involvement: Involving educators in the process is critical. It’s not about imposing changes but about collaborating to find solutions that work best for their specific context. If they author it, they are more likely to own it!
- Training: Whether it be training educators in the plan or required components of the plan, training is focused on equipping educators with the necessary skills and knowledge to implement the proposed strategies effectively.
- Coaching: This stage is about supporting educators as they apply their new skills, ensuring that the transition from theory to practice is smooth and effective.
- Evaluation: Continuous evaluation helps in understanding the impact of the interventions and making necessary adjustments for continuous improvement. This process should be agreed upon and established up front, with leading and lagging metrics identified upfront. These are akin to mile markers and state lines if you are traveling across the country. It lets you know if you are moving in the right direction and within a reasonable amount of time.
The Ripple Effect on Student Behavior
The important outcome of this approach to supporting the performance of educators is its direct impact on student behavior – now and later. In the exemplar scenario, as Ms. Lopez implements new strategies grounded in behavioral principles with John’s guidance, her students exhibit improved engagement and reduced disruptive behaviors. This change is a testament to the power of effective behavioral consultation in creating environments where both educators and students can thrive. Let’ take a look at this concept by zooming out to the school-level.
Institutionalization and the School-Level Dynamic
You must remember that, as a behavior analyst, you are armed with the greatest science in the world for making a positive change: not just with a student, but with a class, school, or even district. Addressing sustainable change within the educational environment, particularly when faced with widespread behavioral challenges, calls for a behavior analyst to adopt an organizational-level perspective. This approach involves zooming out to consider the entire school as a system, influencing behavioral change through school leaders, which then cascades down to teachers’ and students’ behavior. Remember that systems are made up of processes, processes are made up of tasks, and tasks are made up of behavior. It still comes back to behavior! As such, this is about disseminating the science of human behavior as evidenced by school leaders adopting approaches grounded in ABA. Let’s take a look at another example of behavioral consulting, but this time at the zoomed out school level.
Zooming Out – Behavioral Consulting at the School Level
At Greenfield Elementary, Sarah, a behavior analyst, embarks on her assignment with a clear focus on the initial stages of behavioral intervention: assessing, planning, and training. She expertly navigates these phases, demonstrating a deep understanding of antecedent strategies as pivotal tools in initiating behavioral change.
Sarah starts by conducting a thorough assessment of the school’s behavioral environment. Her approach is inclusive and collaborative, allowing her to build strong relationships with teachers like Mr. Anderson. She listens attentively to their experiences, identifying specific challenges and needs within their classrooms. This assessment phase sets the foundation for the subsequent steps, ensuring that the strategies developed are well-informed and tailored to the school’s unique dynamics.
Moving into the planning phase, Sarah involves the teachers in the creation of practical behavioral plans. These plans are not just theoretical constructs; they are actionable strategies designed to address the identified challenges. Sarah’s involvement of the teachers in this process ensures their buy-in and commitment to the strategies devised.
The training sessions conducted by Sarah are interactive and hands-on. She skillfully imparts both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for effective behavior management. Teachers, including Mr. Anderson, find these sessions highly beneficial, equipping them with new tools and techniques to enhance their classroom management.
However, the critical phase of coaching is where Sarah encounters a challenge. In the world of OBM, while antecedent strategies like assessing, planning, and training are essential to initiate behavior, the goal is to align educators’ behavior with naturally occurring reinforcement. This alignment is achieved through coaching, which needs to be a consistent and local element within the school environment.
Sarah’s weekly visits to Greenfield Elementary limit her ability to provide this vital ongoing coaching support. Teachers start implementing the new strategies, but without the guidance, feedback, and reinforcement that coaching provides, they struggle to fully integrate these techniques into their daily routines. When Sarah returns each week, she observes that the application of her recommendations is inconsistent.
Despite the success of her initial antecedent strategies with the teachers, the lack of ongoing coaching becomes apparent. The teachers are struggling. As a result, the school leaders are also pulled away from their focus on instructional leadership. Unfortunately, they must continue to deal with student removals from classes and all of the headaches that come with ineffective approaches like out-of-school suspensions that actually move them away from the valued outcomes of student achievement. This leads her to a pivotal realization: to ensure lasting change, she needs to develop a local coaching presence within the school.
Sarah understands that sustainable change isn’t just about what happens in the classrooms but also how it’s supported and reinforced at the leadership level. She decides to apply the Assess, Involve, Train, Coach, and Evaluate system with the school leaders, aiming to build their capacity to maintain and institutionalize the behavioral strategies school-wide; moreover, she wants to institutionalize her system of performance improvement grounded in OBM.
Assess: In the assessment phase, Sarah recognizes that her role as a behavioral analyst goes beyond the traditional three-term contingency; it’s a four-term contingency that requires careful navigation. She understands that she doesn’t possess the power to directly change school leadership behavior. Instead, she must engage in establishing operations that have a value and behavior-altering effect. In short, she must create a ‘want’ for the school leaders.
To accomplish this, Sarah, like her work with the students and teachers, places a strong emphasis on building relationships by aligning herself with the school leadership team’s pain points and values. She knows that this step is crucial to create a want for her support. By initially identifying a ‘quick win’ (Gavoni & Costa, 2023) that resonates with the leadership team — in this case, improving student behavior during arrival time — Sarah demonstrates her ability to adapt her approach based on their unique needs and preferences. This choice is not arbitrary; it reflects a deep understanding of their concerns and priorities. It’s a goal that showcases the immediate impact of behavioral strategies and creates a sense of achievement.
Involve: She involves the leadership in the planning process for this quick win. By working collaboratively, they develop a practical plan that aligns with the broader goals of the school and addresses their specific pain points. It also includes involving faculty, staff, and students as stakeholders as it relates to improving arrival time to gain buy-in.
Train: Sarah then trains the leadership team on how to train, support and reinforce the strategies being implemented. This includes very practical techniques for observing arrival dynamics, providing constructive feedback to teachers, and recognizing and reinforcing positive changes. In short, the leadership team is being trained in practical coaching procedures. She trains the school leadership team in these practical approaches associated with the plan, then supports them with training the faculty and staff in the behavior critical to success during arrival time.
Coach: Recognizing the constraints of her weekly visits, Sarah sets up mid-week virtual coaching sessions with the leadership team. During these 15 minutes sessions, they discuss the progress, address challenges, and refine their approach. This coaching ensures the leadership team can effectively guide their teachers and reinforce positive behaviors. In turn, the school leaders engage in refined and deliberate coaching during arrival time, and even share weekly data with the school that aligns their behavior with important results: decreases in office discipline referrals manifested by behavioral challenges.
Evaluate: Regular evaluations with the leadership team help assess the impact of their efforts. These evaluations not only focus on the success of the arrival time improvements but also on the overall behavioral environment of the school. In addition, the leadership team engages in regular evaluations with the faculty and staff during their weekly meetings by checking in and acting on their feedback.
The success of this approach becomes evident as the school begins to see improvements not just in arrival times but also in broader aspects of teacher morale, student behavior, and classroom management. School leaders have been empowered. In turn, they have empowered the faculty and staff. The leadership team, equipped with their behavioral toolbox, uses the techniques and insights gained from working with Sarah to drive other school initiatives. They apply the ‘coach the coach’ model to different areas, creating a ripple effect of positive change throughout the school.
Conclusion
In the realm of school behavior analysis, a well-structured system can be the key to unlocking consulting success. The five processes – Assess, Involve, Train, Coach, Evaluate – at the heart of this system, serve as the behavioral analyst’s roadmap to consulting excellence. These processes are designed not only to deliver positive reinforcement for value-added behavior but also to streamline and enhance the work of behavioral consultants. Grounded in the principles of Organizational Behavior Management and institutionalization, these systems empower educational settings to create environments where positive change is not only achievable but also sustainable. As good systems make the job of a behavioral consultant more manageable, they also facilitate the growth and improvement of individuals and organizations within the educational sector. For those eager to explore and implement such systems, thebehavioraltoolbox.com, developed by Anika Costa, Matt Cicoria, and me, provides a wealth of resources and coursework to support this transformative journey.
And one more thing, if you aren’t familiar with Dr. John Austin and his research (e.g., institutionalization), you should familiarize yourself. His seminal work has been incredible and has played a pivotal role in some of my key tools and approaches, like performance diagnostics. Be sure to check him and his new book, Reaching Results. His Kindle version is FREE!
By the way, if you’d like to hear more about Anika and my approaches, be sure to check out our interview with Matt on the Behavioral Observations Podcast!
