Nurture

cultural identity and how it may influence, shape, and interact with the students’ identities • Voice: Engaging authentically with family, community, and students such that their voice is heard and they are seen as collaborators with shaping the culture and climate in the classroom • A supportive environment: Creating a positive environment that includes teaching students expectations and prosocial skills to be successful, as well as ensuring students feel valued • Situational appropriateness: Understanding that some behaviors or skills are adaptive in one setting but not in others, and teaching students that understanding of when and where to use certain skills • Data for equity: Using data to examine any biases or issues related to student populations or characteristics, including a willingness to have discussions of how practices may impact certain populations

We believe that creating a supportive, data-driven environment leads to equitable and fair environments that respect students’ lives. By including student voice, respecting their identities, and creating a classroom built on consistency, connection, and compassion, teachers will align with culturally responsive practices. In table I.4, we provide some examples of the practices shared in this book and their relations to the five components outlined by Leverson and colleagues (2021).

Table I.4: Culturally Responsive Practices and Bolstering Resilience

Core Components

Identity

Voice

Practice

• Use connection strategies to allow room for student identity. • Provide space for students to express their identities. • Teach self-awareness in relation to student identity. • Understand your own cultural identity in relation to students’ identity.

• Include student and family voice when creating your classroom expectations (page 83). • Engage students with discussion around problem solving and behavior issues that may arise; enlist them as collaborators on solving the issue. • Use two-way communication efforts over one-way types of communication (page 92).

continued

Core Components

A supportive environment

Situational appropriateness

Practice

• Teach routines that allow students to get their needs met (for example, asking for help, asking for space to process emotions, and so on). • Teach students missing skills so they are equipped to navigate stressors. • Ensure students feel valued by engaging them in the issues that concern them. • Respect and validate students’ perspectives.

• Acknowledge that students may live in different cultures, with differences between home and school. • Allow grace as students learn and use skills within the classroom that may be new or not used in other environments. • Incorporate students’ perspectives and values into the classroom culture.

Data for equity • Disaggregate classroom (or school) data between subgroups. • Examine whether outcomes for one student are experienced by others.

Source: Adapted from Leverson et al ., 2021 .

Online Schooling

We believe that the methods in this book extend to all settings, in person and online. Students can learn expectations for any learning environment, so when creating a matrix for their classrooms, teachers can include a column or separate matrix for virtual learning and then outline rules for that setting. See figure 4.3 (page 96) for an example matrix; also see Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (www.pbis.org) and Center for Parent Information and Resources (www .parentcenterhub.org) for additional examples.

Additionally, teachers can create clear structures and processes for remote learning, such as a clear sequence for beginning class or making comments in a virtual classroom. Teachers can foster connection by having students use the chat box to share information about their lives or by highlighting a student each class period. Teachers can also share information about themselves during class, which can assist with building relationships with students (Song, Kim, & Luo, 2016). Teachers can also have brief, five- to fifteen-minute connection calls with students and families. During these calls, teachers can share what the student is doing well and ask what support the family may need for ensuring remote learning is beneficial to the student. Such calls can be helpful for building relationships with families.

Teachers can extend compassion by adjusting remote learning to suit a student’s life. Not all of our students will have the resources to connect online, so modifying one’s strategies can demonstrate compassion and understanding. We highlight a few methods we’ve seen to make virtual learning and resilience possible in table I.5.

Table I.5: Consistency, Connection, and Compassion for Virtual Learning

Principle Examples

Consistency • Outline the classroom expectations for online classes (that is, what the expectations look like within a virtual setting). • Provide parents with sample routines for how to support their children during remote learning (see von Ravensburg [2020] and Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports [2020] for examples and tips).

Connection • Allow space for students to share their day-to-day lives and process remote learning. • Pair students up for projects and allow them to work remotely. • Provide icebreakers at the start of each class by having students share in the chat box about themselves.

Compassion • Allow flexibility for students to attend class or make up work, as they may need to work jobs or care for younger siblings during normal school hours. • If possible, print materials or packets for students who may not have internet access to ensure they can participate in activities. • Work with your school psychologist or counselor to provide resources to students who may need support. • Adjust interventions for remote learning (for example, Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports [2020] offers one way to adapt a behavior intervention online).

Chapter Organization

We have structured this book to begin with universal practices that lay the foundation for a classroom that supports resilience. Here, universal refers to best practices that all students receive and have access to; these are best practices that lay the foundation for a classroom that bolsters resilience. Readers should approach the chapters in order, as each builds on the previous one. Readers will learn universal practices before digging into support for students with persistent needs. Jumping ahead to different chapters may mean missing out on foundational pieces that support resilience. Additionally, Practice in Action feature boxes throughout the chapters illustrate applied examples of the practices discussed.