SUNY Fredonia’s College of Education and its Office of Lifelong Learning teamed up with Chautauqua County Education Coalition and Chautauqua Tapestry and sponsored the first Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program. The program was designed to guide school districts in the implementation of the program to improve student academic and behavior outcomes.
PBIS is based on a problem-solving model and aimed at preventing inappropriate behavior by teaching and reinforcing appropriate behaviors in order to ensure that all students (K-12) are given the best learning environment possible. Drs. Laura Geraci and Carrie Fitzgerald, two professors within the College of Education, led the five-day session that was held at the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator in Dunkirk. Dunkirk Middle School, Dunkirk High School, and Southwestern Middle School, together with Westfield, Frewsburg, Sherman, Clymer, Chautauqua Lake and Brocton central schools, sent representatives to participate.
The schools were divided into teams and building and district data were used to examine patterns of behavior in each specific learning environment. The program emphasized school-wide systems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive learning environments.
Instead of using a gradual approach of individual behavioral management plans, PBIS is a continuum of positive behavior support for all students within a school and implemented in areas including the classroom and non-classroom settings such as hallways, buses, and restrooms. Each school learned to implement the program to their students’ specific needs and work to remove the barriers to learning that occur when behaviors are disruptive.
Geraci and Fitzgerald intend on visiting each participating school and aiding them throughout the next school year. They will offer another five-day training program next summer, as well as "booster trainings" for those who attended this summer’s program. They also plan to provide a "Part 2" session for the schools that have already been trained during this year’s session.
The College of Education offers four undergraduate programs and seven graduate programs. Its students are served by 26 full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty, approximately 20 part-time faculty, and seven support staff members. In addition to the programs within the College of Education, the College of Education - Professional Education Unit offers 16 initial teacher preparation programs (those leading to a first time teaching certificate) and 13 advanced teacher preparation programs (those leading to additional certificates). In all, the College of Education graduates more than 500 students each year.
The SUNY Fredonia Office of Lifelong Learning offers continuing education and training programs that are contemporary, outcomes based, and consistent with the University's strengths and expertise.
