Purple PRIDE pulses through Cloquet school

Cloquet's Washington Elementary School got some positive reinforcement of its own earlier this month, when the Minnesota Department of Education named it a Sustaining Exemplar School for its successful work using Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports.

Students and parents at Washington don't call it PBIS, though - for them it's "Purple PRIDE." PRIDE stands for having a Positive attitude, being Respectful, Including others and Doing your best Everyday. It is essentially a code of conduct, explained principal Robbi Mondati, implemented by teaching kids in a positive way what they expect, rather than reacting to what they don't want.

Want students to be quiet in the hallways? Don't wait until they're standing in line to the lunchroom and "shush" the noisy children repeatedly. Instead, notice and recognize the kids who are behaving.

Washington kindergarten teacher and PBIS team member Shelly Kallis explained how she encouraged her young students to respond to her as she stood at the door each morning and greeted them.

"I feel that as a sign of respect children should answer me when I greet them. I don't care exactly what they say: 'Hello, hi, good morning,'" she said. As they come in one by one, she will discreetly jot down the names of students who respond to her greeting.

"Later on, I will thank one of those children for saying "good morning" and give them a Purple PRIDE slip to put in the prize jar." Kallis explained that they draw a name from the jar each week, and that child will get his or her photo taken with the principal and get to draw a trinket from a treasure box. "It sounds trivial, but it's a big deal to these kids. The next day, I tell you, I have a lot more kids answer when I say 'good morning.'"

That practice of rewarding desired behavior extends throughout the school in big and small ways.

"When we catch kids doing the right thing, or making good choices, they can earn Purple PRIDE slips, and then we do weekly drawings," Mondati said. "We also have the grade levels competing against each other, and they get to pick spirit days throughout the year. Kids also work toward the 'principal's challenge.'"

The kids get to choose her "challenge" each year and work toward making it happen. Three years ago she was duct-taped to the gym wall. This year Mondati kissed a pig. "It's fun, and it helps tie the school community together," she said.

The PBIS program provides schools and districts with training and support to promote positive student behavior, especially for students facing challenges in and outside of the classroom. Through evidence-based practices, this national program aims to make schools more responsive to the cultures and communities they serve, according to MDE. One important area of focus for the program is on decreasing disparities in discipline, which have historically had negative impacts on educational outcomes for students of color, American Indian students and students with disabilities.

Just like PBIS gives teachers tools to work with students, it also gives students tools to handle life, Mondati explained, adding that the number of disciplinary infractions has declined over the years. Kids are getting it.

"It's incredibly lintentional and aborious on our end, but I do feel like it's way more impactful too. It's not just 'here's a consequence,'" she said. "I think we are so much more aware of what kids are bringing to school, what they've had to deal with and how that impacts their ability to function. I think we're much more aware of how we can help them build their ability to cope and to be resilient. That's something that was really never even part of the conversation not too many years ago. We've come a long way."

The schools that received recognition are leaders in supporting positive behavior, improving school climate and increasing student achievement.

"In education, our students are the heart of everything we do. It is critical that they feel supported, especially as they encounter challenging and traumatic issues," said education commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker.

Since its launch in 2005, PBIS has spread across the state and is currently being implemented by 769 Minnesota schools, more than a third of the state's nearly 2,000 public schools. To establish a PBIS program, 80 percent of a school's teachers and staff need to agree to implement a more positive approach to discipline.

Mondati said the staff at Washington is closer to 90 percent in terms of understanding and implementing PBIS in the school.

"The staff have worked really hard to refine our practice and make sure that we're doing a good job of teaching and building up that culture," she said. "This has been years in the making."

Kallis said Mondati deserves a lot of credit.

"I feel like PBIS probably would have died, with some elements hanging on, but when Robbi came she ignited that spark and has helped keep it alive," Kallis said. "We learned

in training that leadership is critical and she has made a big difference."