September 2017 - The Jacket Way

The Jacket Report
The Jacket Way
By Brent Swartzmiller, Executive Director of Teaching & Learning

Perrysburg Schools began the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) nine years ago. OBPP is one of the most researched and credible anti-bullying programs available. It provided a solid foundation to deal with bullying and other unwanted behaviors in our schools, but we wanted to continue to expand and improve our programming. We turned to Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

PBIS is the evolution of 50 years of research and is currently used in over 9,000 schools across forty-four states. It utilizes empirical research in measuring outcomes and fidelity. In this model, educators arrange environments, teaching and providing constructive feedback including reinforcement and correction. In 2013, the State of Ohio began to require school districts to implement positive behavior intervention and supports on a system-wide basis.

PBIS is a framework for proactively promoting and reinforcing common behavioral expectations for employees and students through observation and data. The mindset is positive in nature, with a focus on the consistency of desired behaviors. To quote Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

A district committee closely examined our ability to mesh OBPP and PBIS into one program that we call The Jacket Way. We found that there are many similarities between the two programs. Some of these similarities include:
• Coordinating teams,
• No time constraints to the programming,
• Efforts that are school district-wide,
• Dedicated time with students,
• Data-driven decision-making and
• An emphasis on adult behaviors as the driver for overall change.

Planning for The Jacket Way took place throughout the 2015-16 school year. Implementation took place in all of our schools during the 2016-17 year. All schools now have an active building committee to drive The Jacket Way initiatives. Most importantly, students throughout the Perrysburg School District are learning common expectations based on the three R’s of the Jacket Way:
• Respectful
• Responsible
• Ready

Later this month, representatives from all of our schools will participate in PBIS Tiered Fidelity Training. Representatives will learn to evaluate how well PBIS is implemented within our schools. Our goal is to internally monitor our progress and have the capability of maintaining rich programming for our students. Creating a safe, nurturing environment for our students is an on-going process. We hope that our existing structures and added accountability enable school personnel to adjust swiftly to the needs of our students and families. We are certainly excited for our work ahead.