"Our mission
is to provide behavior consultation and professional development that transforms schools into superior learning communities
for all."

BEHAVIOR CONSULTATION
Support 4 Teachers, Co. provides behavioral consultation and teacher professional development to schools facing the daunting responsibility of educating children and youth that present serious behavior problems. These youngsters have many different labels and diagnoses, such as autism, emotionally disturbed, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bi-polar disorder, etc. However, it is their behavior that prevents these children from being successful in school. Whether it is aggression, disruption, inattentiveness, disrespect, impulsivity or others, teachers need expert behavioral consultation to help develop effective programs for children with behavior problems as well as design effective and efficient behavior management strategies to remediate these problems. Our staff of educators and mental health professionals provides superior behavioral consultation services to support teachers, “making the hardest job in the world a little bit easier.”

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS (PBS) AND RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RTI)

Our services are conceived around the behaviorally-based, data-driven paradigms known as Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) (http://pbis.org) and Response to Intervention (RTI). 

Intervention strategies are designed around Positive Behavior Supports. The Positive Behavior Support intervention model is grounded in research based theory and practice. Positive Behavior Supports as a whole is an “approach to enhance the capacity of schools, families, and communities to design effective environments that improve the fit or link between research- validated practices and the environments in which teaching and learning occurs” (http://pbis.org/school/tertiary_level/default.aspx).

Initially, schools focus on developing school-wide systems that are intended to improve the culture and climate of the school. These are considered to be Primary or Universal Systems change and are applied to youngsters and adults in the educational community. These school wide systems are designed to predict and prevent future discipline problems from occurring.

Once Universal Interventions have been established, Secondary Interventions are developed for students who are not responding to Primary Prevention efforts and need additional supports.  These interventions, based on the Universal Preventions Foundation, are designed to reduce current problems by implementing quick and efficient strategies, thereby re-establishing an optimal learning environment. Our Behavioral Consultation will provide school buildings and districts creative and effective models that can be implemented quickly and efficiently. This includes many different styles and types of programs or interventions and the development of easy data collection and analysis systems which can be applied to groups of youngsters, but are not as intensive or time consuming as individualized behavior plans.

Response to Intervention uses data to document the progress, or lack of progress, in a student’s academic and behavioral program. These data are then reviewed and provide educators with the information needed to make decisions about changes to behavioral and academic interventions or instructional strategies in order to ensure the youngster is successful. Support 4 Teachers help educators understand how to design data systems and analyze results EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.

If a child’s behavior is dangerous, highly disruptive, or significantly interferes with the ability of others to learn, Tertiary Strategies are necessary in order for the educational environment to be restored.  The Positive Behavior Supports approach has successfully addressed these issues when applied to a wide range of student characteristics, including autism, emotional disturbance, etc. These tertiary interventions are much more effective when based upon primary and secondary systems. They require individualized behavior management strategies based upon an EFFECTIVE and EFFICIENT functional behavior assessment (FBA). Once conducted, the functional behavior assessment leads to a multi-element Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) that is not only designed to decrease challenging behaviors, but increase adapted and academic behaviors as well. S4T Behavioral Consultants are highly qualified, highly skilled, and provide superior modeling and support in this area. This is a critical feature for school districts seeking to implement defensible and economically feasible programs. Since the ultimate goal is to produce lasting and durable supports, an essential component of any intervention is to sustain change.

TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

As a member of National Staff Development Council, Support 4 Teachers, Co. fully embraces the philosophy that in order for students to achieve their potential, so must their educators. To achieve this, teachers must be actively engaged in their learning. Research has shown that learning communities, where teachers collaborate and work closely together, is the best way for teacher professional development to be successful.

Here’s how Support 4 Teachers works to provide the most effective teacher professional development and training possible:

1. Teacher professional development must begin with ambitious goals for students AND themselves. Our consultants encourage and support this.
2. Teacher professional development must allow educators to identify their own content and directions for new learning. Our consultants facilitate this process.
3. Teacher professional development facilitation and leadership from the ranks of the faculty, not dictated by principals or central office. Our consultants are seen as faculty members, not administrators.
4. Teacher professional development begins with educators reading current research and literature that is made convenient to access and can be discussed as part of the day-to-day professional conversations. Our consultants do the literature search for the teams.
5. Teacher professional development requires learning teams to concern themselves with practical ways to improve instruction. Our consultants model strategies and provide feedback after observing educators.
6. Teacher professional development may begin with “set-and-get” workshops or courses, but changes occur when experts or consultants come into the classroom and model, demonstrate, and provide feedback to teachers in context. Our consultants are able to demonstrate best practice.
7. Teacher professional development approaches should include observation in colleague’s classrooms. Our consultants have knowledge and access to some of the best teachers and classrooms in the area.

Administrators require similar methods and team support in order for them to provide the building leadership and support that is critical for making teacher professional development teams or learning communities work. They must find creative ways to allow teams to meet regularly and encourage all faculty members to participate fully. Using technology, such as email, web-meetings, blogs, list serves, teacher social networks, etc. can be extremely valuable as well as carve out time in the day for these communities to meet.