To build a sense of community in school — an environment steeped in strong relationships and respect — it takes just that: a community.  

This school year, the Duquesne City School District has seen its environment in the hallways and classrooms change. As of April 23, overall discipline referrals in the building are down 49.4%. That improvement in behavior is no accident, but rather the result of intentional work, steeped in relationship building, restorative practices, and strong collaboration between staff, students, and parents.  

“We all work well together,” said Jennifer Yocca, the district’s Dean of Students. “The efforts are intentional and we have the same goal in front of us. We want the same outcomes.” 

Yocca helps lead behavioral efforts, but is quick to mention that those efforts are not just collaborative in nature, but incumbent upon that collaboration. Yocca has headed those efforts by leaning upon her years of experience as a former classroom teacher in the district, as well as her success with classroom management and restorative practices in those years.  

“I’ve always been strong at classroom management, and when I was introduced to restorative practices I really bought into that, and I saw the success I had with it in my room. I’ve been able to apply that to the whole building,” said Yocca.  

In the instance of a referral, there is a two-step communication process: one call from the referring adult, and another call from Yocca. During these calls, Yocca will listen intently and ask questions, working together with families to develop a plan that supports the student in question in the best way possible. 

Yocca will also often act quickly to provide classroom interventions, knowing that learning won’t take place until the issue is resolved. Additionally, Yocca has worked hand-in-hand with the district’s Restorative Practice Coordinator, Molly Means, leading healing circles that center around conflict resolution and making sure students’ voices and perspectives are heard.  

“I’ve seen success with these healing circles. A lot of times our students might be upset because they can’t get out what they’re thinking,” said Yocca. “We want to make sure our students can give their viewpoint of the story and find a resolution. The kids come up with things that they think they can do to make the situation better, and we find that that’s what they want, to resolve it and move forward.”  

Yocca stresses that communication is key to conflict resolution, and to her efforts as a whole, which have been effective due to communication and collaboration between staff. For instance, Yocca will also regularly observe students in classrooms, offering suggested interventions to teachers for classroom-managed behaviors. 

Efforts in implementing PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) with greater fidelity and scope have also been key. PBIS, essentially, is a positive reward system based on focused efforts to encourage good behavior. Dr. Brooke Watterson, the school’s psychologist, is the PBIS lead for grades K-6. For 7th and 8th grade, the Ron Clark Academy house system has served as those students’ PBIS.  

The Ron Clark Academy (RCA) model splits up students into four houses: Altruismo (the house of giving), Amistad (the house of friendship), Isibindi (the house of courage), and Rêveur (the house of dreamers). Each house represents students’ home rooms, headed by one of four teachers: Mr Uram, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Ryan, or Ms. Taylor.  

RCA centers around a point system. Students regularly compete against each other in house challenges — organized by paraprofessionals Desiree Bluett and Jennifer Kraus. Further, students can earn house points regularly for following house rules. A TV monitor on the middle school floor displays house point totals. There is also an application, which parents can access to keep track of house points and communicate with teachers. Discipline referrals for 7th and 8th grade students have decreased 74% this school year. 

“I think RCA has definitely helped the behaviors down here,” said Mr. Uram, a middle school teacher. “Our main goal this year was to just implement the house system. Having kids in the houses get rewarded points daily, having house challenges, I think we’ve hit the goal. The kids are bought in and the staff is bought in.”  

“I think they have pride in representing their house. They want to defend their house and get the most house points, and the way to do that is by following house rules. It has made a tremendous difference,” added Yocca.  

PBIS efforts in the district center around school-wide expectations to be safe, respectful and responsible. Efforts have ramped up this year with more frequent rewards. Every week, students who earn 10 Duke Bucks — which are rewarded by staff for good behavior — are given a certificate, and have the opportunity to be randomly selected to shop in the school’s PBIS store, which features a number of toys and fidgets, among other things. 

Additionally, K-3 students who earn the most PBIS points in a month are recognized and receive a tumbler or water bottle, along with gifts from the PBIS story. Grades 4-6 students of the month receive a gift card.  

“I think it’s really important to recognize the kids as much as we can because that’s how change happens,” said Dr. Watterson. “The kids like being recognized for positive things.”  

Dr. Watterson gave special credit to Means, Pittsburgh Area Community Schools site manager Alexis Thomas, and school counselor Monica Walker for coordinating gift shopping for the PBIS store.  

Beyond weekly and monthly recognitions, K-6 classrooms also compete against each other with regular PBIS challenges. One past challenge centered around accruing the most compliment points. Another PBIS challenge centered around keeping classrooms orderly and clean. Evening custodians rewarded points based on how clean and orderly classrooms were at the end of the school day.  

“It’s just been refining and leveling up the things that we’ve done prior,” said Dr. Watterson. “And we’ve been able to give prizes consistently, which has made a big difference.”