Systemic Transformation from the Ground–Up

Abstract

The enduring existence of disproportionate representation of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in special education programs and disciplinary practices creates a double bind for educators, educational leaders, and families. Disproportionality is an adaptive systemic issue that is not under any entity's control; thus, it demands collaboration and critical dialogue among local stakeholders. This article examined the implementation of Learning Lab, a new methodology of systemic transformation, for local stakeholders to collectively examine and address disproportionality in behavioral outcomes from the ground-up. Learning Lab aims to increase equity within the local implementations of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) by opening up decision-making and problem-solving processes with local stakeholders. Designed to increase authentic collaboration and dialogue among educators, families, and communitybased organizations, Learning Lab offers the possibility of contextually fit, culturally responsive implementations of PBIS and building the capacity for forming adaptive and inclusive schools.

From Intervention to Innovation: A Cultural-Historical Approach to the Racialization of School Discipline

“…In so doing, Learning Labs utilized the diverse experiences, practices, and goals all stakeholders bring to school thereby actively re-conceptualizing diversity in school communities as an asset rather than as an obstacle to overcome (Bal 2011). The Learning Lab methodology has a potential to nurture schools as democratic institutions that foster emancipatory possibilities for local school communities (Bal et al 2014a). The CRPBIS Learning Labs and future multisite formative intervention studies will enable researchers and practitioners to make comparisons between formative interventions in different education systems possible and thus facilitate collective problem solving and innovations among diverse school communities for forming inclusive and supportive schools for all.…”

“…However, PBIS has not addressed the racial disparities in Wisconsin (Bal et al 2013(Bal et al , 2014b. Moreover, local schools are struggling to maintain the inclusivity and are not effectively collaborating with nondominant communities in PBIS implementations (Bal et al 2014a).…”

“…To my knowledge, the CRPBIS Project is the first multisite formative intervention study in the field of education in the United States (Bal 2011;Bal et al 2014a). CRPBIS, started in 2011, is a multiphase mixed methods research.…”

“…Learning Labs were implemented at three public schools (elementary, middle, and high schools) with two specific goals: (1) unite and empower local stakeholders who are historically excluded from schools' problem solving processes and (2) provide a structure in which school practices and systems are examined and renovated (Bal et al 2014a(Bal et al , 2016. One elementary school served as a comparation site in which the research team studied PBIS commitee's work without the Learning Lab intervention.…”

Using Learning Labs for Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

“…For example, in the CRPBIS study, the school staff at one school shared a concern that the majority of behavioral problems occurred on the playground. At the second meeting, the PBIS data team brought graphs presenting the school-level ODR data by month, by behavior type, by location, by student, and by time (Bal et al, 2014). The learning lab members in the CRPBIS study also utilized interactive data maps developed by the CRPBIS research team in order to examine disproportionality within their district and across the state.…”