Rewarding positive behavior in students

Anne Arundel County (Map, News) - Maryland educators have learned that little rewards go a long way.

Giving well-behaved students coupons redeemable for candy has helped cut the number of student discipline referrals to administrators in Anne Arundel public schools.

“We all like to hear what we do well, and if students are rewarded for positive behavior, it reinforces that behavior,” said Sarah Pelham, Anne Arundel’s assistant superintendent.

Rewarding students is part of Maryland’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports initiative, which began in 1999 and is practiced in more than 395 schools statewide, said Andrea Alexander, student behavioral specialist at the Maryland Education Department.

The initiative, a partnership among the state Department of Education, Sheppard Pratt Health System and Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, focused on preventing bad behavior and strategies for difficult-to-reach students.

The Anne Arundel school system has implemented the initiative in 55 schools.

Since it started the program three years ago, the school system has seen a significant decline in the number of discipline referrals, said Carol Delaney, data assistant for Anne Arundel public schools.

“You are not telling Johnny, ‘Oh, sit down.’ You are saying, ‘Thank you for being quiet.’ I think it has given teachers the tools to be able to have a positive atmosphere,” Delaney said.

Anne Arundel plans to add the program to 10 schools next year, Pelham said.

“It creates a schoolwide climate of positive behaviors,” Pelham said.

mmcilroy@baltimoreexaminer.com