Safe & Civil Schools
“We have to drop the idea that we can find a punitive consequence that will make students behave responsibly. Some people may think schools are not as tough as we used to be and that when we were tougher it worked better. That ‘get tough’ discipline approach felt like it worked because the ultimate consequences were exclusionary. But those exclusionary consequences were never designed to change behavior.”
– Randy Sprick (Safe and Civil Schools)
CHAMPS & FOUNDATIONS
CHAMPS & Foundations are PBIS strategies.
“CHAMPS and Foundations provide a solid green zone where students know what is expected of them. Without a solid green zone, students begin getting into trouble.”
–Debra Stewart
CHAMPS
A process of identifying and maintaining the effective aspects of their current management plan while adding and/or strengthening any missing or less-effective aspects. It explains expectations of student behavior for different activities in the classroom.
FOUNDATIONS
This program lays the groundwork for using data to inform decisions on developing and implementing effective behavior management and positive behavior support of all students
CHAMPS COACHES
Wendy Moreland Elementary CHAMPS Coach
I was born and raised in Louisiana, graduating from LSU in 1995. From 1995-2000, I taught ELA and a gifted program at Broadmoor Middle Laboratory School in Shreveport, LA. In 2000, my husband was transferred to Dyess AFB making Abilene our new home. From 2000-2005, I taught ELA at Ortiz ES. In 2005, the USAF sent us to Ramstein, Germany where I taught 4th and 5th grade self-contained classes for the Department of Defense at Vogelweh ES. In 2011, we returned to Abilene. For 6 years I taught ELA at Taylor ES. My last classroom assignment was ELA at Austin ES from 2017-2020.
My goal as the elementary CHAMPS coach is to team with teachers to pursue practical and highly effective management tools in a collaborative and nonthreatening manner. If I can help educators run a structured and positive classroom with high expectations, then teachers and students alike leave school each day feeling successful.
Susan Piersall Secondary CHAMPS Coach
In 2020, I transitioned from teaching mathematics to being a teacher support and resource. As a CHAMPS coach, there are some basic needs I can help meet that fuels teachers and equips them for growth. I am able to meet teachers in their classrooms, on their campuses at times they request. We can meet during their conference time, before or after school, or I can observe a particular class. Together we can identify weak areas, set some goals, then develop a plan to help strengthen their classroom learning environment. Conversations between two teachers seems to allow for more open dialog. Visiting multiple schools and classrooms, I am able to share a variety of ideas that are working for students in AISD. Using the training from Safe and Civil Schools, resources shared by fellow teachers, and leaning on my experiences, I can also provide extra professional development designed for the needs of a campus and present it when it’s best received by staff like during the school day during their conference period as opposed to before or after school. One of the most beneficial things I have been able to do as an educational coach is meet with new teachers throughout the year based on their individual needs. Some new teachers have great mentors who take time to check on them and give them tips to help them be successful. Other teachers are alone with little support or feedback from peers. The new teachers appreciate the weekly tips I send out as well as non evaluative feedback.
Helping teachers navigate through the job expectations, their ideals, and realities of working with teens to develop their own teaching style and joy in teaching is incredibly rewarding. Coaching teachers well could exponentially impact the number of students and teachers.