Get your student council involved with PBIS to increase buy-in and success. Here are three ways to make it happen.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
The greatest joy in kindergarten is not learning to read your sight words, playing on the monkey bars at recess, or even meeting new friends in the cafeteria. Nope. None of those.
Do you want to know what really is the best part about being a Kindergartener?
The coveted role of “line leader”.
Line leaders are granted the honor of leading their peers to different spaces in the school. And they get to lead by ensuring they display model behavior that would increase the chances for them to earn even more rewards (like being the line leader again).😃
They may not know it, but those leadership skills are already starting to bloom.
Student leadership is being cultivated way before they canvass the school looking for supporting votes in student council campaigns.
Throughout my experience as a classroom teacher and student organization advisor, I’ve been afforded many opportunities to mentor student leaders while encouraging them to use their voices to benefit themselves and their peers.
While that leadership may start with being the line leader… it certainly doesn’t end there!
Cultivating student leadership can have positive residual effects when properly implemented alongside or in the support of positive behavior and school culture initiatives like PBIS.
PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS best practices promote positive behavior by explicitly teaching desired behaviors to students and reinforcing these behaviors by rewarding them.
Students are often rewarded for academics or for displaying “perfect” behavior. But what about those students who finally attended class after skipping for months?
Or the students who once showed bullying behavior but has now become peer mediator? The list goes on and on.
Keeping this in mind, some may not excel in academics and can find excitement if rewarded for changed behavior.
To implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, there must be student and teacher buy-in. Students, teachers, and staff are all active participants in PBIS for them to work.
Ultimately, both students and staff benefit from the system. That is if it gets the results that teachers want to see, and students learn that change is rewarded.
This is true even if the rewards aren’t of considerable significance in the eyes of others. It just matters that the students value the rewards.
Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers to address any concerns of their fellow students as well as organize events and activities. Student Council is the pulse of a school.
They are the bridge between the school administration and their peers. Student Council members can use their voices to speak to their peers about the vision of school leadership.
Often school building leaders rely on the voices of their student council to get an “inside scoop” on the thoughts of the student body at large and utilize their influence to implement new policies that affect the student body directly.
Leaders can use this information to improve all sorts of programs, including PBIS points in your school.
The involvement of the student council can be a significant component when introducing Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to the student body.
Student-led initiatives have a big advantage over adult-led programs. Buy-in is significantly easier to obtain when you know the messaging is approved by or even coming directly from your peers. Here are three ways to get your student council involved with PBIS:
To garner student buy-in, students have to be involved from the very beginning. Students know what they want and when given a chance readily articulate their needs.
Their voices and perspective could alleviate issues from the onset. If students know their “approval” is wanted and appreciated, they are more apt to share exciting news regarding PBIS and all the rewards that come with its implementation.
Let students plan! Examples of events students could plan include but definitely aren’t limited to:
This sharpens their leadership and project management skills. It also allows them to own the PBIS experience to encourage their peers to be accountable for their actions so they can attend.
If the student council helps build and prepare for the activities, they will be more willing to promote the incentives to their peers. Student Council members should have ample opportunities to speak, plan, direct, and assemble.
As adults, we tend to plan according to what we believe will be fun, impactful, or needed. However, we could save time if we truly captured the thoughts and opinions of students first.
The student council members were voted by their peers because of their noticeable leadership qualities, but what is the point if those skills are not used to improve the school community?
Students should be given space to shadow leaders in their school building to mirror and communicate what the administration wants to see come to fruition in the building.
This allows students the chance to not only relay the culminating message for the PBIS initiatives but it ensures that they understand their role in helping to keep their peers accountable.
Student Council and PBIS initiatives, when woven together, can change the cultural trajectory of a school building.
School leaders must emphasize involving students from the onset of planning to ensure student buy-in from the student body. Together, both teams can help foster behavior changes and you’ll really start to weave PBIS into the fabric of your school culture.
Student Council members experience what happens when positive parameters are in place through school leadership’s proactiveness.
If you still need some convincing about involving student council members in forming PBIS initiatives, check out the results Callie Daugherty and Wirt High School have had by creating a student-centered PBIS program. Or look a little deeper into ways your student can help you teach your PBIS expectations.
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Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
Do you want to know what really is the best part about being a Kindergartener?
The coveted role of “line leader”.
Line leaders are granted the honor of leading their peers to different spaces in the school. And they get to lead by ensuring they display model behavior that would increase the chances for them to earn even more rewards (like being the line leader again).😃
They may not know it, but those leadership skills are already starting to bloom.
Student leadership is being cultivated way before they canvass the school looking for supporting votes in student council campaigns.
Throughout my experience as a classroom teacher and student organization advisor, I’ve been afforded many opportunities to mentor student leaders while encouraging them to use their voices to benefit themselves and their peers.
While that leadership may start with being the line leader… it certainly doesn’t end there!
Cultivating student leadership can have positive residual effects when properly implemented alongside or in the support of positive behavior and school culture initiatives like PBIS.
PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS best practices promote positive behavior by explicitly teaching desired behaviors to students and reinforcing these behaviors by rewarding them.
Students are often rewarded for academics or for displaying “perfect” behavior. But what about those students who finally attended class after skipping for months?
Or the students who once showed bullying behavior but has now become peer mediator? The list goes on and on.
Keeping this in mind, some may not excel in academics and can find excitement if rewarded for changed behavior.
To implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, there must be student and teacher buy-in. Students, teachers, and staff are all active participants in PBIS for them to work.
Ultimately, both students and staff benefit from the system. That is if it gets the results that teachers want to see, and students learn that change is rewarded.
This is true even if the rewards aren’t of considerable significance in the eyes of others. It just matters that the students value the rewards.
Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers to address any concerns of their fellow students as well as organize events and activities. Student Council is the pulse of a school.
They are the bridge between the school administration and their peers. Student Council members can use their voices to speak to their peers about the vision of school leadership.
Often school building leaders rely on the voices of their student council to get an “inside scoop” on the thoughts of the student body at large and utilize their influence to implement new policies that affect the student body directly.
Leaders can use this information to improve all sorts of programs, including PBIS points in your school.
The involvement of the student council can be a significant component when introducing Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to the student body.
Student-led initiatives have a big advantage over adult-led programs. Buy-in is significantly easier to obtain when you know the messaging is approved by or even coming directly from your peers. Here are three ways to get your student council involved with PBIS:
To garner student buy-in, students have to be involved from the very beginning. Students know what they want and when given a chance readily articulate their needs.
Their voices and perspective could alleviate issues from the onset. If students know their “approval” is wanted and appreciated, they are more apt to share exciting news regarding PBIS and all the rewards that come with its implementation.
Let students plan! Examples of events students could plan include but definitely aren’t limited to:
This sharpens their leadership and project management skills. It also allows them to own the PBIS experience to encourage their peers to be accountable for their actions so they can attend.
If the student council helps build and prepare for the activities, they will be more willing to promote the incentives to their peers. Student Council members should have ample opportunities to speak, plan, direct, and assemble.
As adults, we tend to plan according to what we believe will be fun, impactful, or needed. However, we could save time if we truly captured the thoughts and opinions of students first.
The student council members were voted by their peers because of their noticeable leadership qualities, but what is the point if those skills are not used to improve the school community?
Students should be given space to shadow leaders in their school building to mirror and communicate what the administration wants to see come to fruition in the building.
This allows students the chance to not only relay the culminating message for the PBIS initiatives but it ensures that they understand their role in helping to keep their peers accountable.
Student Council and PBIS initiatives, when woven together, can change the cultural trajectory of a school building.
School leaders must emphasize involving students from the onset of planning to ensure student buy-in from the student body. Together, both teams can help foster behavior changes and you’ll really start to weave PBIS into the fabric of your school culture.
Student Council members experience what happens when positive parameters are in place through school leadership’s proactiveness.
If you still need some convincing about involving student council members in forming PBIS initiatives, check out the results Callie Daugherty and Wirt High School have had by creating a student-centered PBIS program. Or look a little deeper into ways your student can help you teach your PBIS expectations.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
Do you want to know what really is the best part about being a Kindergartener?
The coveted role of “line leader”.
Line leaders are granted the honor of leading their peers to different spaces in the school. And they get to lead by ensuring they display model behavior that would increase the chances for them to earn even more rewards (like being the line leader again).😃
They may not know it, but those leadership skills are already starting to bloom.
Student leadership is being cultivated way before they canvass the school looking for supporting votes in student council campaigns.
Throughout my experience as a classroom teacher and student organization advisor, I’ve been afforded many opportunities to mentor student leaders while encouraging them to use their voices to benefit themselves and their peers.
While that leadership may start with being the line leader… it certainly doesn’t end there!
Cultivating student leadership can have positive residual effects when properly implemented alongside or in the support of positive behavior and school culture initiatives like PBIS.
PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS best practices promote positive behavior by explicitly teaching desired behaviors to students and reinforcing these behaviors by rewarding them.
Students are often rewarded for academics or for displaying “perfect” behavior. But what about those students who finally attended class after skipping for months?
Or the students who once showed bullying behavior but has now become peer mediator? The list goes on and on.
Keeping this in mind, some may not excel in academics and can find excitement if rewarded for changed behavior.
To implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, there must be student and teacher buy-in. Students, teachers, and staff are all active participants in PBIS for them to work.
Ultimately, both students and staff benefit from the system. That is if it gets the results that teachers want to see, and students learn that change is rewarded.
This is true even if the rewards aren’t of considerable significance in the eyes of others. It just matters that the students value the rewards.
Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers to address any concerns of their fellow students as well as organize events and activities. Student Council is the pulse of a school.
They are the bridge between the school administration and their peers. Student Council members can use their voices to speak to their peers about the vision of school leadership.
Often school building leaders rely on the voices of their student council to get an “inside scoop” on the thoughts of the student body at large and utilize their influence to implement new policies that affect the student body directly.
Leaders can use this information to improve all sorts of programs, including PBIS points in your school.
The involvement of the student council can be a significant component when introducing Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to the student body.
Student-led initiatives have a big advantage over adult-led programs. Buy-in is significantly easier to obtain when you know the messaging is approved by or even coming directly from your peers. Here are three ways to get your student council involved with PBIS:
To garner student buy-in, students have to be involved from the very beginning. Students know what they want and when given a chance readily articulate their needs.
Their voices and perspective could alleviate issues from the onset. If students know their “approval” is wanted and appreciated, they are more apt to share exciting news regarding PBIS and all the rewards that come with its implementation.
Let students plan! Examples of events students could plan include but definitely aren’t limited to:
This sharpens their leadership and project management skills. It also allows them to own the PBIS experience to encourage their peers to be accountable for their actions so they can attend.
If the student council helps build and prepare for the activities, they will be more willing to promote the incentives to their peers. Student Council members should have ample opportunities to speak, plan, direct, and assemble.
As adults, we tend to plan according to what we believe will be fun, impactful, or needed. However, we could save time if we truly captured the thoughts and opinions of students first.
The student council members were voted by their peers because of their noticeable leadership qualities, but what is the point if those skills are not used to improve the school community?
Students should be given space to shadow leaders in their school building to mirror and communicate what the administration wants to see come to fruition in the building.
This allows students the chance to not only relay the culminating message for the PBIS initiatives but it ensures that they understand their role in helping to keep their peers accountable.
Student Council and PBIS initiatives, when woven together, can change the cultural trajectory of a school building.
School leaders must emphasize involving students from the onset of planning to ensure student buy-in from the student body. Together, both teams can help foster behavior changes and you’ll really start to weave PBIS into the fabric of your school culture.
Student Council members experience what happens when positive parameters are in place through school leadership’s proactiveness.
If you still need some convincing about involving student council members in forming PBIS initiatives, check out the results Callie Daugherty and Wirt High School have had by creating a student-centered PBIS program. Or look a little deeper into ways your student can help you teach your PBIS expectations.
Do you want to know what really is the best part about being a Kindergartener?
The coveted role of “line leader”.
Line leaders are granted the honor of leading their peers to different spaces in the school. And they get to lead by ensuring they display model behavior that would increase the chances for them to earn even more rewards (like being the line leader again).😃
They may not know it, but those leadership skills are already starting to bloom.
Student leadership is being cultivated way before they canvass the school looking for supporting votes in student council campaigns.
Throughout my experience as a classroom teacher and student organization advisor, I’ve been afforded many opportunities to mentor student leaders while encouraging them to use their voices to benefit themselves and their peers.
While that leadership may start with being the line leader… it certainly doesn’t end there!
Cultivating student leadership can have positive residual effects when properly implemented alongside or in the support of positive behavior and school culture initiatives like PBIS.
PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS best practices promote positive behavior by explicitly teaching desired behaviors to students and reinforcing these behaviors by rewarding them.
Students are often rewarded for academics or for displaying “perfect” behavior. But what about those students who finally attended class after skipping for months?
Or the students who once showed bullying behavior but has now become peer mediator? The list goes on and on.
Keeping this in mind, some may not excel in academics and can find excitement if rewarded for changed behavior.
To implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, there must be student and teacher buy-in. Students, teachers, and staff are all active participants in PBIS for them to work.
Ultimately, both students and staff benefit from the system. That is if it gets the results that teachers want to see, and students learn that change is rewarded.
This is true even if the rewards aren’t of considerable significance in the eyes of others. It just matters that the students value the rewards.
Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers to address any concerns of their fellow students as well as organize events and activities. Student Council is the pulse of a school.
They are the bridge between the school administration and their peers. Student Council members can use their voices to speak to their peers about the vision of school leadership.
Often school building leaders rely on the voices of their student council to get an “inside scoop” on the thoughts of the student body at large and utilize their influence to implement new policies that affect the student body directly.
Leaders can use this information to improve all sorts of programs, including PBIS points in your school.
The involvement of the student council can be a significant component when introducing Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to the student body.
Student-led initiatives have a big advantage over adult-led programs. Buy-in is significantly easier to obtain when you know the messaging is approved by or even coming directly from your peers. Here are three ways to get your student council involved with PBIS:
To garner student buy-in, students have to be involved from the very beginning. Students know what they want and when given a chance readily articulate their needs.
Their voices and perspective could alleviate issues from the onset. If students know their “approval” is wanted and appreciated, they are more apt to share exciting news regarding PBIS and all the rewards that come with its implementation.
Let students plan! Examples of events students could plan include but definitely aren’t limited to:
This sharpens their leadership and project management skills. It also allows them to own the PBIS experience to encourage their peers to be accountable for their actions so they can attend.
If the student council helps build and prepare for the activities, they will be more willing to promote the incentives to their peers. Student Council members should have ample opportunities to speak, plan, direct, and assemble.
As adults, we tend to plan according to what we believe will be fun, impactful, or needed. However, we could save time if we truly captured the thoughts and opinions of students first.
The student council members were voted by their peers because of their noticeable leadership qualities, but what is the point if those skills are not used to improve the school community?
Students should be given space to shadow leaders in their school building to mirror and communicate what the administration wants to see come to fruition in the building.
This allows students the chance to not only relay the culminating message for the PBIS initiatives but it ensures that they understand their role in helping to keep their peers accountable.
Student Council and PBIS initiatives, when woven together, can change the cultural trajectory of a school building.
School leaders must emphasize involving students from the onset of planning to ensure student buy-in from the student body. Together, both teams can help foster behavior changes and you’ll really start to weave PBIS into the fabric of your school culture.
Student Council members experience what happens when positive parameters are in place through school leadership’s proactiveness.
If you still need some convincing about involving student council members in forming PBIS initiatives, check out the results Callie Daugherty and Wirt High School have had by creating a student-centered PBIS program. Or look a little deeper into ways your student can help you teach your PBIS expectations.
Charmaine is a graduate of Winston Salem State University and has a Masters Degree in Secondary Education. She is currently pursuing certification in Educational Leadership and Administration. Charmaine is a passionate English and Language Arts Educator. She leads a life dedicated to being an advocate for students and colleagues and she has over 12 years of experience in Education.
Charmaine is the founder of The Controlled Chaos Academy, which is an interactive Classroom Management Bootcamp for Educators! This program
focuses on building community through transformative learning experiences that translate into tangible academic growth!
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
The greatest joy in kindergarten is not learning to read your sight words, playing on the monkey bars at recess, or even meeting new friends in the cafeteria. Nope. None of those.
Do you want to know what really is the best part about being a Kindergartener?
The coveted role of “line leader”.
Line leaders are granted the honor of leading their peers to different spaces in the school. And they get to lead by ensuring they display model behavior that would increase the chances for them to earn even more rewards (like being the line leader again).😃
They may not know it, but those leadership skills are already starting to bloom.
Student leadership is being cultivated way before they canvass the school looking for supporting votes in student council campaigns.
Throughout my experience as a classroom teacher and student organization advisor, I’ve been afforded many opportunities to mentor student leaders while encouraging them to use their voices to benefit themselves and their peers.
While that leadership may start with being the line leader… it certainly doesn’t end there!
Cultivating student leadership can have positive residual effects when properly implemented alongside or in the support of positive behavior and school culture initiatives like PBIS.
PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS best practices promote positive behavior by explicitly teaching desired behaviors to students and reinforcing these behaviors by rewarding them.
Students are often rewarded for academics or for displaying “perfect” behavior. But what about those students who finally attended class after skipping for months?
Or the students who once showed bullying behavior but has now become peer mediator? The list goes on and on.
Keeping this in mind, some may not excel in academics and can find excitement if rewarded for changed behavior.
To implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, there must be student and teacher buy-in. Students, teachers, and staff are all active participants in PBIS for them to work.
Ultimately, both students and staff benefit from the system. That is if it gets the results that teachers want to see, and students learn that change is rewarded.
This is true even if the rewards aren’t of considerable significance in the eyes of others. It just matters that the students value the rewards.
Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers to address any concerns of their fellow students as well as organize events and activities. Student Council is the pulse of a school.
They are the bridge between the school administration and their peers. Student Council members can use their voices to speak to their peers about the vision of school leadership.
Often school building leaders rely on the voices of their student council to get an “inside scoop” on the thoughts of the student body at large and utilize their influence to implement new policies that affect the student body directly.
Leaders can use this information to improve all sorts of programs, including PBIS points in your school.
The involvement of the student council can be a significant component when introducing Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to the student body.
Student-led initiatives have a big advantage over adult-led programs. Buy-in is significantly easier to obtain when you know the messaging is approved by or even coming directly from your peers. Here are three ways to get your student council involved with PBIS:
To garner student buy-in, students have to be involved from the very beginning. Students know what they want and when given a chance readily articulate their needs.
Their voices and perspective could alleviate issues from the onset. If students know their “approval” is wanted and appreciated, they are more apt to share exciting news regarding PBIS and all the rewards that come with its implementation.
Let students plan! Examples of events students could plan include but definitely aren’t limited to:
This sharpens their leadership and project management skills. It also allows them to own the PBIS experience to encourage their peers to be accountable for their actions so they can attend.
If the student council helps build and prepare for the activities, they will be more willing to promote the incentives to their peers. Student Council members should have ample opportunities to speak, plan, direct, and assemble.
As adults, we tend to plan according to what we believe will be fun, impactful, or needed. However, we could save time if we truly captured the thoughts and opinions of students first.
The student council members were voted by their peers because of their noticeable leadership qualities, but what is the point if those skills are not used to improve the school community?
Students should be given space to shadow leaders in their school building to mirror and communicate what the administration wants to see come to fruition in the building.
This allows students the chance to not only relay the culminating message for the PBIS initiatives but it ensures that they understand their role in helping to keep their peers accountable.
Student Council and PBIS initiatives, when woven together, can change the cultural trajectory of a school building.
School leaders must emphasize involving students from the onset of planning to ensure student buy-in from the student body. Together, both teams can help foster behavior changes and you’ll really start to weave PBIS into the fabric of your school culture.
Student Council members experience what happens when positive parameters are in place through school leadership’s proactiveness.
If you still need some convincing about involving student council members in forming PBIS initiatives, check out the results Callie Daugherty and Wirt High School have had by creating a student-centered PBIS program. Or look a little deeper into ways your student can help you teach your PBIS expectations.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
The greatest joy in kindergarten is not learning to read your sight words, playing on the monkey bars at recess, or even meeting new friends in the cafeteria. Nope. None of those.
Do you want to know what really is the best part about being a Kindergartener?
The coveted role of “line leader”.
Line leaders are granted the honor of leading their peers to different spaces in the school. And they get to lead by ensuring they display model behavior that would increase the chances for them to earn even more rewards (like being the line leader again).😃
They may not know it, but those leadership skills are already starting to bloom.
Student leadership is being cultivated way before they canvass the school looking for supporting votes in student council campaigns.
Throughout my experience as a classroom teacher and student organization advisor, I’ve been afforded many opportunities to mentor student leaders while encouraging them to use their voices to benefit themselves and their peers.
While that leadership may start with being the line leader… it certainly doesn’t end there!
Cultivating student leadership can have positive residual effects when properly implemented alongside or in the support of positive behavior and school culture initiatives like PBIS.
PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS best practices promote positive behavior by explicitly teaching desired behaviors to students and reinforcing these behaviors by rewarding them.
Students are often rewarded for academics or for displaying “perfect” behavior. But what about those students who finally attended class after skipping for months?
Or the students who once showed bullying behavior but has now become peer mediator? The list goes on and on.
Keeping this in mind, some may not excel in academics and can find excitement if rewarded for changed behavior.
To implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, there must be student and teacher buy-in. Students, teachers, and staff are all active participants in PBIS for them to work.
Ultimately, both students and staff benefit from the system. That is if it gets the results that teachers want to see, and students learn that change is rewarded.
This is true even if the rewards aren’t of considerable significance in the eyes of others. It just matters that the students value the rewards.
Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers to address any concerns of their fellow students as well as organize events and activities. Student Council is the pulse of a school.
They are the bridge between the school administration and their peers. Student Council members can use their voices to speak to their peers about the vision of school leadership.
Often school building leaders rely on the voices of their student council to get an “inside scoop” on the thoughts of the student body at large and utilize their influence to implement new policies that affect the student body directly.
Leaders can use this information to improve all sorts of programs, including PBIS points in your school.
The involvement of the student council can be a significant component when introducing Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to the student body.
Student-led initiatives have a big advantage over adult-led programs. Buy-in is significantly easier to obtain when you know the messaging is approved by or even coming directly from your peers. Here are three ways to get your student council involved with PBIS:
To garner student buy-in, students have to be involved from the very beginning. Students know what they want and when given a chance readily articulate their needs.
Their voices and perspective could alleviate issues from the onset. If students know their “approval” is wanted and appreciated, they are more apt to share exciting news regarding PBIS and all the rewards that come with its implementation.
Let students plan! Examples of events students could plan include but definitely aren’t limited to:
This sharpens their leadership and project management skills. It also allows them to own the PBIS experience to encourage their peers to be accountable for their actions so they can attend.
If the student council helps build and prepare for the activities, they will be more willing to promote the incentives to their peers. Student Council members should have ample opportunities to speak, plan, direct, and assemble.
As adults, we tend to plan according to what we believe will be fun, impactful, or needed. However, we could save time if we truly captured the thoughts and opinions of students first.
The student council members were voted by their peers because of their noticeable leadership qualities, but what is the point if those skills are not used to improve the school community?
Students should be given space to shadow leaders in their school building to mirror and communicate what the administration wants to see come to fruition in the building.
This allows students the chance to not only relay the culminating message for the PBIS initiatives but it ensures that they understand their role in helping to keep their peers accountable.
Student Council and PBIS initiatives, when woven together, can change the cultural trajectory of a school building.
School leaders must emphasize involving students from the onset of planning to ensure student buy-in from the student body. Together, both teams can help foster behavior changes and you’ll really start to weave PBIS into the fabric of your school culture.
Student Council members experience what happens when positive parameters are in place through school leadership’s proactiveness.
If you still need some convincing about involving student council members in forming PBIS initiatives, check out the results Callie Daugherty and Wirt High School have had by creating a student-centered PBIS program. Or look a little deeper into ways your student can help you teach your PBIS expectations.
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