This article examines the need for and importance of culturally responsive behaviour support for Indigenous students. Many of the educational challenges currently faced by Indigenous students can be explained by cultural disconnect and a mismatch between school expectations and cultural values. Principles of Indigenous approaches to behaviour support are described and compared with school-wide positive behavioural interventions and supports (PBIS), a framework for building a positive school culture that shows promise in relation to culturally responsive practice. The authors provide a brief overview of PBIS and adaptations of this practice to meet the needs of Indigenous students. A descriptive case study of PBIS implementation in a high school in the Northwest Territories provides an example of culturally responsive implementation of PBIS.
AgboS. A. (2004). First Nations perspectives on transforming the status of culture and language in schooling. Journal of American Indian Education, 43(1), 1-31.
2.
AresN. (2006). Challenges in operationalizing cultural practices in classroom and peer communities. International Journal of Educational Research, 45, 404-419. doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2007.03.002
3.
AttarB. K.GuerraN. G.TolanP. H. (1994). Neighborhood disadvantage, stressful life events, and adjustments in urban elementary-school children. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 23, 391-400.
4.
BallengerC. (1992). Because you like us: The language of control. Harvard Educational Review, 62, 199-208.
5.
BradshawC. P.KothC. W.BevansK. B.IalongoN.LeafP. J. (2008). The impact of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) on the organizational health of elementary schools. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 462-473. doi:10.1007/s11121-008-0114-9
6.
BradshawC. P.MitchellM. M.LeafP. J. (2010). Examining the effects of schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports on student outcomes: Results from a randomized controlled effectiveness trial in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12, 133-148. doi:10.1177/1098300709334798
7.
BradshawC. P.ReinkeW. M.BrownL. D.BevansK. B.LeafP. J. (2008). Implementation of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in elementary schools: Observations from a randomized trial. Education & Treatment of Children, 31, 1-26. doi:10.1353/etc.0.0025
8.
BrendtroL. K.BrokenlegM.Van BockernS. (2006). Reclaiming youth at risk: Our hope for the future. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
9.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2012). Aboriginal report 2006/07-2010/11: How are we doing?Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Author.
10.
BrownD. F. (2003). Urban teachers’ use of culturally responsive management strategies. Theory Into Practice, 42, 277-282.
11.
Canadian Council on Learning. (2009). The state of Aboriginal learning in Canada: A holistic approach to measuring success. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Author.
12.
CarrE. G. (2007). The expanding vision of positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 9, 3-14. doi:10.1177/10983007070090010201
CarrE. G.LevinL.McConnachieG.CarlsonJ. I.KempD. C.SmithC. E. (1994). Communication-based intervention for problem behavior: A user’s guide for producing positive change. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
15.
CastagnoA. E.BrayboyB. M. K. J. (2008). Culturally responsive schooling for indigenous youth: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 78, 941-993. doi:10.3102/0034654308323036
16.
ClearyL. M.PeacockT. D. (1998). Collected wisdom: American Indian education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
17.
CroneD. A.HawkenL. S.HornerR. H. (2010). Responding to problem behavior in schools: The behavior education program (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
18.
CroneD. A.HornerR. H. (2003). Building positive behavior support systems in schools: Functional behavioral assessment. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
19.
CurranM. E. (2003). Linguistic diversity and classroom management. Theory Into Practice, 42, 334-340.
20.
Dogrib Community Services Board. (1998). Trails of our Ancestors: Wha Ti Trail. Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories, Canada: Author.
21.
English-CurrieV. (1990). The need for re-evaluation in native education. In PerreaultJ.VanceS. (Eds.), Writing the circle: Native women of western Canada (pp. 47-60). Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: NeWest.
22.
ErvinR. A.SchaughencyE.GoodmanS. D.McGlincheyM. T.MatthewsA. (2006). Merging research and practice agendas to address reading and behavior school-wide. School Psychology Review, 35, 198-223.
23.
FriedelT. L. (1999). The role of Aboriginal parents in public education: Barriers to change in an urban setting. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 23, 139-158.
24.
FriesenJ.KrauthB. (2010). Sorting, peers and achievement of Aboriginal students in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Economics, 43, 1273-1301. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5982.2010.01614.x
25.
GarciaR. L.AhlerJ. G. (1992). Indian education: Assumptions, ideologies, strategies. In ReynerJ. (Ed.), Teaching American Indian students (pp. 13-32). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
26.
GayG. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Teachers College Press.
27.
GlasserW. (1999). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
28.
GodfreyJ.PartingtonG.RicherK.HarslettM. (2001). Perceptions of their teachers by Aboriginal students. Issues in Educational Research, 11, 1-13.
29.
GolbyR., & CJBS Staff. (2007). Chief Jimmy Bruneau School PBS manual. Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories, Canada: Author.
30.
GreflundS.McIntoshK.MercerS. H.MayS. L. (2014). Examining disproportionality in school discipline for aboriginal students in schools implementing PBIS. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 29, 213-235.
31.
HornerR. H.SugaiG.SmolkowskiK.EberL.NakasatoJ.ToddA. W.EsparanzaJ. (2009). A randomized, wait-list controlled effectiveness trial assessing school-wide positive behavior support in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 11, 133-144.
32.
JohnstonA.ClaypoolT. (2010). Incorporating a multi-method assessment model in schools that serve First Nations, Inuit, and Métis learners. Native Studies Review, 19(2), 121-138.
33.
JonesC.CaravacaL.CizekS.HornerR. H.VincentC. G. (2006). Culturally responsive schoolwide positive behavior support: A case study in one school with a high proportion of Native American students. Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 9, 108-119.
34.
KaufmanJ. S.JaserS. S.VaughanE. L.ReynoldsJ. S.DiDonatoJ.BernardS. N.Hernandez-BreretonM. (2010). Patterns in office referral data by grade, race/ethnicity, and gender. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12, 44-54. doi:10.1177/1098300708329710
35.
KirknessV. J. (1999). Aboriginal education in Canada: A retrospective and a prospective. Journal of American Indian Education, 39, 14-30.
36.
KlingnerJ. K.ArtilesA. J.KozleskiE.HarryB.ZionS.TateW.. . .RileyD. (2005). Addressing the disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education through culturally responsive educational systems. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 13(38), 1-40.
37.
LewisT. J.SugaiG. (1999). Effective behavior support: A systems approach to proactive schoolwide management. Focus on Exceptional Children, 31(6), 1-24.
38.
LipkaJ. (1991). Toward a culturally based pedagogy: A case study of one Yup’ik Eskimo teacher. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 22, 203-223.
39.
MainaF. (1997). Culturally relevant pedagogy: First Nations education in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 17, 293-314.
40.
MarkerM. (2009). Indigenous resistance and racist schooling on the borders of empires: Coast Salish cultural survival. Paedagogica Historica, 45, 757-772. doi:10.1080/00309230903335678
41.
MarquisJ. G.HornerR. H.CarrE. G.TurnbullA. P.ThompsonM.BehrensG. A.. . .RyanK. A. (2000). A meta-analysis of positive behavior support. In GerstenR.SchillerE. P.VaughnS. (Eds.), Contemporary special education research: Syntheses of the knowledge base on critical instructional issues (pp. 137-178). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
42.
McCarthyJ.BenallyJ. (2003). Classroom management in a Navajo middle school. Theory Into Practice, 42, 296-304.
43.
McIntoshK.BennettJ. L.PriceK. (2011). Evaluation of social and academic effects of School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support in a Canadian school district. Exceptionality Education International, 21, 46-60.
44.
McIntoshK.BrownJ. A.BorgmeierC. J. (2008). Validity of functional behavior assessment within an RTI framework: Evidence and future directions. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 34, 6-14.
45.
McIntoshK.FilterK. J.BennettJ. L.RyanC.SugaiG. (2010). Principles of sustainable prevention: Designing scale-up of school-wide positive behavior support to promote durable systems. Psychology in the Schools, 47, 5-21. doi:10.1002/pits.20448
46.
McIntoshK.FisherE. S.KennedyK. S.CraftC. B.MorrisonG. M. (2012). Using office discipline referrals and school exclusion data to assess school discipline. In JimersonS. R.NickersonA. B.MayerM. J.FurlongM. J. (Eds.), Handbook of school violence and school safety: International research and practice (2nd ed., pp. 305-315). New York, NY: Routledge.
47.
MussellB.CardiffK.WhiteJ. (2004). The mental health and well-being of Aboriginal children and youth: Guidance for new approaches and services. Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada: Sal’i’shan Institute.
48.
MykotaD. B.SchweanV. L. (2006). Moderator factors in First Nation students at risk for psychosocial problems. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 21, 4-17.
49.
National Indian Brotherhood/Assembly of First Nations. (1972). Indian control of Indian education: Policy paper. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Author.
50.
NeeganE. (2005). Excuse me: Who are the first peoples of Canada? A historical analysis of Aboriginal education in Canada then and now. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 9, 3-15.
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. (1996). People to people, nation to nation: Highlights from the report of the royal commission on Aboriginal peoples. Retrieved from http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100014597#chp3
55.
RyanJ. (1995). Doing things the right way: Dene traditional justice in Lac La Martre, NWT. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Artic Institute of North America, University of Calgary Press.
56.
SirinS. R. (2005). Socioeconomic status and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review of research. Review of Educational Research, 75, 417-453.
57.
SkibaR. J.PetersonR. L. (2000). School discipline at a crossroads: From zero tolerance to early response. Exceptional Children, 66, 335-396.
58.
SkinnerL. (1999). Teaching through traditions: Incorporating native languages and cultures into curricula. In SwisherK.TippeconnicJ. (Eds.), Next steps: Research and practice to advance Indian education (pp. 107-134). Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse.
59.
SmithD.VarcoeC.EdwardsN. (2005). Turning around the intergenerational impact of residential schools on Aboriginal people: Implications for health policy and practice. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 37(4), 38-60.
60.
SoodakL. C. (2003). Classroom management in inclusive settings. Theory Into Practice, 42, 327-333.
61.
SoodakL. C.ErwinE. J. (2000). Valued member or tolerated participant: Parents’ experiences in inclusive early childhood settings. The Journal of the Association for Persons With Severe Handicaps, 25, 29-41.
62.
SpragueJ. R.HornerR. H. (2006). Schoolwide positive behavioral supports. In JimersonS. R.FurlongM. J. (Eds.), The handbook of school violence and school safety: From research to practice (pp. 413-428). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
63.
StarnesB. A. (2006). What we don’t know can hurt them: White teachers, Indian children. Phi Delta Kappan, 87, 384-392.
64.
Statistics Canada. (2008). Aboriginal peoples in Canada in 2006: Inuit, Métis and First Nations, 2006 census. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Author.
65.
SugaiG.HornerR. H. (2002). Introduction to the special series on positive behavior support in schools. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 10, 130-135.
66.
SugaiG.HornerR. H.DunlapG.HienemanM.LewisT. J.NelsonC. M.. . .RuefM. (2000). Applying positive behavior support and functional behavioral assessment in schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2, 131-143. doi:10.1177/109830070000200302
TolleyC. (2007). Chief Jimmy Bruneau School. In FulfordG. (Ed.), Sharing our success: More case studies in Aboriginal schooling (pp. 59-96). Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada: Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education.
70.
UtleyC. A.KozleskiE.SmithA.DraperI. L. (2002). Positive behavior support: A proactive strategy for minimizing behavior problems in urban multicultural youth. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 4, 196-207. doi:10.1177/10983007020040040301
VincentC. G.RandallC.CartledgeG.TobinT. J.Swain-BradwayJ. (2011). Toward a conceptual integration of cultural responsiveness and schoolwide positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 13, 219-229. doi:10.1177/1098300711399765
74.
VincentC. G.TobinT. J. (2011). The relationship between implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) and disciplinary exclusion of students from various ethnic backgrounds with and without disabilities. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 19, 217-232. doi:10.1177/1063426610377329
75.
WeinsteinC.CurranM.Tomlinson-ClarkeS. (2003). Culturally responsive classroom management: Awareness into action. Theory Into Practice, 42, 269-276.
76.
WestE.Leon-GuerreroR. M.StevensD. (2007). Establishing codes of acceptable schoolwide behavior in a multicultural society. Beyond Behavior, 16(2), 32-38.
