How's Your Code?

The code of conduct in a school is tied to the hidden curriculum that we teach our students on a day-to-day basis.  Some schools have it written down, as “Thou Shall Not do this or that”, and other schools embrace the 3 R’s with “Respect this, Respect that and Respect these”.  Is this good enough? Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children the norms, values and beliefs that govern our society?

A hidden curriculum is a side effect of an education; lessons which are learned but not openly intended such as the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment.

(2009, The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling)

As the pressures of society put more and more demands on our parents, it’s the schools that are increasingly being asked to provide more guidance in the social upbringing of our children.  The challenge schools face in meeting this demand are directly related to the growing diversity of socio-economic status, culture, and ethnicity within our society. In order to honour our differences and at the same time teach norms, values, and beliefs, we must take into account the many variables that make up our society.  The schoolhouse is the common bond that unites all children and hopefully, finds the common strand that runs through socioeconomic and cultural differences.

The current school code of conduct design seems to be outdated for where we are in our evolution of educational thought. The evolution of what a school code of conduct is to be, has moved beyond being a simple script or set of rules. If we’re asking our students to reflect and evaluate their values and beliefs and align them with a common understanding of how we all want to be treated, then we must be thoughtful in how we design and implement a code for our school. Maybe that’s the answer…  Moving past a code of conduct, and developing a more holistic, all encompassing “CODE” that addresses more than just conduct. A code that is living and breathing and larger than any one individual. One that strikes right to the heart and finds the common core values that thread through our diversity. A code that isn’t a script but rather a way of being that is acknowledged and lived through the fabric of a school.

The new era CODE should be values-based and should guide behavior towards commonly accepted beliefs on how we all should conduct relationships. Not a top down directive, but rather an idea grown out of all participants who own it, believe in it and speak its common language.  A code that is grounded in values and developed through a mutual understanding of what is acceptable behavior.  Does this exist in our schools today? Yes, we know that it is implied that we should be doing this, but where are the mechanisms that force our students to reflect on their values and or beliefs and are we really doing a good enough job teaching core values?

So what should a school code look and feel like?  We believe the answer lies in using the Positive Behavior Systems approach. Through PBS, the school culture is bolstered through positive reinforcement. Primary, secondary and tertiary levels of intervention are targeted and tied together in a process of intervention for all students. The code becomes applicable to all students and is something that everyone is proud of and uses to define who they are.

“What is PBS:  Improving student academic and behavior outcomes is about ensuring all students have access to the most effective and accurately implemented instructional and behavioral practices and interventions possible. PBS provides an operational framework for achieving these outcomes. More importantly, PBS is NOT a curriculum, intervention, or practice, but IS a decision making framework that guides selection, integration, and implementation of the best evidence-based academic and behavioral practices for improving important academic and behavior outcomes for all students.”

(2009, Positive Behaviour Intervention Supports.  Effective Schoolwide Interventions)

A fully developed functioning school code fosters an environment that allows students to be engaged in a place of learning that is not only free of prejudice but also nurturing and caring for everyone.  It promotes and endorses all the ideals of a safe and effective school. As schools are increasingly being tasked to play a greater role in social development, it behooves us to use systems that nurture and support the common values that unite diversity.  A school code should be by design, positive, reinforcing, and most important of all owned by everyone.

Is your code a functioning part of the cultural fabric of your school?

  

Identify the stakeholders…       Trust the process…      Trust the people…