The monthly New York State Board of Regents meeting Monday Nov. 13, 2017 in Albany, N.Y. (Photo: Skip Dickstein/ Times Union)
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ALBANY — Over a year ago, Schenectady schoolteachers and administrators began trying something new. When a student acted out, instead of asking "What is wrong with you?" they started asking "What has happened to you?"
As soon as educators started to consider that trauma — a parent's death, a father in prison, physical or sexual abuse, homelessness, a parent with mental illness or addiction — may have something to do with a child's behavior, their response to that behavior changed.
Instead of seeking to punish, they sought to understand, and according to Schenectady Schools Superintendent Larry Spring, that caused disciplinary referrals and incidents to shrink by half from September 2016 to September 2017.
"It takes a lot of work to shift mindsets, but it can have a pretty profound result," Spring told state education policymakers Monday, as they met to review practices that could improve overall school climate.
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