Full Description
Improve student behavior through meaningful and lasting change. Principal and education consultant Kortney Milford shares a refreshing, real-world approach to transforming student behavior that goes beyond quick fixes or punishment systems. Drawing from years of experience leading schools through challenging seasons, Kortney reveals how small, intentional shifts in adult mindset and practice can spark significant, lasting change across an entire building.
This easy-to-use book emphasizes effective practices that help educators reflect on, adjust, and respond through their own behavior—ultimately inspiring positive change in students. Inside, you'll learn how to:
Build accountability through consistency and compassion
Teach clear behavioral expectations and model them daily
Plan proactive supports rather than reactive responses
Strengthen staff alignment around shared beliefs and practices
Adapt strategies to fit your school's unique needs and culture
You'll come away with practical, sustainable tools to create long-term success and ultimately improve your school. Because when you change how your school approaches behavior—you change everything.
Contents
Acknowledgements Meet the Author Preface 1. Lead the Adults to Lead the Students 2. The Starting Point 3. Don't Abandon Your Programs: Prioritize Your People 4. Kids Keep Doing What Works 5. Understanding Behavior Doesn't Mean Accepting It 6. Spend Your Time on the Problem, Not the Solution 7. The Source and Support Process for Student Behavior 8. Say "Connection-Seeking", Not "Attention-Seeking" 9. Find a Connection Point 10. Set Expectations for Everyone 11. Be Intentional About the Language You Use 12. Teach Behavior Like You Teach Reading 13. No Punishments: Still Accountable 14. Connect. Reflect. Repair. 15. Plan Proactive Supports, Not Reactive Responses 16. Become Unflappable 17. How to Phone a Friend 18. Shaping Elopement: Guiding Students Back to Safety and Support Afterword
