MBI - Montana Behavioral Initiative

  • ·        In Montana, school personnel, students, parents, and public officials are calling for solutions to increasing incidents of insubordination, alienation,aggressive behavior, truancy, drug use, dropout rates, and vandalism. As partners in education, we have a shared responsibility to address these concerns by developing a positive school culture, which includes the characteristics of personal and social responsibility and productive community participation.

    ·        The term initiative refers to proactive efforts by community and school leaders to identify and prioritize concerns, teach acceptable alternatives to inappropriate behaviors and create a culture of respect in the academic setting. With this in mind, the Montana Behavioral Initiative is a content-based staff development philosophy and process designed to meet students’ diverse and complex social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs. More specifically, MBI endorses the belief statements listed below:

    ·        All students should be taught all the skills necessary for success: academic,social, emotional, and behavioral.

    ·        Schools are places where students can learn and practice positive interpersonal,cross-cultural, and citizenship skills.

    ·        A caring school climate and positive relationships between students and staff are critical to student success and provide an environment where academics flourish.

    ·        Schools are places where youth have access to many significant adults to help them feel collectively and individually valued.

    ·        Schools and communities must work together to meet the diverse needs of students and honor the traditions and contributions of both family and community members.

    ·        All students are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.

    ·        Successful schools gather and use a variety of information to improve teaching and learning.

    ·        Effectiveuse of a team approach involving all school staff working together provides a consistency which enhances student success.

    ·        Positive, proactive and preventative efforts of schools and communities can create a school climate free of stereotyping, harassment, hatred and violence—filled with a concern for justice and fairness.