How to Successfully Implement De-escalation Training in Schools

CPI training prepares and empowers educators, administrators, counselors, and school support professionals with the tools and resources they need to create a proactive learning environment. When staff are confident in managing student behavior, they can focus on creating the highest quality learning environment possible.

There are a variety of reasons why a school or district may consider adding de-escalation training to their behavior management initiatives. Some of the more common reasons we hear include:

• Addressing challenging/disruptive student behaviors
• Increasing staff retention and development opportunities
• Reducing the use of restraints
• Needing a proactive approach to behavior management
• Looking to mitigate crises
• Improving student outcomes

In recent years, districts have also begun to seek CPI’s help because the district has fallen under a consent decree or other civil litigation related to discriminatory practices regarding the use of restrictive practices.

At the end of the day, regardless of your motivation, successful implementation of training influences your school’s culture, resulting in meaningful, sustained growth for your capabilities.

The CPI Implementation Process

Over the course of CPI’s 40+ years of experience, we have stood side-by-side with educators and administrators bringing our evidence-based approaches into the classroom. During this time, we too have learned that implementing concepts into the culture of the classroom does not happen overnight. This commitment to our own continuous learning has led to the development of our processes.

Using our specialized tools and resources in true partnership with your school or district, the team at CPI can help in providing the foundation necessary to affect lasting changes that benefit students, educators, administrators, and the community.

Our implementation process is designed to facilitate the implementation of our content into the unique needs of each school’s general education, special education, and support functions.

With a clear focus on meeting short- and long-term objectives, the CPI implementation process is key to setting the stage and maximizing the return on investment of time, energy, and resources.

Let’s take a closer look.

Discover

During the Discover phase, the CPI Professional Services team will work with you to understand your goals and the motivation for pursuing CPI content. We’ll uncover how your staff work, where they find success, where they are challenged, and other factors that may impact their training. At this stage we’ll discuss your vision for training staff, the benefits of a trained staff for students, and requirements of other stakeholders for the implementation of CPI training. Understanding what successful implementation looks like for you helps us zero in on the CPI strategy that will provide the best support and yield the results you’re looking for.

Just as we are engaged in discovery, you too will discover the breadth of resources available that can have a lasting impact on the culture of your school, students, staff, and learning environment.

Diagnose

Transitioning into the Diagnose phase, we will develop a specific recommendation designed to achieve the short-and long-term goals using our proprietary processes. Leveraging our experience when working with large and small, urban and rural school districts throughout North America, CPI will recommend specific training for each staff member within a district using our multi-dimensional Risk Assessment.

Every school community is different, with its own unique risks, responsibilities, and needs. That’s why we customize a training solution based upon your strengths, capabilities, goals, and current behavior management strategies.

All too often, the one-size-fits-all approach is taken when deciding what training to provide to staff. The unfortunate result of this approach is some staff being over-trained, under-trained, or receiving irrelevant information. Diagnose results in specific recommendations based on data instead of emotions or current fads.

Design

During the Design phase, CPI will partner with key stakeholders in your school to develop your implementation strategy. This is where we’ll discuss technology implementation, direct delivery vs. instructor certification, communication, prioritization of training, training reinforcements, and other factors that lead to successful adoption. Once an implementation strategy has been determined, CPI will work alongside your team to identify candidates for your Instructor Certification Program.  Your CPI Certified Instructors will have a significant impact on the overall success of the CPI training program at your organization. Their organizational knowledge, attitude and professionalism will set the tone for everyone who participates in the training while serving as the “boots on the ground coach” for your staff as they apply CPI concepts.

The best CPI Instructor Candidates often have the ability to influence their colleagues while possessing these four skillsets:

1. Presentation skills: address challenges and questions in a positive manner, while directing groups through active participation exercises.


2. Availability: can the candidate commit to both the initial certification process and training their colleagues throughout the year?


3. Knowledge base: demonstrate sound judgment when faced with challenging behaviors.


4. Professional attitude: does the candidate’s overall professional attitude reflect a philosophy of respect and dignity toward the individuals in their charge?

Deliver

The Deliver phase is composed of two parts.

On-Going Support

CPI knows that true learning is iterative. Successfully navigating the implementation process does not mean that our job is done and that you and your district will be on your own. A designated contact within CPI will monitor your progress as you work toward your goals and help to make course corrections based on your data, while working to assure that your CPI training is more than the “flavor of the day.”

As the global leader in behavior management training, we stand with our education partners and we genuinely believe that every student, staff, and school community member is entitled to the best possible Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security^SM.

An Investment in Staff Development and Student Outcomes

For more than 40 years, we’ve helped thousands of education professionals create safe, healthy learning environments for their students. Read what several CPI customers have to say about the successes they have experienced since implementing de-escalation training in their schools and districts.

Milwaukee Public Schools

Following challenges associated with a pandemic learning environment in 2020, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) utilized Verbal Intervention™, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^®, and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^®, 2^nd Edition With Advanced Physical Skills Training to address learning loss, trauma, and anxiety experienced by students. Facing teacher shortages and increased anxiety among staff, MPS also utilized their CPI training to increase staff confidence and preparedness.

“After implementing CPI training, I have more staff sharing their experiences about being able to verbally de-escalate more effectively.”

Anthony Jacobs, Department of School Safety and Security for MPS

Lafayette Parish School System

“CPI training is the best methodology to prevent acting-out behaviors before they can occur and when they do occur the training allows you to de-escalate students and allow them to keep their dignity.”

Kelly Sonnier, Crisis Intervention Teacher, Lafayette Parish School Board

• Decreased the use of physical restraints and seclusions by 75-99% since implementing CPI training.
• Reduced worker compensation claims by over 50%.
• Trained nearly 5,000 individuals, throughout 45 schools, over the course of four years.

Montgomery County Public Schools

As your school or district allocates dollars for professional development and the upcoming school year, consider investing in CPI training and resources to help fulfill your behavior management and staff development goals. Learn more about the diverse training programs we offer for education professionals here.

AlGene P. Caraulia is the Vice President of Integration and Sustainability at Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). Drawing upon his expertise in organizational behavior, program design, facilitation, and implementation, Caraulia led CPI's Training Department, Global Professional Managers and Instructors in North America, Europe and Asia. In 2018, he transitioned into his current role partnering with enterprises and focusing on the delivery of superior customer experiences to internal and external customers. Caraulia began his career at CPI as a Professional Staff Instructor and has provided Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^® and related training to professionals in education, health care, mental health, human service and security/law enforcement practices across the globe.

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