East View Elementary School has developed innovative incentive and reward systems to support the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program (PBIS).
The school also uses ClassDojo as a classroom communications and management tool that connects parents to their child’s classroom experience through sharing photographs, videos and messages on a secure app. Students can earn positive Dojo points for good behavior and meeting expectations. These points are then translated into a percentage on a daily or weekly basis.
EVES intermediate boys who earn 80 percent or higher on ClassDojo for the week are invited to wear a collared shirt to school on Fridays and visit the office of assistant principal Brandon Brooks to select a tie to wear for the day.
“The students seem to really enjoy dressing up for the day and wearing a tie,” Brooks said. “At the beginning of the year, I have so many students inquiring about how they get to wear a tie. Teachers have noticed students ‘walking taller’ when they have their tie on. They have gained confidence in themselves. Our big picture goal is for these behaviors and attitudes to become the norm for our students. We want to give our students the opportunity to build respect and pride in themselves. When you see someone in a tie, you would assume you are looking at a professional. We want our students to gain this feeling. At East View Elementary School, the tie represents maturity, leadership and meeting schoolwide expectations.”
Brooks keeps a wide selection of ties in his office, which come from his personal collection, thrift stores and donations from DCPS employees. “Donations are always welcome and appreciated,” Brooks said. “I plan on switching the ties out every so often to keep the interest of students. We would also welcome donations of collared shirts, including button-up shirts and polos, as some students might forget or maybe don’t have a collared shirt at home.”