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Building Behavior
Building Behavior
The Educator’s Guide to
Evidence-Based Initiatives

Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan


and
John E. Hannigan
FOR INFORMATION: Copyright © 2020 by Corwin

Corwin All rights reserved. Except as permitted by U.S. copyright law, no part of this work
A SAGE Company may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a
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www.corwin.com for educational use by educators, local school sites, and/or noncommercial or
nonprofit entities that have purchased the book.

SAGE Publications Ltd. All third party trademarks referenced or depicted herein are included solely for the
1 Oliver’s Yard purpose of illustration and are the property of their respective owners. Reference to
55 City Road these trademarks in no way indicates any relationship with, or endorsement by, the
trademark owner.
London EC1Y 1SP
United Kingdom

Printed in the United States of America


SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044
Names: Djabrayan Hannigan, Jessica, author. | Hannigan, John E., author.
India
Title: Building behavior: the educator’s guide to evidence-based initiatives /
SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd. Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan and John E. Hannigan.
18 Cross Street #10-10/11/12 Description: Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin, 2019. |
China Square Central Includes bibliographical references and index.
Singapore 048423 Identifiers: LCCN 2019006518 | ISBN 9781544340081 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Behavior modification—United States. | School discipline—United
States. | Restorative justice—United States. | Culturally relevant pedagogy—United
States. | Affective education—United States.
Classification: LCC LB1060.2 .D52 2019 | DDC 371.39/3—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019006518

Program Director: Jessica Allan This book is printed on acid-free paper.


Content Development Editor: Lucas Schleicher
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Copy Editor: Amy Marks
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DISCLAIMER: This book may direct you to access third-party content via web links, QR codes, or other scannable technologies,
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and assumes no liability for your use of any third-party content, nor does Corwin approve, sponsor, endorse, verify, or certify
such third-party content.
PBIS
CONTENTS

Acknowledgmentsvii

Character Education
About the Authors ix

PART I • BUILDING BEHAVIOR (THE WHY)


Chapter 1 • Building Effective Behavior Initiatives in Schools 3
The Why Behind This Book 4
How to Use This Book: Building Behavior 8
Behavior Initiatives K-W-L Strategy 14
Before You Begin: An Important Note 16

Restorative Justice
PART II • BUILDING BEHAVIOR (THE WHAT)
Chapter 2 • Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports 19
The What—Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) 20
Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to the
Core Components of PBIS 25
Synthesized Indicators of PBIS Implementation Success and Challenges 29

Culturally Responsive Teaching


PBIS Best-Practice Resource Inventory 31

Chapter 3 • Character Education 35


The What—Character Education 36
Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to the Core
Components of Character Education 40
Synthesized Indicators of Character Education Implementation
Success and Challenges 44
Character Education Best-Practice Resource Inventory 46

Trauma-Informed Practices
Chapter 4 • Restorative Justice 51
The What—Restorative Justice 52
Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to the Core
Components of Restorative Justice 56
Synthesized Indicators of Restorative Justice Implementation
Success and Challenges 60
Restorative Justice Best-Practice Resource Inventory 62

Chapter 5 • Culturally Responsive Teaching 69


The What—Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) 70
Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to the
Core Components of CRT 75
Synthesized Indicators of CRT Implementation Success and Challenges 79
SEL

CRT Best-Practice Resource Inventory 80


Chapter 6 • Trauma-Informed Practices 85
The What—Trauma-Informed Practices (TIPs) 86
Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to
the Core Components of TIPs 90
Synthesized Indicators of TIPs Implementation Success and Challenges 94
TIPs Best-Practice Resource Inventory 96

Chapter 7 • Social and Emotional Learning 107


The What—Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) 108
Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to
the Core Components of SEL 113
Synthesized Indicators of SEL Implementation Success and Challenges 116
SEL Best-Practice Resource Inventory 117

PART III • BUILDING BEHAVIOR (THE HOW)


Chapter 8 • Bringing It All Together: Building Behavior Initiatives 125
Bringing It All Together: Synthesis of the Six Behavior Initiatives 126
SchoolWide Behavior Initiatives Process (SW-BIP) 131
SW-BIP Phase 1: Selection 132
SW-BIP Phase 2: Self-Assessment 135
SW-BIP Phase 3: Solutions 140
Closing Thoughts: Tips and Suggestions from the Authors 154

References157
Index163

Visit the companion website at


online
resources http://resources.corwin.com/BuildingBehavior
for downloadable resources.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

W e wish to thank all the educators, researchers, practitioners, experts, and organizations
for their contributions to the inspiration and knowledge in creating this book. To our
immediate family, we could have not completed this book without your endless love, support,
and babysitting services. Thank you to our loving children Riley, Rowan, and Baby John for
being our biggest supporters. Our appreciation goes to the team at Corwin for recognizing this
is a comprehensive guide for educators worldwide. Thank you for giving us the platform to share
evidence-based behavior initiatives. To all who read this book, we thank you for doing what is
best for students.

PUBLISHER’S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Corwin gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following reviewers:

Ray Boyd Vicki McFarland


Principal Director of Federal Programs/Curriculum
West Beechboro Independent Primary School Learning Matters Educational Group
Beechboro, Western Australia Glendale, AZ

Faith Chaney-Grant LaQuita Outlaw, EdD


8th Grade English Language Arts Teacher Principal
Springfield Public Schools Bay Shore Middle School
Springfield, MO Bay Shore, NY

Shannon Hobbs-Beckley Mandy White


Associate Principal Science Teacher
Graded American School of Sa∼o Paulo Vicenza Middle School
Sa∼o Paulo, SP APO, AE, Italy

Marcia LeCompte
Retired Elementary Teacher
Baton Rouge, LA

vii
ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr. Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan is an assis-


tant professor in the Educational Leadership
Department at California State University,
Fresno. She works with schools and districts
throughout the nation on designing and
implementing effective behavior systems. Her
expertise includes response to intervention
(RTI) behavior, multi-tiered systems of sup-
port (MTSS), positive behavior interventions
and supports (PBIS), social and emotional
learning (SEL), and more. The combination
of her special education and student support
services background, school- and district-level
administration, and higher education research
experiences has allowed her to develop inclu-
sive research-based best practices around
systemic implementation of behavior initia-
tives throughout the nation. Some of her rec-
ognitions include being named California
Outstanding School Psychologist of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Outstanding Faculty
Publications and Service Award recipient, being recognized by the California Legislature
Assembly for her work in social justice and equity, and the inaugural Association of California
School Administrators Exemplary Woman in Education Award in 2017 for her relentless
work around equity in schools.

Dr. John E. Hannigan is an executive leader-


ship coach for Fresno County Superintendent
of Schools in California. He has served in edu-
cation for over 16 years as a principal, assistant
principal, instructional coach, and teacher.
Under his leadership, his school has received
numerous awards and recognitions, includ-
ing California State Distinguished School,
Gold Ribbon School, Title I Academic School,
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
(Platinum Level), and an exemplary RTI school
for both academics and behavior. His school was
selected as a knowledge development site for the
statewide scaling up of multi-tiered systems of
support (MTSS).

ix
PART ONE
BUILDING
BEHAVIOR
(The Why)
1
BUILDING EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR
INITIATIVES IN SCHOOLS

IN THIS CHAPTER you will find out why this book is needed, how it is designed to be
used, and how to navigate through the behavior initiatives using the Behavior Initiatives K-W-L
strategy for your school.

Section 1: The Why Behind This Book


Section 2: How to Use This Book: Building Behavior
Section 3: Behavior Initiatives K-W-L Strategy

3
4  Part I ■ Building Behavior (The Why)

SECTION 1: THE WHY BEHIND THIS BOOK


Schools and districts nationwide are experiencing a rapid increase in the number of students
needing social/emotional and behavioral support to access their education. These increasing
numbers have left some teachers, administrators, and parents at a loss. Now, more than ever,
educators need to adjust, learn, and grow to meet the needs of the “whole” student. Students
deserve to have access to school environments that are safe, welcoming, protective, preventive,
tolerant, diverse, and supportive, and that have high expectations conducive to their academic
learning as well as their social/emotional and behavioral needs. Creating school environments
that meet these complex and sometimes invisible needs is challenging but worth the school’s and
district’s investment of time and resources. To that end, educators need to implement behavior
initiatives consistently and with a faithfulness to the cause they seek to correct.
Some compelling reasons for the why in this investment include the importance of build-
ing independence, resilience, self-regulation, problem-solving skills, and overall positive mental
health for students, instead of using the traditional, exclusionary/reactionary practices. How stu-
dents’ social/emotional and behavioral needs are addressed in school is inextricably connected
to their academic and social success; therefore, it is critical that implementation of behavior
initiatives is made a top priority and is based on the needs of the students served. Furthermore,
a strong positive correlation exists between behavior problems and low academic achievement
(Gest & Gest, 2005; Cook, Landrum, Tankersley, & Kauffman, 2003). There is also a reciprocal
effect by which behavior problems disrupt academic engagement. As a result, students may fail
to master skills due to lack of engagement; by contrast, students in a highly engaged class with
higher levels of academic achievement demonstrate fewer behavior difficulties (Payne, Marks,
& Bogan, 2007).
Based on more than 20 years of research on discipline approaches, researchers have found
that out-of-school suspensions and zero-tolerance approaches do not reduce or prevent misbe-
havior and are correlated with lower achievement (Irvin, Tobin, Sprague, Sugai, & Vincent,
2004; Losen, 2011; Mayer, 1995; Skiba & Peterson, 1999; Skiba & Rausch, 2006). Students
who were suspended or expelled were more likely to be held back a grade or drop out of school,
more so if they were disciplined repeatedly (Balfanz & Boccanfuso, 2007). In relation to this
finding, 37 percent of students aged 14 and older with a mental health condition drop out of
school; this is the highest dropout rate of any disability group (National Alliance on Mental
Illness, n.d.).
Furthermore, children from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds experience and are
impacted by trauma, which may manifest itself in students in social/emotional or behavioral
forms. In fact, research suggests that between half and two-thirds of all school-aged children
experience trauma that may affect their learning (Copeland et al., 2007; Felitti et al., 1998).
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (n.d.), one out of five children aged 13–18
have or will have a serious mental illness (11 percent have a mood disorder, 10 percent have a
behavior or conduct disorder, 8 percent have an anxiety disorder). Anxiety disorders are the
most common mental health concern in the United States. An estimated 40 million adults in
the United States (18 percent) have an anxiety disorder. Meanwhile, approximately 8 percent of
children and teenagers experience an anxiety disorder. Most people develop symptoms before
age 21. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated
9 percent of children aged 3–17 have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Suicide
is the third leading cause of death in youth aged 10–24 years, with 90 percent of those who died
by suicide having an underlying mental illness. Seventy percent of youth in juvenile justice sys-
tems have at least one mental health condition, and at least 20 percent live with a serious mental
illness (Skowyra & Cocozza, 2007).
As illustrated by these alarming statistics, students clearly have a variety of social/emotional
and behavioral needs when they walk into our classrooms each day. Establishing a school cam-
pus that is equipped to respond to this diverse range of student needs requires close attention,
across the entire system, to the identification and implementation of behavior initiatives for the
long-term benefit of students as well as the adults serving them. Most educators would agree
Chapter 1 ■ Building Effective Behavior Initiatives in Schools   5

that this type of school environment is best for all students. However, the understanding of the
why, what, and how of a specific behavior initiative selected for implementation and the process
of continuous improvement are not always in alignment. As a result, many initiatives fail to be
implemented successfully and are tossed aside in pursuit of the “next best thing.”
The information in this book will help schools begin or refine the work of building behavior
initiatives to meet the diverse needs of students rather than continuing to reach for the next best
thing. Specifically, the book examines six common behavior initiatives.

SIX IDENTIFIED BEHAVIOR INITIATIVES

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports


Character Education
Restorative Justice
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Trauma-Informed Practices
Social and Emotional Learning

Each behavior initiative is a research-based social/emotional or behavioral initiative designed


to address the identified diverse needs of students. Before we discuss the information that will
be provided for each of these behavior initiatives, we want to share some snapshots highlighting
key characteristics of each. These identified behavior initiatives are not in competition with one
another but, rather, are inclusive in nature, based on the diverse needs of your students and depend-
ing on the intended outcomes for implementation. Each of these initiatives is designed to serve a
function or belief system around social/emotional or behavioral supports; therefore, it is essen-
tial that the selected initiative be implemented with fidelity.

Thoughts resonating with you so far:


6  Part I ■ Building Behavior (The Why)

Snapshots From Schools Implementing the


Six Behavioral Initiatives

Positive Behavior Interventions and Character Education


Supports (PBIS)
In a character education school, you may see
In a PBIS school, you may see three to five monthly teaching and recognition around the
behavior expectations identified schoolwide, identified character virtues. The teaching
taught, posted, and reinforced in all and reinforcing of these character virtues
settings of the school. Having a consistent are more intrinsic in nature and connected
language for behavior expectations and to possible service learning opportunities
rules throughout all settings of the school schoolwide or by grade level or department.
is evident. You may see a tiered system of You may see banners posted with the character
behavioral support interventions in place virtues throughout the school and hear them
for students needing additional support. For on all school announcements. You may see a
example, there are procedures for collecting character trait of the month identified, students
minor and major behavior data regularly in all and staff wearing a certain color for each
settings, so the PBIS team has data to assign character trait on specific days of the week, and
additional behavior reteaching opportunities student of the month awards given out around
for students. You may see “caught being demonstration of these character traits. There
good” tickets given to students demonstrating is an ongoing focus on helping students to
appropriate behaviors and possibly an become positive members of the community.
incentive-type store (in person or online)
set up for students to receive incentives
in exchange for caught being good tickets
or point systems. There may be clear and
consistent routines and procedures in place
for responding to discipline needs inside and
outside of the classroom. You may also see
positively stated signs posted throughout the
school reinforcing the behavior expectations
and rules of the school. Alternative forms of
discipline are encouraged for students rather
than the traditional exclusionary methods
such as suspensions and expulsions.

Restorative Justice Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)


In a restorative justice school, you may see In a CRT school, you may see teachers who
classroom respect agreements created by can articulate and teach using a culturally
the students in every class, classroom circles responsive lens. Classrooms are managed
taking place weekly on student-selected or with firm, consistent, loving control.
relevant topics, challenges, or needs of the Teachers are personally inviting, and the
students, school, or community. There is learning environment is physically and
a focus on teaching all the educators and culturally inviting. Students are reinforced
students the importance of coexisting in peace. for academic development with high
You may see restoring relationship structures expectations. Teachers are the facilitators of
between student-teacher, student-student, a student-centered classroom environment.
and student-community. You may see youth Students have a voice in their education;
court opportunities for students to help other and their background, context, and culture
students learn from their behaviors. Teachers are not only accepted and celebrated but
work hard to establish relationships with their also reinforced through the curriculum and
students. instructional design to include culturally
relevant references throughout all
instruction. Instructional changes are made
to accommodate differences in learners.
CRT also provides a lens through which the
teachers’ and staff’s perspectives on parents
and the community are positive and united.
Chapter 1 ■ Building Effective Behavior Initiatives in Schools   7

Trauma-Informed Practices (TIPs) Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)


In a TIPs school, you may see teachers In an SEL school, you may see the SEL core
who understand the signs and symptoms competencies taught and embedded into the
of trauma and the effects it has on a child’s curriculum or design in every classroom.
brain development. Teachers are mindful For example, a school may have both direct
that misbehavior is a reflection of a student’s teaching taking place in SEL with a curriculum,
adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and such as Second Step, as well as SEL instruction
struggle to self-regulate. Teachers in a being integrated in reading, math, history, and
TIPs school don’t view a child’s behavior as other core subjects. Teachers are mindful of
“good” or “bad” but, rather, as “regulated” their own emotions and students’ emotions.
or “dysregulated.” The six principles of a Teachers work hard every day to establish
trauma-informed approach are embedded in relationships with their students. Opportunities
the school system. For example, there may be to understand and express emotions
opportunities in the classroom or in another are provided for students. Professional
room (“safe zone”) for students to go to feel development and training is provided to help
safe and calm themselves down when they students and teachers. You may see coordinated
get overwhelmed and need a break. You may efforts throughout the school, classrooms,
see some play-based and other traditionally home, and the community. At an SEL school,
mental-health-based practices to support diverse backgrounds and cultures are respected
students in the school setting. Most important, and ethical norms for behaviors are recognized
the primary theme, or core value, of the school by families, school, and community. Students
is modeled by every teacher: “You are safe understand the importance of having empathy
here, we love you, and nothing is going to for others and having a growth mindset in
change that.” When responding to challenging academic and social settings. Also, students are
behaviors, teachers are sensitive to student taught to set personal and academic goals and
experiences and invested in learning how are supported in achieving them. In addition,
to help struggling students by approaching at an SEL school, you will see alignment of
misbehavior through the lens of “What schoolwide policies and practices and an
happened to you?” rather than “What is wrong environment with many family and community
with you?” partnerships. Everyone is working as a team to
help achieve school and community outcomes.

All too often we hear some of the following comments from educators, highlighting the need
for this book:

“We don’t really do PBIS anymore. We are more of a restorative justice school.”
“We do not believe in buying behavior with incentives. We believe students should not be
rewarded for doing what they are supposed to be doing, so we stopped implementing PBIS.”
“We are grounded in the foundation of character education virtues. We do not believe in
PBIS.”
“We did not have enough resources to implement trauma-informed practices, so we are
implementing culturally responsive teaching instead.”
“We implement culturally responsive teaching districtwide because we had a racially fueled
student situation at one of our schools that got to the board level.”
“We don’t call it PBIS or restorative justice. We call it social and emotional learning.”
“We do not use the terminology of restorative justice in this district. We had teachers blame
restorative justice practices for lax discipline policies in our schools.”
“We tried PBIS and character education in our school, but it does not work for our students.”
8  Part I ■ Building Behavior (The Why)

SECTION 2: HOW TO USE


THIS BOOK: BUILDING BEHAVIOR
This book provides a guide for schools and districts to “build” behavior initiatives that are best
suited for their school, based on the specific social/emotional and behavioral needs of the stu-
dents they serve. It is designed to do the following:

• Help school staff understand the reasons behind implementing each of the behavior
initiatives highlighted in this book and guide them in building effective behavior
systems (i.e., selection, implementation, progress monitoring, and continuous
improvement). Note: Even if a school is implementing one or a few of these behavior
initiatives, staff should take the time to dig deeper into the identified best practices and
resources or at least be willing to learn what other behavior initiatives can offer.
• Provide common definitions, frameworks, best-practice resources, and implementation
tips; and identify the relationship of the key factors of each of the six behavior initiatives
to John Hattie’s Visible Learning work, which presents the world’s largest collection of
evidence-based research on the factors having the greatest impact on student learning
(Hattie, 2018).
• Explain how to use what we call the SchoolWide Behavior Initiatives Process (SW-BIP)
to select, self-assess, and build an application guide for effective implementation of one
or a combination of the following behavior initiatives: positive behavior interventions
and supports, character education, restorative justice, culturally responsive teaching,
trauma-informed practices, and social and emotional learning.

We want to make building behavior initiatives in schools much less overwhelming by providing . . .

A general understanding of the purpose of each of the six behavior initiatives, rather than using their terms
loosely or interchangeably
A practical resource that condenses the abundance of information available on each of the behavior
initiatives
The knowledge needed to prevent the frequent replacement of one behavior initiative with another without
assessing fidelity of implementation and effectiveness
Tools to examine which behavior initiatives are being implemented well and what can be added to or refined
in existing implementation to improve outcomes for students
Best-practice resources presented in a practical way for each of the behavior initiatives

This book is not designed to replace a comprehensive training for any of these six initiatives,
nor is it a substitute for any of the dozens of books written about them. Had that been the case,
this book would have been the equivalent of a 1,500-page Choose Your Own Adventure book.
What we have done is synthesize the comprehensive literature surrounding each behavior initia-
tive; provide tools, links, and resources that are encompassed within each initiative; and take the
work out of finding this information on your own. What you will see is well beyond anything
you can just go out and Google.
Why didn’t we provide a comprehensive summary of all approaches to each initiative? We
included the commonalities of each initiative until we reached a saturation point and outlined
the differences in order to give readers options for determining what they would prefer to explore
more deeply. Obviously, any new approach to a specific initiative will come to fruition because
a creator or author believes he or she has identified a gap in the way the initiative is written.
Chapter 1 ■ Building Effective Behavior Initiatives in Schools   9

Summarizing them all under one description is impossible because of the subtle nuances each
variation brings. Also, some purists feel strongly that their approach to the initiative is the only
way and that anything different is in direct competition with theirs. We realize that some col-
leagues in the field will be critical of this book because it gives people options besides the one
way of doing something that they have made a living training on. Our intention is to remain
indifferent throughout: one approach is not better than another, and you, the reader, will have
the ability to choose an option that is best for your site. We also take it a step further and give
you the tools needed to see any initiative through to full implementation rather than scrapping
it and moving on to the next one.
This book is designed to help educators understand the purpose for each of these six behavior
initiatives and to provide a starting point with the best-practice resources available as schools or
districts deciding to refine, add to, and/or build effective behavior systems. Essentially, this book
is designed to be a “one-stop shop” to analyze the similarities and differences between each of
the six initiatives and follow an initial SchoolWide Behavior Initiative Plan (SW-BIP) designed
to help build the system.
As we began the difficult task of deciphering research, data, expert testimonials, and practical
applications of the six behavior initiatives, common trends emerged. Specifically, similar reasons
for implementation failure of each behavior initiative became visible, making it clear why this
book is a necessary resource for educators.

Implementation Challenges and Tips for Avoiding Them


The work in this book allows you not only to understand the implementation challenges we
see in schools and districts worldwide but also to learn how to build a higher level of behavior
initiative implementation designed to prevent implementation failure. Fidelity of implementa-
tion is what students need. Before going through each of the six behavior initiatives in depth in
the following chapters, it is important to understand some common implementation challenges
and missteps we have personally witnessed and consider the tips provided to prevent them from
impacting a successful implementation on your campus.

Thoughts resonating with you so far:


10  Part I ■ Building Behavior (The Why)

Common Implementation Challenges Tips to Avoid Common Implementation Challenges


and Missteps and Missteps

Competing behavior initiatives: lack of direction Make the implementation of behavior initiatives just as much of a
and purpose for each priority as any academic initiative: Make it clear that this is necessary for
students to access their learning, and stay consistent with the message.

A blend of components of behavior practices Take the time to audit the implementation fidelity of behavior initiatives:
or initiatives (past and present): lack of full Understand the purpose of each initiative, set goals, and ensure best
implementation with fidelity practices are being implemented.

Moving from implementation of one selected Stay intentional and consistent with implementation rather than
behavior initiative to the next: lack of consistency deviating from the implementation path as soon the first roadblock
and clarity of outcomes; “the next best thing” presents itself: Progress monitoring and continuous improvement should
be part of implementation; otherwise, a “this too shall pass” mentality will
take over.

Lack of understanding, training, building Make sure time is allotted for ongoing professional development and
capacity around each behavior initiative capacity building: If proper ongoing professional development and capacity
building is not a priority, then misconceptions around the behavior initiative
will begin to blossom.

Site and/or district administration beliefs and Leaders of the school must model what they preach: If administrators do
actions do not match not believe in the reasons for implementation and continue using traditional
approaches for behavior, then implementation will not work.

A one-size-fits-all approach Understand that the implementation of behavior initiatives is complex


and requires equity (fairness) rather than equality (sameness): Make
clear that equity in implementation means giving individual students exactly
what they need to access their education, not giving the same response to
every student.

Lack of a clear vision and expectations of the Make the vision and expectations of implementation clear: If staff decide
behavior initiative or structure to support to inconsistently implement bits and pieces of the initiative that they are
implementation comfortable with, rather than full implementation as designed, then it will
not work.

Lack of an accountability structure (i.e., progress Ensure that a system exists to monitor whether implementation is truly
monitoring of implementation effectiveness) taking place with fidelity throughout the school: How accountability for
implementation will be measured needs to be clear and consistent, and
updated data need to be utilized with all stakeholders to make necessary
adjustments in the implementation.

Misconceptions around the behavior initiatives Give staff ongoing opportunities to provide feedback and clarify
misconceptions about implementation: If misconceptions are not heard or
addressed, they will plague implementation.

Lack of behavior initiative alignment to district Align behavior initiatives with at least one district-level goal around
goals student wellness, or provide access to social/emotional supports similar
to academics: If not, implementation may not stay a priority.

Lack of policy and district and/or school Language in the policies and handbooks around discipline needs to
handbook alignment support the core beliefs and implementation fidelity of the selected
initiatives: If the policies continue to reflect zero-tolerance practices or a
black-and-white handbook approach to discipline, this does not coincide
with the core beliefs of the six initiatives highlighted in this book.

Lack of funding Allocate funding not only for training but also for human resources
to support implementation of these initiatives: Language around
implementation goals needs to be included in the funding formulas at the
district and school site levels.

Lack of expertise Build the capacity of stakeholders and behavior specialists at the school
and district around ongoing implementation needs: Capacity building will
help with implementation fidelity.
Chapter 1 ■ Building Effective Behavior Initiatives in Schools   11

We wanted to better understand the why around these common implementation missteps
and challenges. As we dug deeper, it became clear that this is not a phenomenon that impacts
only the implementation of behavior initiatives. We found that many improvement initiatives
(academic or behavioral) begin as well-intended ideas and end up as just that—well-intended
ideas. Some get off the ground briefly and are immediately labeled “full implementation.” For
example, schools worldwide have claimed to embrace the professional learning community
(PLC) process, which is a research-based best practice. However, oftentimes the implementa-
tion is much less than what a desired full implementation should look like, which PLC founder
Rick DuFour refers to as “PLC Lite.” DuFour and Reeves (2016) note that too many schools
have adopted the label without committing to the substance of the PLC process. They wrote that
PLC Lite is an exercise in futility. This notion can be applied across any attempted initiative a
school adopts without a full commitment to the substance of implementation, thus leading to a
“Lite” version of that initiative.
For example, we have witnessed “PBIS Lite” as simply being the development and visibility of
behavior expectations and rules in a schoolwide matrix (i.e., banners and posters), with rewards
and recognitions, but those campuses refer to schoolwide PBIS being fully implemented. The
most recent initiative for which we have seen this issue is Universal Design for Learning (UDL),
a framework that acknowledges variability in the learning process. UDL principles include pro-
viding students with various ways to acquire, process, and integrate information and knowledge;
options for navigating and demonstrating learning; and multiple means of engagement to tap
individual learners’ interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn. Now,
“UDL Lite” is spreading rampantly. A school may provide students with flexible seating and
bouncy chairs and confidently declare, “We are implementing UDL.”
We point this out to show how easily claims of full implementation and misconceptions
based on partial implementation contribute to implementation challenges for any initiative.
What’s worse than an idea not getting off the ground? An idea getting off the ground incor-
rectly and being communicated to teachers and stakeholders as being implemented with fidelity,
because now it gets the blame, instead of its implementation meriting the blame (as evidenced
from some of the educator quotes listed after the snapshots presented earlier in the chapter).
Developing systems to respond to the social/emotional and behavioral needs of students
must be approached the same way we develop a student’s academic learning. Saying “we are just
going to focus on PBIS this year” is akin to a school’s staff declaring that they are “just going
to focus on reading this year.” Teaching only reading will lead to academic gaps in learning
on a campus the same way a focus on only one aspect of a behavior system will lead to gaps
in a learner’s social/emotional development. An interdisciplinary unit being taught through
language arts, science, and social studies is the academic equivalent of a school’s staff looking
through a trauma-informed lens while using PBIS practices to support students by teaching
and reinforcing behavioral expectations across all locations of the school. In the same sense that
English isn’t competing against social studies, trauma-informed isn’t competing against PBIS.
Our intent is for you to use this book as a guide to see how all six behavior initiatives work
together and to clear up the misconception that some initiatives are in competition with each
other. The intent is for you to have the tools needed to audit your system and identify why any
of these initiatives are not working and to provide resources to get them functioning on your
campus. Remember, it’s not that it isn’t working; it’s the implementation of it that isn’t working.
Consider the following questions about the current state of implementation of behavior ini-
tiatives at your school as you learn about the “chasm” of implementation outlined in the next
section:

• To what extent can the school staff name the behavior initiatives being implemented at
the school and the purpose for implementation for students?
• To what extent is training and ongoing professional development provided to the staff
around the implementation of behavior initiatives at the school?
• To what extent are misconceptions about implementation of behavior initiatives
impacting fidelity of implementation?
12  Part I ■ Building Behavior (The Why)

• To what extent is there alignment of implementation of behavior initiatives and school/


district goals or intended student outcomes?
• To what extent do the adults at the school demonstrate the behaviors necessary for
collective responsibility around implementation?
• To what extent do the adults at the school believe in the work?
• To what extent is the school getting the behavioral outcomes desired for students based
on implementation?
• To what extent are the current challenges and roadblocks impacting fidelity of
implementation?

Crossing the Chasm


For any initiative to get off the ground, there is a point where a “chasm” is reached that could
stall the initiative and impede progress. Many initiatives fail to get off the ground because they
cannot cross the chasm. Once this occurs, the “initiative” receives the blame as not being effec-
tive and the school or district moves on to the next best thing. Ultimately, it was the implemen-
tation that was not effective. Here we will describe the “Diffusion of Innovation” introduced by
Everett Rodgers in 1962 and expanded by Geoffrey Moore in 1991 with “Crossing the Chasm.”
This model has been adapted and expanded many times since its inception. Diffusion of innova-
tion is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas expand or stall.
The innovation adoption lifecycle begins with the innovators making up 2.5 percent of your
staff. These are the risk takers who have the resources and desire to try new things, even if they
fail. Next are the early adopters, making up 13.5 percent of your staff. They are selective and con-
sidered to be “the ones to check in with” for new information; they reduce others’ uncertainty
about a new initiative by adopting it. Here is where the chasm begins (which we will explain
shortly). Once the chasm is crossed, you’ve reached the “tipping point” or “critical mass.” This
group begins with the early majority, making up 34 percent of your staff. They will take their
time before adopting a new idea. They are willing to embrace a new idea or initiative as long
as they understand how it fits with their lives (job duties or role on campus). Next are the late
majority, making up another 34 percent of your staff. They adopt in reaction to peer pressure,
emerging norms, and/or necessity. Most uncertainty around an idea must be resolved before
they adopt. Finally come the laggards, making up 16 percent. They are traditional and make
decisions based on past experiences. They are unable to take risks on new ideas.
The point that will make or break the success of implementation is called the chasm. It’s
the point between the early-adopter stage and the early-majority stage. Figure 1.1 represents
what crossing the chasm means by breaking into the mainstream, which is the most difficult
and most important thing to get right. As the initiative is implemented and grows, those who
haven’t bought in yet will have high expectations and need convincing in order to get on board.
The innovators and early adopters won’t need huge reasons to jump on board with the initiative.
But to get the early majority on board, that’s exactly what you’ll need. Early adopters see the
need and the importance; they are buying the change and willing to move forward with this
new initiative. They expect a clear discontinuity between the old and new. They will tolerate
the glitches and bumps in the road during implementation. The early majority are buying this
gradual development of improvement. However, they want to minimize the discontinuity with
the old way. They will expect few glitches and a relatively smooth implementation.
If you’re at the chasm right now, you may need to pivot your approach. Also, don’t forget
the laggards. They make up 16 percent of your staff and are your second largest adoption
group. They are your skeptics and will resist change and need a slew of positive testimonials
and first-hand accounts of success. Jim Knight (2018) states that if teachers are resisting, the
first question that needs to be asked is, “Is there something I’m doing to engender this resis-
tance?” There are two reasons staff will resist: (1) They don’t think it’s worth it, or (2) they
don’t think they can do it.
Chapter 1 ■ Building Effective Behavior Initiatives in Schools   13

FIGURE 1.1 ■ Crossing the Chasm

Chasm

Innovators
2.5% Early Early Late
Adopters Majority Majority Laggards
13.5% 34% 34% 16%

The chasm is the stalled implementation or growth of an initiative due to poor communica-
tion (or selling of the why) while you figure out how to sell to the early majority. As you can see,
the first two segments are different from the others, and what works with them won’t work for the
others (see Figure 1.2). Early adopters may be newer teachers who hear the message and buy in
to it; by contrast, the early majority are much more conservative with what they will endorse and
support. They’ve seen initiatives come and go; they’ll need convincing that this time it’s different.
We will equip you with the tools needed to address the chasm by providing a comprehen-
sive, practical, synthesized resource designed to guide decisions and demystify the misconcep-
tions around implementation and provide clarity for decision makers using what we refer to in
Part III as the SchoolWide Behavior Initiatives Process (SW-BIP). We provide a process to iden-
tify the problem through the SW-BIP, a causal system analysis to discover the root causes of the
problem, a tool to separate and identify the individual barriers impeding implementation, and
an action plan to initiate the process. In short, we will give you information on each of these
behavior initiatives and a structure to help you assess and build successful implementation. We
want to help you get past the implementation chasm and get these behavior initiatives rooted
deeply into the culture of your school or district. Students are depending on it.

FIGURE 1.2 ■ Characteristics: Innovators to Laggards

Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards

Visionaries and Enthusiasts Mainstream Adopters Resisters

• dream realizers • evangelists • pragmatists • skeptics • change averse


• drive change • embrace change • accept change • accept change • value tradition
• aren’t afraid to fail • self-efficacy (sooner than LM) (later than EM) • not leaders
• explore in iterations • like to be first to try, • deliberate • adopt after proven • suspicious of new
• high tolerance for use, engage, buy • adopt if practical— • often adopt out of innovations
risk, uncertainty, • try out new ideas in weigh out pros and necessity, not • often wait until
and ambiguity careful way cons; think it out choice forced to adopt
• adventurers • inspired by the new • go along; seldom • go along w/peers • feel threatened or
lead • like to know rules very uncomfortable
• change initiators • like integrating new
ideas in useful ways • help it gain mass creatures of habit by uncertainty
• internally motivated appeal • jump in when sees and change
to change • influencers—like
to convey ideas • wait until it has “everybody” is • not going to buy in
• respected by EAs; been successful doing it to new ideas
doubted by the • respected by the in practice
mass majority

Source: Reproduced with permission from The Center for Creative Emergence, 2019. Original main sources: Diffusion of Innovation by Everett Rogers;
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore.
14  Part I ■ Building Behavior (The Why)

SECTION 3: BEHAVIOR
INITIATIVES K-W-L STRATEGY
In each of the six chapters in Part II of this book (Chapters 2–7), you will find sections high-
lighted for each of the behavior initiatives based on information we synthesized from current
peer-reviewed research findings, best practices in the field, practical application and experience,
and expert input. The distinctive aspect of this book will be in the advice, the relationship to
effect sizes, the best practices, and the putting it all together in Part III, where schools or districts
apply this learning to practice using the SchoolWide Behavior Initiatives Process (SW-BIP). The
SW-BIP will take you through the building, selection, self-assessment, and application guide
development process of implementing behavior initiatives. For each of the six behavior initia-
tives, you will find

• The what
• The connection to Hattie’s effect sizes in relation to the core components of the
initiative
• Synthesized indicators of implementation success and challenges based on research
findings
• A best-practice resource inventory (available electronically as well)

As you read through each chapter, reflect on the current practices in your school or district.
Use the synthesized information from each chapter to help identify what you are attempting to
achieve, implement, or refine in your school or district with regard to behavior initiative imple-
mentation. We understand this is an abundance of information. We encourage you to use the
Behavior Initiatives K-W-L (Know, Want to Know, Learned) strategy as you read each behavior
initiative chapter to take notes on what each behavior initiative is designed to accomplish and
how it would apply to the students you serve (see Figure 1.3). The purpose of using this strategy
as you read through Part II is to access background knowledge of the behavior initiatives and
monitor your learning (synthesize the information, compare and contrast commonalities and
differences, and, most important, understand the purpose and best-practice implementation of
the behavior initiatives).

Thoughts resonating with you so far:


Chapter 1 ■ Building Effective Behavior Initiatives in Schools   15

FIGURE 1.3 ■ Behavior Initiatives K-W-L Strategy

Behavior KNOW WANT TO KNOW LEARNED


Initiative (i.e., background (i.e., purpose, clarify (i.e., purpose, definitions,
knowledge, possible current misconceptions) intended outcomes, effect
implementation sizes, critical components for
knowledge/state) implementation success, and
best-practice resources)

Chapter 2:
Positive Behavior
Interventions and
Supports

Chapter 3:
Character
Education

Chapter 4:
Restorative
Justice

Chapter 5:
Culturally
Responsive
Teaching

Chapter 6:
Trauma-Informed
Practices

Chapter 7:
Social and
Emotional
Learning

online Available for download at http://resources.corwin.com/BuildingBehavior


resources

Copyright © 2020 by Corwin. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Building Behavior: The Educator’s Guide to Evidence-Based Initiatives by Jessica
Djabrayan Hannigan and John E. Hannigan. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, www.corwin.com. Reproduction authorized for educational use by educators,
local school sites, and/or noncommercial or nonprofit entities that have purchased the book.
16  Part I ■ Building Behavior (The Why)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: AN IMPORTANT NOTE


We understand that some behavior initiatives and/or programs are not highlighted in this
book. We also understand that in different parts of the country (and world), some initiatives
are emphasized more strongly than others. “Experts” in each of these fields are popping up who
will disparage one initiative in favor of their own or who have a program to sell, thus promoting
theirs as the only way and dismissing all others they feel are in direct competition. The behavior
initiatives we have selected are based on our consistent findings through our research, applica-
tion, and work with schools, districts, and county offices worldwide.
By the end of this book, you will not only have learned how to define and identify the critical
components and best practices of each behavior initiative, but you will also confidently be able
to decide which behavior initiative(s) best fit the needs of the students in your school or district.
And you will have the information needed to build an effective system for implementation.
Our purpose in writing this book isn’t to prove that one behavior initiative is better than
another. Instead, we intend to lead the work of helping schools and districts adopt a process
to identify their students’ behavioral needs, select appropriate behavior initiatives focused
on those needs, and build and implement best-practice behavior initiatives in a systemic and
sustainable manner.
In Part II, you will find information on the following behavior initiatives: positive behavior
interventions and supports (PBIS), character education, restorative justice, culturally respon-
sive teaching (CRT), trauma-informed practices (TIPs), and social and emotional learning
(SEL). Remember to use the Behavior Initiatives K-W-L strategy to help organize and docu-
ment your learning as you read each chapter. Doing so will also equip you for Part III, where
you will learn to use a tool called the SchoolWide Behavior Initiatives Plan (SW-BIP) to
implement your learnings. This book is tabbed by section, giving readers the option to refer-
ence any chapter in Part II as a standalone section; however, it is recommended that you read
all of them to get a comprehensive understanding before making decisions about implemen-
tation in your school or district. With that said, you will see the same description of effect
sizes in Section 2 of each of the Part II chapters (on the connection to Hattie’s effect sizes in
relation to the core components of the initiative covered in the chapter). The redundancy is
intentional; consequently, after reading this book, you can simply go back to any of the six
chapters and access the same description of effect sizes rather than having to navigate back to
the sole description as your only source of reference. We wanted to call this out beforehand so
that you know the intentionality and logic behind it.
PART TWO
BUILDING
BEHAVIOR
(The What)

MENU OF BEHAVIOR INITIATIVES

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Chapter 2


Character Education Chapter 3
Restorative Justice Chapter 4
Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) Chapter 5
Trauma-Informed Practices (TIPs) Chapter 6
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Chapter 7
2

PBIS
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR
INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS

IN THIS CHAPTER you will find information on positive behavior interventions


and supports (PBIS) divided into four sections, each followed by questions to consider to
help you evaluate this behavior initiative and guide meaningful discussions around possible
implementation in your school or district.

Section 1: The What—Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)


Section 2: Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to the Core Components of PBIS
Section 3: Synthesized Indicators of PBIS Implementation Success and Challenges
Section 4: PBIS Best-Practice Resource Inventory

19
20  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

SECTION 1: THE WHAT—POSITIVE BEHAVIOR


INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS (PBIS)
The goal of behavior support is not to create perfect children,
but rather to create a perfect school setting for imperfect children
(which is ALL children) to thrive and grow. Enter School A and you
immediately notice warmth, support, joy, and excitement about
learning from staff and all students. Enter School B and you notice
tension, scolding, conflict, and frustration—from many staff and
some students. Therein lies the spirit and science of positive
behavior support, the goal of which is to use evidence-based
processes and strategies to ensure that all schools are continuously
striving to be the ideal exemplified in School A.

—Randy Sprick, PhD Safe & Civil Schools

Simply put, positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) is a structure for establish-
ing a positive school climate by designing and providing behavior supports and interven-
tions for all students’ needs (Tier 1 schoolwide, Tier 2 targeted, and Tier 3 individualized)
based on multiple data points. PBIS has a rich history in educational research and practice.
However, there are some noteworthy variations in common PBIS definitions and styles of
implementation. Even given the variations, the intended outcomes for PBIS implementa-
tion are similar.
Each chapter in Part II is divided into four sections that end with questions to help guide dis-
cussions with your teacher or leadership teams around each behavior initiative. As you navigate
through this chapter, remember to use the Behavior Initiatives K-W-L strategy to help organize
your learnings around PBIS implementation, beginning with the purpose for implementing
PBIS and common definitions (i.e., the what).

Purpose for PBIS

• Create a positive school culture • Improve academics, attendance, and behavioral


outcomes
• Use research-based strategies and interventions
to help prevent and/or decrease problem behaviors • Address efficiency and equity of schools
• Take a behavior-based systems approach to • Improve school safety
enhance the capacity of schools, families, and
• Address bullying
communities
• Minimize exclusionary practices for discipline
• Focus on creating and sustaining Tier 1 (universal),
Tier 2 (targeted), and Tier 3 (individual) systems of • Improve social, emotional, and academic outcomes
support for all students, including students with disabilities
and students from underrepresented groups
• Identify and teach behavior skills necessary for
success in all settings
• Adjust the classroom or school environment to
meet student needs
Chapter 2 ■ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports    21

Variations of PBIS

PBIS
Based on our experiences helping schools implement behavior initiatives and through our
research findings, we have noticed that there are multiple definitions or variations of the six
behavior initiatives outlined in this book. That can be overwhelming while you are trying to
decide which behavior initiative is best for your school or district, so we outline three common
definitions for each of the six behavior initiatives identified in this book, based on repeated men-
tions of them through the research and in the field. Note: If a definition you prefer is not cited
in this section, it does not mean it is not a worthy definition to use. We just want to provide a
few examples of common definitions to help educators better understand each behavior initia-
tive. We strongly believe that school or district staff need to understand the what definition and
the rest of the information in each of these chapters in order to make informed decisions about
implementation.

THREE COMMON PBIS DEFINITIONS

Common Definition 1: Sugai and Horner (2010) define schoolwide PBIS as a systems approach to establishing the
social culture and behavioral supports needed for all children in a school. PBIS is not a packaged curriculum but
an approach that defines core elements that can be achieved through a variety of strategies. The core elements
of PBIS are integrated within organizational systems in which teams, working with administrators and behavior
specialists, provide the training, policy support, and organizational supports needed for initial implementation,
active application, and sustained use of the core elements (Sugai & Horner, 2010):

Primary • System for increasing home-school


communication
• Behavioral expectations defined and taught
• Collection and use of data for decision-making
• Reward system for appropriate behavior
• Basic-level function-based support
• Clearly defined consequences for problem
behavior
Tertiary
• Differentiated instruction for behavior
• Functional behavioral assessment
• Continuous collection and use of data for
decision-making • Team-based comprehensive assessment
• Universal screening for behavior support • Linking of academic and behavior supports
• Individualized intervention based on
Secondary
assessment information focusing on
• Progress monitoring for at-risk students (1) prevention of problem contexts,
(2) instruction on functionally equivalent skills
• System for increasing structure and
and desired performance skills, (3) strategies
predictability
for placing problem behavior on extinction,
• System for increasing contingent adult (4) strategies for enhancing contingence
feedback reward of desired behavior, and (5) use of
negative or safety consequences if needed
• System for linking academic and behavioral
performance • Collection and use of data for decision-making

Source: Reprinted with permission from PBIS.org, 2019. Text developed by Sugai, Horner, Lewis, 2015.

(Continued)
22  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

(Continued)

Common Definition 2: Sprick (2018) defines PBIS as “Safe & Civil Schools,” an approach designed to help K–12
educators develop better behavior management strategies in schools, learn effective classroom management pro-
cedures, implement schoolwide positive behavior support and response-to-intervention for behavior, and design
and implement a better school improvement plan. These processes include the following:

• Using data. Objective information about behavior is more reliable than labels, conclusions, or stereotypes.
• Structuring for success. All school settings should be organized to promote successful behavior from students.
• Collaboration. Helping students behave responsibly is the shared responsibility of all school staff.
• Self-reflection. If student behavior is irresponsible, school staff should reflect on what they can do to help students.

These processes and beliefs form a structure for procedures that help prevent students from falling through the
cracks into school failure. The procedures can be categorized into three levels (Sprick, 2018):

• Schoolwide—affecting all students in all settings


• Classroom—for teachers in their own classroom
• Individual—specifically tailored to meet the needs of individual students

Common Definition 3: Hannigan and Hannigan (2016) define PBIS as the “PBIS Champion Model,” which is a comprehen-
sive systems approach for the design and delivery of PBIS in a school. This action-oriented framework provides quality cri-
teria and how-to steps for developing, implementing, monitoring, and sustaining each level of the system: Bronze (Tier 1),
Silver (Tier 2), and Gold (Tier 3). Each tier in the system consists of three categories: Category A—Markers, Category
B—Characteristics, and Category C—Academic and Behavior Goals and the Work of the PBIS Team. Each category is
composed of quality criteria and a set of defined actions (Hannigan & Hannigan, 2018a, 2018b; Hannigan & Hauser, 2015):

Tier 1 Markers 2. Establish and maintain Tier 2 staff


commitment
1. Establish and operate an effective PBIS team
3. Establish a Tier 2 data-based process for
2. Establish and maintain faculty/staff commitment
identifying students
3. Establish and deploy effective procedures
for dealing with discipline 4. Establish a Tier 2 data-entry procedure and
review plan
4. Establish a data-entry procedure and
design an analysis plan 5. Establish a Tier 2 fidelity check process
5. Establish a set of schoolwide behavior 6. Develop and deliver Tier 2 lesson plans
expectations and rules
7. Establish a Tier 2 behavior incentive program
6. Establish a behavior reward/recognition
8. Establish a Tier 2 system for monitoring and
program
communicating progress
7. Develop and deliver lesson plans for teaching
schoolwide behavior expectations and rules Tier 3 Markers
8. Develop and deploy a schoolwide PBIS
1. Establish and operate an effective PBIS
implementation plan
Tier 3 sub-team
9. Establish classroom systems—routines/
2. Establish a culture and expectation for
procedures
supporting all students
10. Establish and execute an evaluation plan
3. Conduct a Tier 3 resource inventory
Tier 2 Markers 4. Establish a Tier 3 timely response plan
1. Establish and operate an effective PBIS 5. Establish a Tier 3 fidelity check process
Tier 2 sub-team

Source: Hannigan & Hauser, 2015; Hannigan & Hannigan, 2016; Hannigan & Hannigan, 2018.
Chapter 2 ■ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports    23

In Chapter 1 of this book, we shared a snapshot of a PBIS school as a reference. We also

PBIS
want to provide a before-and-after story to help reinforce the beliefs and behaviors necessary for
implementing PBIS in your school or district.

A BEFORE-AND-AFTER PBIS STORY

Before PBIS . . . it felt as if our school was out of control. Teachers felt overwhelmed with discipline. There were
no processes for identifying students in need of additional behavioral support. Our responses were very reactive in
nature and exhausting for all involved. It truly felt like the students were running the school. Teachers were very
unhappy and did not want to come to school. Many were using their personal days to stay home rather than come to
school. The teacher union was involved due to the number of teachers feeling burned out and contacting their union
representation for support.

After PBIS . . . the school “just felt different” for everyone. The clear and consistent behavior expectations and rules
along with the systemic procedures in place to respond to minor and major behaviors in and out of the classroom
helped the school feel more preventive rather than always reactive and in crisis mode. The common language and
procedures helped open the communication lines between the teachers and administrators and allowed for reteach-
ing and individualized opportunities to be put into place in a timely fashion for students who needed additional
supports or interventions to access their education. PBIS also helped provide a structure for helping teachers who
needed additional supports with student behavior prior to them escalating to the next level.

Section 1: Questions to Consider

What are the intended outcomes of your school’s or district’s PBIS initiative?

(Continued)
24  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

(Continued)

How does your school or district define PBIS?

What is currently in place at your school or district?

What would your next steps be, given what you have read so far?
Chapter 2 ■ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports    25

PBIS
SECTION 2: CONNECTION TO
HATTIE’S EFFECT SIZES IN RELATION
TO THE CORE COMPONENTS OF PBIS
Why Hattie’s Effect Sizes?
In looking at what information about PBIS would be helpful for educators, we went back to the
question of what works best in education. That question also drove Hattie’s comprehensive meta-
analysis of areas that contribute to learning: the student, the home, the school, the classroom, the
curricula, the teacher, and teaching and learning approaches (Hattie, 2018). Along with providing
information on the relative effects of these influences on student achievement, Hattie also empha-
sized the importance of understanding and making visible the story of the underlying data. One of
his most critical findings was how important it is to make teaching and learning visible. We agree
and feel the same about making the teaching and learning of behavior visible. We’ve compared key
components of PBIS to influences Hattie identifies that impact student achievement. We feel these
components are intrinsically linked to supporting a student’s social emotional needs, and provide
further evidence of the why; that is, implementation of these behavior initiatives is also critical to
supporting a student’s academic achievement. The following definition of key terms and description
of how to interpret effect sizes will be a useful reference as you review the PBIS table in this section.

HOW TO INTERPRET EFFECT SIZES

Hattie’s work is based on achievement outcomes, while this book focuses on behaviors. We know that misbehav-
ior can take away from students’ achievement outcomes. A 1.0 standard deviation is typically associated with an
increase in student achievement by two to three years. An effect size of 1.0 would mean that, on average, students
receiving that treatment would exceed 84 percent of students not receiving the treatment. Hattie (2009) sets the
benchmark of an effect size of d = 0.4 as the “hinge-point” where anything above it is labeled in the “zone of desired
effects” as influences with the greatest impact on student learning. That doesn’t mean that anything below 0.4
shouldn’t be explored in greater detail. It just means that the influences aren’t as great. Effects between d = 0.15
and d = 0.40 are typically what teachers could accomplish across an ordinary year of teaching. Ninety-five percent
of everything we do has a positive influence on achievement, so setting the benchmark at anything above zero would
be pointless. Furthermore, the zone between d = 0.0 and d = 0.15 is what students could achieve without school-
ing or by the simple process of maturation alone. Therefore, any effects below d = 0.15 are potentially harmful and
should not be implemented. The remaining 5 percent of the factors have reverse effects, or decrease achievement.
To put it simply, Hattie (2009) says that “students who do not achieve at least 0.40 improvement in a year are going
backwards” (p. 250). Additionally, “It is a teacher who does not achieve an average of d > 0.40 per year that I do not
want my children to experience” (p. 126).
Hattie presents his research through seven main contributors to learning (referred to as sources of influence):
the student, curricula, home, school, classroom, teacher, and teaching and learning approaches. Hattie works through
each of these sources of influence to evaluate which specific innovations and influences (factors) have the greatest
impact on achievement. The factors are grouped by more specific “aspects” of each source of influence.

Visualize it like this:


1. School (source of influence)
a. Other school factors (aspect)
i. Suspension/expelling students (factor) (effect size [d] = –0.20)
2. Classroom (source of influence)
a. Classroom influences (aspect)
i. Decreasing disruptive behavior (factor) (d = 0.34)

The data in the table are listed from lowest effect size to highest. Remember, each source of influence is the broader
category, and the subsets of each source are the aspects, which then group the various factors for each subset.
26  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

PBIS: Connection to Hattie’s Effect Sizes in Relation to Core Components of This Behavior Initiative

Source of Influence Aspect Factor Effect Size

Student Physical influences ADHD –0.9

School Other school effects Suspending or expelling –0.2


students

School Leadership School climate 0.32

Classroom Classroom influences Decreasing disruptive 0.34


behavior

School Other school effects Counseling effects 0.35

Classroom Classroom influences Classroom management 0.35

Curricula Play programs Social skills programs 0.4

Classroom Classroom influences Classroom cohesion 0.44

Teaching: student learning Learning strategies Time on task 0.49


strategies

Home Family dynamics Parental involvement 0.5

Teacher Teacher-student Teacher-student 0.52


interactions relationships

Classroom Classroom influences Peer influences 0.53

School Preschool experiences Preschool with at-risk 0.56


students

Classroom Classroom influences Classroom behavior 0.62

Teaching: teaching/ Strategies emphasizing Response to intervention 1.29


instruction strategies feedback

Source: Hattie, J. (2018, October). Visible Learningplus 250+ influences on student achievement. Retrieved from https://us.corwin.com/sites/default/
files/250_influences_10.1.2018.pdf. Retrieved February 4, 2019.

Educators tend to focus on the influences that have the most positive effects on student learn-
ing (those at the bottom of the preceding list), using that information to decide what to do more
of. They don’t generally look at the top of the list to identify what to do less of. Understanding
this list from a strength and deficit lens allows educators to become more cognizant of the fac-
tors they influence directly, allowing them to target the effects these influences have on learning
(e.g., by continuing, decreasing, or ending altogether certain practices) in order to create envi-
ronments that reverse negative effects and increase positive effects on student success.
For example, suspensions and expulsions have a –0.2 effect size on student achievement,
which equates to a negative (or reverse) effect on learning. Knowing the negative effect that
suspensions have on student achievement, administrators can continue to use suspensions as a
means of discipline or they can reserve the right to use suspensions only for the most egregious
of offenses.
We encourage you to use this information to help guide implementation of behavior
initiatives.
Chapter 2 ■ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports    27

PBIS
Section 2: Questions to Consider

What connections can you make between the effect sizes of the common components of implementation of PBIS
and academic achievement?

How will you use effect sizes to ask questions that will allow you to dig deeper to improve practice?

(Continued)
28  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

(Continued)

How will you use this information with your colleagues to achieve the desired outcomes for students?
Chapter 2 ■ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports    29

PBIS
SECTION 3: SYNTHESIZED
INDICATORS OF PBIS IMPLEMENTATION
SUCCESS AND CHALLENGES
To develop this synthesized list of indicators of PBIS implementation success and challenges,
we relied on our research and experiences as practitioners. Specifically, we used a combination
of peer-reviewed research findings, practical application and experiences from the field, and
expert testimonials as our reference to identify common implementation success trends and
challenge trends. We wanted to provide this information as you consider implementation of
this behavior initiative.

PBIS: Synthesized Indicators of Implementation Success and Challenges

Implementation Success Trends Implementation Challenge Trends

Administrator support and belief Lack of administration support

Staff belief Lack of staff collective agreement around


implementation
High expectations
Misconceptions about implementation
Clarity around implementation
Lack of clear communication and messaging
Funding secured
Misconceptions that PBIS replaces discipline
District guideline and policy alignment
Lack of understanding that it is a tiered system
Ongoing education and training provided
Competing initiatives
Ongoing input on implementation collected and
utilized Not a school priority

Community and stakeholder buy-in Led by only a handful and not by the majority of
the school staff
Setting implementation SMART goals for each
tier of supports Misconception that PBIS is simply banners,
tickets, and incentives
Training on each tier of implementation
Not using data
Clarity in roles and responsibilities for
implementation Principal delegates implementation
responsibilities to others
Accountability measures in place

Flexibility and innovation allowed for


implementation
30  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

Section 3: Question to Consider

To what extent will you use the synthesized indicators of implementation success and challenges to prevent
obstacles during implementation?
Chapter 2 ■ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports    31

PBIS
SECTION 4: PBIS BEST-PRACTICE
RESOURCE INVENTORY
To develop this best-practice resource inventory for PBIS implementation, we again used as our
reference points a combination of research and best practices in the field based on our experi-
ences. For example, we included effective resources based on (1) peer-reviewed research findings
and (2) data from schools and districts implementing PBIS with effective outcomes for students.
This information could be used as a starting point for looking into best-practice resources to
assist with your implementation of PBIS. Note: We understand that other resources are avail-
able. What is provided here is what we found based on the aforementioned criteria for this best-
practice resource inventory.

PBIS: Best-Practice Resource Inventory

Resource Description References


Note: Some of the descriptions in this column are quoted
directly from the listed resources.

Florida Positive This website is designed to provide training opportunities, http://flpbis.cbcs.usf.edu/


Behavioral resources, and technical assistance to districts in the development about/PBIS.html
Interventions & and implementation of positive behavioral interventions and
Support Project supports at the school-wide (Tier 1), classroom, targeted group
(Tier 2), and individual student (Tier 3) levels.
A Multi-Tiered System
of Supports Website

Randy Sprick’s Safe The CHAMPS program is designed to put in place an effective http://www
& Civil Schools: behavior classroom management system. Specifically, designed to .safeandcivilschools.com/
CHAMPS products/scs_overview.php
• Improve classroom behavior (on-task, work completion,
cooperation),
• Establish clear classroom behavior expectations with
logical and fair responses to misbehavior,
• Motivate students to put forth their best efforts
(perseverance, pride in work),
• Reduce misbehavior (disruptions, disrespect, non-compliance),
• Increase academic engagement, resulting in improved test
scores,
• Spend less time disciplining students and more time
teaching them,
• Teach students to behave respectfully and to value
diversity, thereby reducing cultural differences that may
manifest as misbehavior,
• Feel empowered and happy to be in the classroom,
• Develop a common language about behaviors among all staff,
• Create a plan for orienting and supporting new staff, and
• Reduce staff burnout.

PBIS Champion Model The PBIS Champion Model is a practical PBIS framework designed pbischampionmodelsystem
based on best-practice implementation of PBIS/MTSS/RTI in each .com
tier of support. This model provides a method of schools to audit,
implement, and/or refine each tier of implementation.

PBISworld.com PBISworld.com is an online resource site for the broader PBIS https://www.pbisworld.com/
website community.

(Continued)
32  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

PBIS: Best-Practice Resource Inventory (Continued)

Resource Description References


Note: Some of the descriptions in this column are quoted
directly from the listed resources.

OSEP Technical The PBIS Network provides PBIS support, training, and https://www.pbis.org/
Assistance Center on resource opportunities for schools and districts implementing
Positive Behavioral PBIS throughout the nation. This website provides the contact
Interventions and information for regional or state PBIS coordinators who provide
Supports technical support on PBIS implementation. The Technical
Assistance Center on PBIS supports schools, districts, and states
to build systems capacity for implementing a multi-tiered approach
to social, emotional, and behavior support.

Hands Off Academy Hands Off Academy is a behavior intervention designed pbischampionmodelsystem
to intentionally teach students how to keep their hands to .com
themselves.

Check & Connect Check & Connect is an intervention used with K–12 students who http://www.checkand
show warning signs of disengagement with school and who are at connect.umn.edu/model/
risk of dropping out. At the core of Check & Connect is a trusting default.html
relationship between the student and a caring, trained mentor who
both advocates for and challenges the student to keep education
salient. Students are referred to Check & Connect when they
show warning signs of disengaging from school, such as poor
attendance, behavioral issues, and/or low grades.

Responding to Problem This bestselling book has been used in schools across the country Crone, Hawken, and Horner
Behavior in Schools: to establish efficient and cost-effective systems of Tier II positive (2010)
The Behavior Education behavior support. The Behavior Education Program (BEP) was
Program, 2nd edition developed for the approximately 10–15% of students who fail to
meet schoolwide disciplinary expectations but do not yet require
intensive, individualized services. Clear, step-by-step guidelines
are provided for implementing the approach, which incorporates
daily behavioral feedback, positive adult attention, and increased
home–school collaboration.

Olweus Bully The Olweus Program (pronounced Ol-VAY-us) is a comprehensive http://olweus.sites.clemson


Prevention approach that includes schoolwide, classroom, individual, and .edu/
community components. The program is focused on long-term
change that creates a safe and positive school climate. It is
designed and evaluated for use in elementary, middle, junior
high and high schools (K–12). The program’s goals are to reduce
and prevent bullying problems among schoolchildren and to
improve peer relations at school. The program has been found
to reduce bullying among students, improve the social climate
of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as
vandalism and truancy.

Don’t Suspend Me! An Don’t Suspend Me! gives educators the tools they need to apply Hannigan and Hannigan
Alternative Discipline alternative discipline methods. Includes a toolkit with alternative (2017)
Toolkit strategies to use for the most common behavior challenges and
worksheets and exercises for the major discipline incidents that
occur in schools throughout the nation.

Leaps Website/ Leaps operationalizes PBIS initiatives. It is the platform that https://selforschools.com/
Behavior Lessons provides content, assessments, progress, fidelity data, and training pbis/rti
resources.
Chapter 2 ■ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports    33

PBIS
PBIS: Best-Practice Resource Inventory

Resource Description References


Note: Some of the descriptions in this column are quoted
directly from the listed resources.

First Step to Success First Step to Success is an early intervention program designed Epstein and Walker (2002)
to help children who are at risk for developing aggressive or
antisocial behavioral patterns. The program uses a trained
behavior coach who works with each student and his or her class
peers, teacher, and parents for approximately 50 to 60 hours
over a three-month period. First Step to Success includes three
interconnected modules: screening, classroom intervention,
and parent training. The screening module is used to identify
candidates who meet eligibility criteria for program participation.
Classroom intervention and parent training comprise the program
intervention component of First Step to Success.

The Tough Kid Series The Tough Kid Series is a comprehensive library of practical, research- http://www.toughkid.com/
based strategies that help you deal with a range of behavioral issues.

Ripple Effects Multi-tiered, digital system of personalized interventions and https://rippleeffects.com/


behavioral supports (MTSS)

Association for The Association for Positive Behavior Support is an active body, http://apbs.org/index.html
Positive Behavior focusing its attention on dissemination, education, and public policy
Support (APBS) efforts. It manages and links websites on PBS practices, systems
and examples, engages in policy development around the provision
of behavior support, works to establish national standards that
define competency in the application of positive behavior support,
encourages the training of professionals skilled in PBS practices
through the development of training materials and the embedding of
PBS content in relevant professional certificate and degree programs.

PBIS Rewards PBIS Rewards is a Software-as-a-Service solution that provides https://www.pbisrewards


Website an automated schoolwide PBIS management system. With PBIS .com/about/
Rewards, school administration can clearly see how teachers are
utilizing PBIS and how PBIS is improving school culture.

Seven Steps for This book offers seven procedural steps to build a proactive Colvin and Sugai (2018)
Developing a Proactive schoolwide discipline plan that maximizes teaching and learning,
Schoolwide Discipline prevents problem behaviors, and maintains desirable behavior
Plan: A Guide for to enhance school success. Get started in creating a positive and
Principals and supportive environment by learning how to:
Leadership Teams,
2nd edition • Develop, teach, and maintain school-wide behavior expectations
• Correct problem behaviors
• Sustain your plan for the long haul

The PBIS Tier One, This action-oriented PBIS framework series of handbooks provides Hannigan and Hauser
Two, and Three quality criteria and how-to steps for developing, implementing, monitoring, (2015); Hannigan and
Handbook series and sustaining each level of the system: Bronze (Tier 1), Silver (Tier 2), Hannigan (2018a, 2018b)
and Gold (Tier 3). Each tier in the system consists of three categories:
Category A— Markers, Category B—Characteristics, and Category C—
Academic and Behavior Goals and the Work of the PBIS Team. Each
category is composed of quality criteria and a set of defined actions.

Center for Behavior The purpose of CBER is to conduct rigorous research and translate https://cber.uconn.edu/?utm_
Education and and disseminate empirically supported practices that promote source=cberorg&utm_
Research (CBER) equity and improve educational outcomes for all learners, especially medium=web&utm_
those with or at risk for learning and behavioral difficulties. campaign=redirect
34  Part II ■ Building Behavior (The What)

Section 4: Questions to Consider

What resources do you think would help with your implementation of this behavior initiative?

Name one resource listed that you will investigate further and why.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
corn, whose cargoes were paid for out of funds provided partly by
the charity of the people of England, and partly by a parliamentary
grant which passed when Massena retreated.
In this crisis the British cabinet granted an additional subsidy to
Portugal, but from the scarcity of specie, the greatest part of it was
paid in kind, and the distress of the regency for money was scarcely
lessened; for these supplies merely stood in the place of the plunder
which had hitherto prevailed in the country. Thus Mr. Canning’s
prodigality, Mr. Vansittart’s paper system, and Mr. Perceval’s
economy, all combined to press upon the British general, and to use
his own words, he was supplied with only one-sixth part of the
money necessary to keep the great machine going which had been
set in motion. Mr. Perceval however, in answer to his remonstrances,
employed a secretary of the Treasury to prove in a laboured paper,
founded entirely upon false data, that the army had been over-
supplied, and must have money to spare. But that minister, whose
speeches breathed nothing but the final destruction of France,
designed to confine the efforts of England to the defence of Portugal
alone, without any regard to the rest of the Peninsula.
Amongst the other follies of the Portuguese regency was a
resolution to issue proclamations, filled with bombastic adulation of
themselves, vulgar abuse of the French, and altogether unsuited to
the object of raising the public feeling, which flagged under their
system. To the English general’s remonstrances on this head, Forjas
replied, that praise of themselves and abuse of the French, was the
national custom, and could not be dispensed with! a circumstance
which certain English writers who have implicitly followed the
accounts of the Portuguese authors, such as Accursio de Neves,
and men of his stamp, relative to French enormities, would do well to
consider. And here it is right to observe, that so many complaints
were made of the cruelty committed by Massena’s army while at
Santarem, that lord Wellington had some thoughts of reprisals; but
having first caused strict inquiry to be made, it was Mr. Stuart’s papers,
discovered that in most cases, the ordenança, after MSS.
having submitted to the French, and received their protection, took
advantage of it to destroy the stragglers and small detachments, and
the cruelty complained of was only the infliction of legitimate
punishment for such conduct: the projected retaliation was therefore
changed for an injunction to the ordenanças to cease from such a
warfare.
The character of the regency was, however, most openly shewn in
their proceedings connected with the convention of Cintra. All the
advantages which that treaty ensured to Portugal, they complacently
reaped, but overlooked or annulled those points in which the
character of England was concerned. In violation of the convention,
and in despite of the remonstrances of lord Wellington and Mr.
Stuart, they cast the French residents at Lisbon into loathsome
dungeons, without any cause of complaint; and in the affair of
Mascarheñas their conduct was distinguished alike by wanton
cruelty and useless treachery. This youth, when only fifteen, had with
many others entered the French service in Junot’s time, under the
permission of his own prince; and he and the Conde de Sabugal,
were taken by the peasantry in 1810 endeavouring to pass from
Massena’s army into Spain, Sabugal in uniform, Mascarheñas in
disguise. They were both tried as traitors. The first, a general officer,
and with powerful friends amongst the Fidalgos, was acquitted, as
indeed was only just; but he was then appointed to a situation under
the regency, which was disgraceful, as arising from faction:
Mascarheñas was a boy, and had no powerful friends, and he was
condemned to death. Lord Wellington and Mr. Stuart represented the
injustice of this sentence, and they desired that if humanity was
unheeded the government would put him to death as a spy, for being
in disguise, and so prevent the danger of reprisals, already
threatened by Massena. The young man’s mother and sisters,
grovelling in the dust, implored the regency to spare him, but to shew
their hatred of lord Wellington and Mr. Stuart, for the disputes with
the regency were then highest, the government told the miserable
women, that it was the British general and minister who demanded
his death, and they were sent, with this brutal falsehood, to weep
and to ask grace from persons who had no power to grant it.
Mascarheñas was publicly executed as a traitor, for entering the
French service under the authority of his native prince, while
Sabugal was acquitted, and even rewarded, although precisely in the
same circumstances, when the excuse of the disguise had been
rejected.
In 1810 one Corea, calling himself an aide-de-camp of Massena,
was likewise seized in disguise within the British lines, and, having
given useful information, was by lord Wellington confined in St.
Julians, to protect him from the Portuguese government. After a time
he became deranged, and was released, whereupon the regency,
rather than keep him, desired that he might be sent as a prisoner of
war to England; thus for convenience admitting the very principle
which they had rejected when only honour and humanity were
concerned. A process against the marquis d’Alorna had also been
commenced, but his family being powerful it was soon dropped, and
yet the government refused madame d’Alorna leave to join her
husband, thus shewing themselves spiteful and contemptible as well
as cowardly and bloody. Even the court of Brazil was shocked. The
prince rebuked the regency severely for the death of Mascarheñas,
reversed the sentences on some others, and banished Sabugal to
Terceira.
This was the political state of Portugal.
Lord Liverpool’s intimation, that neither corn nor specie 1811.
could be had from England, threw lord Wellington on his own May.
resources for feeding his troops. He had before created a paper
money by means of commissariat bills, which, being paid regularly at
certain periods, passed current with the people when the national
bonds called “Apolocies” were at an enormous discount. He now in
concert with Mr. Stuart, entered into commerce to supply his
necessities. For having ascertained that grain in different parts of the
world, especially in South America, could be bought by bills, cheaper
than it sold for hard cash in Lisbon; and that in Egypt, although only
to be bought with specie, it was at a reduced price; they employed
mercantile agents to purchase it for the army account, and after
filling the magazines sold the overplus to the inhabitants. This
transaction was, however, greatly impeded by the disputes with
North America, which were now rapidly hastening to a rupture; the
American ships which frequented the Tagus being prevented by the
non-importation act from bringing back merchandize, were forced to
demand coin, which helped to drain the country of specie.
As Mr. Stuart could obtain no assistance from the English
merchants of Lisbon, to aid him in a traffic which interfered with their
profits, he wrote circular letters to the consuls in the Mediterranean,
and in the Portuguese islands, and to the English minister at
Washington, desiring them to negotiate treasury bills; to increase the
shipments of corn to Lisbon, and pay with new bills, to be invested in
such articles of British manufacture as the non-importation law still
permitted to go to America. By this complicated process he contrived
to keep something in the military chest; and this commerce, which
lord Wellington truly observed, was not what ought to have occupied
his time and attention, saved the army, and the people, when the
proceedings of Mr. Perceval would have destroyed both. Yet it was
afterwards cavilled at and censured by the ministers, on the
representations of the merchants who found their exorbitant gains
interrupted by it.
Pressed by such accumulated difficulties, and not supported in
England as he deserved, the general, who had more than once
intimated his resolution to withdraw from the Peninsula, now
seriously thought of executing it. Yet when he considered, that the
cause was one even of more interest to England than to the
Peninsula; that the embarrassments of the French might be even
greater than his own, and that Napoleon himself, gigantic as his
exertions had been, and were likely to be, was scarcely aware of the
difficulty of conquering the Peninsula while an English army held
Portugal; when he considered also, that light was breaking in the
north of Europe, that the chances of war are many, even in the worst
of times, and above all, when his mental eye caught the beams of
his own coming glory, he quelled his rising indignation, and re-
tempered his mighty energies to bear the buffet of the tempest.
But he could not remove the obstacles that choked his path, nor
could he stand still, lest the ground should open beneath his feet. If
he moved in the north, Marmont’s army and the army under
Bessieres were ready to oppose him, and he must take Ciudad
Rodrigo or blockade it before he could even advance against them.
To take that place required a battering-train, to be brought up
through a mountainous country from Lamego, and there was no
covering position for the army during the siege. To blockade and
pass it, would so weaken his forces, already inferior to the enemy,
that he could do nothing effectual; meanwhile Soult would have
again advanced from Llerena, and perhaps have added Elvas to his
former conquests.
To act on the defensive in Beira, and follow up the blow against
Soult, by invading Andalusia, in concert with the Murcians and the
corps of Blake, Beguines, and Graham, while Joseph’s absence
paralysed the army of the centre; while the army of Portugal was
being reorganized in Castile; and while Suchet was still engaged
with Taragona, would have been an operation suitable to lord
Wellington’s fame and to the circumstances of the moment. But then
Badajos must have been blockaded with a corps powerful enough to
have defied the army of the centre, and the conduct of the
Portuguese government had so reduced the allied forces, that this
would not have left a sufficient army to encounter Soult. Hence, after
the battle of Albuera, the only thing to be done, was to renew the
siege of Badajos, which, besides its local interest, contained the
enemy’s bridge equipage and battering train; but which, on common
military calculations, could scarcely be expected to fall before Soult
and Marmont would succour it: yet it was only by the taking of that
town that Portugal itself could be secured beyond the precincts of
Lisbon, and a base for further operations obtained.
According to the regular rules of art, Soult should have been
driven over the mountains before the siege was begun, but there
was no time to do this, and Marmont was equally to be dreaded on
the other side; wherefore lord Wellington could only try, as it were, to
snatch away the fortress from between them, and he who, knowing
his real situation, censures him for the attempt, is neither a general
nor a statesman. The question was, whether the attempt should be
made or the contest in the Peninsula be resigned. It failed, indeed,
and the Peninsula was not lost, but no argument can be thence
derived, because it was the attempt, rather than the success, which
was necessary to keep the war alive; moreover the French did not
push their advantages as far as they might have done, and the
unforeseen circumstance of a large sum of money being brought to
Lisbon, by private speculation, at the moment of failure, enabled the
English general to support the crisis.
C H A P T E R V.

SECOND ENGLISH SIEGE OF BADAJOS.

There is no operation in war so certain as a modern siege, 1811.


provided the rules of art are strictly followed, but, unlike the May.
ancient sieges in that particular, it is also different in this; that no
operation is less open to irregular daring, because the course of the
engineer can neither be hurried nor delayed without danger. Lord
Wellington knew that a siege of Badajos, in form, required longer
time, and better means, than were at his disposal, but he was forced
to incur danger and loss of reputation, which is loss of strength, or to
adopt some compendious mode of taking that place. The time that
he could command, and time is in all sieges the greatest point, was
precisely that which the French required to bring up a force sufficient
to disturb the operation; and this depended on the movements of the
army of Portugal, whose march from Salamanca to Badajos, by the
pass of Baños, or even through that of Gata, could not be stopped
by general Spencer, because the mouths of those defiles were
commanded by Marmont’s positions. It was possible also at that
season, for an army to pass the Tagus by fords near Alcantara, and
hence more than twenty days of free action against the place were
not to be calculated upon.
Now the carriages of the battering guns used in Beresford’s siege
were so much damaged, that the artillery officers asked eleven days
to repair them; and the scanty means of transport for stores was
much diminished by carrying the wounded from Albuera to the
different hospitals. Thus more than fifteen days of open trenches,
and nine days of fire could not be expected. With good guns,
plentiful stores, and a corps of regular sappers and miners, this time
would probably have sufficed; but none of these things were in the
camp, and it was a keen jest of Picton to say, that “lord Wellington
sued Badajos in forma pauperis.”
The guns, some of them cast in Philip the Second’s reign, were of
soft brass, and false in their bore; the shot were of different sizes,
and the largest too small; the Portuguese gunners were
inexperienced, there were but few British artillery-men, few
engineers, no sappers or miners, and no time to teach the troops of
the line how to make fascines and gabions. Regular and sure
approaches against the body of the place, by the Pardaleras and the
Picurina outworks, could not be attempted; but it was judged that
Beresford’s lines of attack on the castle and Fort Christoval, might be
successfully renewed, avoiding the errors of that general; that is to
say, by pushing the double attacks simultaneously, and with more
powerful means. San Christoval might thus be taken, and batteries
from thence could sweep the interior of the castle, which was
meanwhile to be breached. Something also was hoped from the
inhabitants, and something from the effect of Soult’s retreat after
Albuera.
This determination once taken, every thing was put in motion with
the greatest energy. Major Dickson, an artillery officer whose talents
were very conspicuous during the whole war, had, with unexpected
rapidity, prepared a battering train of thirty twenty-four-pounders, four
sixteen-pounders, and twelve eight and ten-inch howitzers made to
serve as mortars by taking off the wheels and placing them on
trucks. Six iron Portuguese ship-guns were forwarded from
Salvatierra, making altogether fifty-two pieces, a considerable
convoy of engineer’s stores had already arrived from Alcacer do Sal,
and a company of British artillery marched from Lisbon to be mixed
with the Portuguese, making a total of six hundred gunners. The
regular engineer-officers present, were only twenty-one in number;
but eleven volunteers from the line were joined as assistant-
engineers, and a draft of three hundred intelligent men from the line,
including twenty-five artificers of the staff corps, strengthened the
force immediately under their command.
Hamilton’s Portuguese division was already before the town, and
on the 24th of May, at the close of evening, general Houston’s
division, increased to five thousand men, by the addition of the
seventeenth Portuguese regiment, and the Tavira and Lagos militia,
invested San Christoval. The flying bridge was then laid down on the
Guadiana, and on the 27th Picton’s division, arriving from Campo
Mayor, crossed the river, by the ford above the town, and joined
Hamilton, their united force being about ten thousand men. General
Hill commanded the covering army which, including the Spaniards,
was spread from Merida to Albuera. The cavalry was pushed forward
in observation of Soult, and a few days after, intelligence having
arrived that Drouet’s division was on the point of effecting a junction
with that marshal, two regiments of cavalry and two brigades of
infantry, which had been quartered at Coria, as posts of
communication with Spencer, were called up to reinforce the
covering army.
While the allies were engaged at Albuera, Phillipon, the governor
of Badajos, had levelled their trenches, repaired his own damages,
and obtained a small supply of wine and vegetables from the people
of Estremadura, who were still awed by the presence of Soult’s
army; and within the place all was quiet, for the citizens did not now
exceed five thousand souls. He had also mounted more guns, and
when the place was invested, parties of the townsmen mixed with
soldiers, were observed working to improve the defences; wherefore,
as any retrenchments made in the castle, behind the intended points
of attack, would have frustrated the besiegers’ object by prolonging
the siege, lord Wellington had a large telescope placed in the tower
of La Lyppe, near Elvas, by which the interior of the castle could be
plainly looked into, and all preparations discovered.
In the night of the 29th, ground was broken for a false attack
against the Pardaleras, and the following night sixteen hundred
workmen, with a covering party of twelve hundred, sank a parallel
against the castle, on an extent of eleven hundred yards, without
being discovered by the enemy, who did not fire until after daylight.
The same night twelve hundred workmen, covered by eight hundred
men under arms, opened a parallel four hundred and fifty yards from
San Christoval, and seven hundred yards from the bridge-head. On
this line one breaching, and two counter-batteries, were raised
against the fort and against the bridge-head, to prevent a sally from
that point; and a fourth battery was also commenced to search the
defences of the castle, but the workmen were discovered, and a
heavy fire struck down many of them.
On the 31st the attack against the castle, the soil being very soft,
was pushed forward without much interruption, and rapidly; but the
Christoval attack, being carried on in a rocky soil, and the earth
brought up from the rear, proceeded slowly, and with considerable
loss. This day the British artillery company came up on mules from
Estremos, and the engineer hastened the works. The direction of the
parallel against the castle was such, that the right gradually
approached the point of attack by which the heaviest fire of the place
was avoided; yet, so great was the desire to save time, that before
the suitable point of distance was attained, a battery of fourteen
twenty-four-pounders with six large howitzers was marked out.
On the Christoval side, the batteries were not finished 1811.
before the night of the 1st of June, for the soil was so rocky, June.
that the miner was employed to level the ground for the platforms;
and the garrison having mortars of sixteen and eighteen inches’
diameter mounted on the castle, sent every shell amongst the
workmen. These huge missiles would have ruined the batteries on
that side altogether, if the latter had not been on the edge of a ridge,
from whence most of the shells rolled off before bursting, yet so
difficult is it to judge rightly in war, that Phillipon French Register of
stopped this fire, thinking it was thrown away! The the Siege, MSS.
progress of the works was also delayed by the bringing of earth from
a distance, and woolpacks purchased at Elvas, were found to be an
excellent substitute.
In the night of the 2d, the batteries on both sides were completed,
and armed with forty-three pieces of different sizes, of which twenty
were pointed against the castle; the next day the fire of the besiegers
opened, but the windage caused by the smallness of the shot,
rendered it very ineffectual at first, and five pieces became
unserviceable. However, before evening the practice was steadier,
the fire of the fort was nearly silenced, and the covering of masonry
fell from the castle-wall, discovering a perpendicular bank of clay.
In the night of the 3d the parallel against the castle was prolonged,
and a fresh battery for seven guns traced out at six hundred and fifty
yards from the breach. On the 4th the garrison’s fire was increased
by several additional guns, and six more pieces of the besiegers
were disabled, principally by their own fire. Meanwhile the batteries
told but slightly against the bank of clay.
At Christoval, the fort was much injured, and some damage was
done to the castle, from one of the batteries on that side; but the
guns were so soft and bad that the rate of firing was of necessity
greatly reduced in all the batteries. In the night the new battery was
armed, all the damaged works were repaired, and the next day the
enemy having brought a gun in Christoval to plunge into the trenches
on the castle side, the parallel there was deepened and traverses
were constructed to protect the troops.
Fifteen pieces still played against the castle, but the bank of clay,
although falling away in flakes, always remained perpendicular. One
damaged gun was repaired on the Christoval side, but two more had
become unserviceable.
In the night the parallel against the castle was again extended, a
fresh battery was traced out, at only five hundred and twenty yards
from the breach, to receive the Portuguese iron guns, which had
arrived at Elvas; and on the Christoval side some new batteries were
opened and some old ones were abandoned. During this night the
garrison began to entrench themselves behind the castle breach,
before morning their labourers were well covered, and two additional
pieces, from Christoval, were made to plunge into the trenches with
great effect. On the other hand the fire of the besiegers had broken
the clay bank, which took such a slope as to appear nearly
practicable, and the stray shells and shots set fire to the houses
nearest the castle, but three more guns were disabled.
On the 6th there were two breaches in Christoval, and the
principal one being found practicable, a company of grenadiers with
twelve ladders were directed to assault it, while a second company
turned the fort by the east to divert the enemy’s attention. Three
hundred men from the trenches were at the same time pushed
forward by the west side to cut the communication between the fort
and the bridge-head; and a detachment, with a six-pounder, moved
into the valley of the Gebora, to prevent any passage of the
Guadiana by boats.

F I R S T A S S A U LT O F C H R I S TO VA L .

The storming party, commanded by major M‘Intosh, of the 85th


regiment, was preceded by a forlorn hope under Mr. Dyas, of the
51st, and this gallant gentleman, guided by the engineer Forster, a
young man of uncommon bravery, reached the glacis about
midnight, and descended the ditch without being discovered. The
French had, however, cleared all the rubbish away, the breach had
still seven feet of perpendicular wall, many obstacles, such as carts
chained together and pointed beams of wood, were placed above it,
and large shells were ranged along the ramparts to roll down upon
the assailants. The forlorn hope finding the opening impracticable,
was retiring with little loss, when the main body, which had been
exposed to a flank fire, from the town as well as a direct fire from the
fort, came leaping into the ditch with ladders, and another effort was
made to escalade at different points; the ladders were too short, and
the garrison, consisting of only seventy-five men, besides the
cannoneers, made so stout a resistance, and the confusion and
mischief occasioned by the bursting of the shells was so great, that
the assailants again retired with the loss of more than one hundred
men.
Bad success always produces disputes, and the causes of this
failure were attributed by some to the breach being impracticable
from the first; by others to the confusion which arose after the main
body had entered. French writers affirm that the Lamarre’s Sieges.
breach was certainly practicable on the night of the
5th, but repaired on the 6th; that as the besiegers did not attack until
midnight, the workmen had time to clear the ruins away and to raise
fresh obstacles, and the bravery of the soldiers, who were provided
with three muskets each, did the rest. But it is also evident, that
whether from inexperience, accident, or other causes, the
combinations for the assault were not very well calculated; the
storming party was too weak, the ladders few and short, and the
breach not sufficiently scoured by the fire of the batteries. The attack
itself was also irregular and ill-combined, for the leading troops were
certainly repulsed before the main body had descended the ditch.
The intrepidity of the assailants was admitted by all sides, yet it is a
great point in such attacks that the supports should form almost one
body with the leaders, because the sense of power derived from
numbers is a strong incentive to valour, and obstacles which would
be insurmountable to a few, seem to vanish before a multitude. It is
also to be recollected that this was a case where not loss of men, but
time was to be considered.
During this night the iron guns were placed in battery against the
castle, but two more of the brass pieces became unserviceable, and
the following day three others were disabled. However, the bank of
clay at the castle at last offered a practicable slope, and during the
night captain Patton of the engineers examined it closely; he was
mortally wounded in returning, yet lived to make his report that it was
practicable. Nevertheless the garrison continued, as they had done
every night at both breaches, to clear away the ruins, and with bales
of wool and other materials to form defences behind the opening.
They ranged also a number of huge shells and barrels of powder,
with matches fastened to them, along the ramparts, and placed
chosen men to defend the breach, each man being supplied with
four muskets.
In this order they fearlessly awaited another attack, which was
soon made. For intelligence now arrived that Drouet’s corps was
close to Llerena, and that Marmont was on the move from
Salamanca, and hence lord Wellington, seeing that his prey was
likely to escape, as a last effort resolved to assault Christoval again.
But this time four hundred British, Portuguese, and French men of
the Chasseurs Britanniques, carrying sixteen long ladders, were
destined for the attack; the supports were better closed up; the
appointed hour was nine instead of twelve, and a greater number of
detachments than before were distributed to the right and left to
distract the enemy’s attention, to cut off his communication with the
town, and to be ready to improve any success which might be
obtained. On the other side Phillipon increased the garrison of the
fort to two hundred men.

S E C O N D A S S A U LT O F C H R I S TO VA L .

The storming party was commanded by major M‘Geechy; the


forlorn hope, again led by the gallant Dyas, was accompanied by Mr.
Hunt, an engineer officer, and a little after nine o’clock the leading
troops bounding forward, were immediately followed by the support,
amidst a shattering fire of musketry which killed major M‘Geechy, Mr.
Hunt, and many men upon the glacis. The troops with loud shouts
jumped into the ditch, but the French scoffingly called to them to
come on, and at the same time rolled the barrels of powder and
shells down, while the musketry made fearful and rapid havoc. In a
little time the two leading columns united at the main breach, the
supports also came up, confusion arose about the ladders, of which
only a few could be reared, and the enemy standing on the ramparts,
bayonetted the foremost of the assailants, overturned the ladders,
and again poured their destructive fire upon the crowd below. When
a hundred and forty men had fallen the order to retire was given.
An assault on the castle breach might still have been tried, but the
troops could not have formed between the top, and the
retrenchments behind the breach, until Christoval was taken, and the
guns from thence used to clear the interior of the castle; hence the
siege was of necessity raised, because to take Christoval, required
several days more, and Soult was now ready to advance. The stores
were removed on the 10th, and the attack was turned into a
blockade.

O B S E RVAT I O N S .

1º. The allies lost, during this unfortunate siege, nearly four
hundred men and officers, and the whole of their proceedings were
against rules. The working parties were too weak, the guns and
stores too few, and the points of attack, chosen, not the best; the
defences were untouched by counter-batteries, and the breaching
batteries were at too great a distance for the bad guns employed;
howitzers mounted on trucks were but a poor substitute for mortars,
and the sap was not practised; lastly, the assaults were made before
the glacis had been crowned, and a musketry fire established
against the breach.
2º. That a siege so conducted should fail against such a brave and
intelligent garrison is not strange; but it is most strange and culpable
that a government, which had been so long engaged in war as the
British, should have left the engineer department, with respect to
organization and equipment, in such a state as to make it, in despite
of the officers’ experience, bravery, and zeal, a very inefficient arm of
war. The skill displayed belonged to particular persons, rather than to
the corps at large; and the very tools with which they worked,
especially those sent from the storekeeper’s department, were so
shamefully bad that the work required could scarcely be performed;
the captured French cutting-tools were eagerly sought for by the
engineers as being infinitely better than the British; when the
soldiers’ lives and the honour of England’s arms, were at stake, the
English cutlery was found worse than the French.
3º. The neglect of rules, above noticed, was for the most part a
matter of absolute necessity; yet censure might attach to the
general, inasmuch as he could have previously sent to England for a
battering train. But then the conduct of the Portuguese and British
governments when lord Wellington was in the lines, left him so little
hope of besieging any place on the frontier, that he was hourly in
fear of being obliged to embark: moreover, the badness of the
Portuguese guns was not known, and the space of time that elapsed
between the fall of Badajos and this siege, was insufficient to
procure artillery from England; neither would the Portuguese have
furnished the means of carriage. It may however at all times be
taken as a maxim, that the difficulties of war are so innumerable that
no head was ever yet strong enough to fore-calculate them all.
CHAPTER VI.
It will be remembered, that Soult instead of retiring into 1811.
Andalusia, took a flank position at Llerena, and awaited the June.
arrival of Drouet’s division, which had been detached from
Massena’s army. At Llerena, although closely watched by general
Hill, the French marshal, with an army, oppressed by its losses and
rendered unruly by want, maintained an attitude of offence until
assured of Drouet’s approach, when he again advanced to Los
Santos, near which place a slight cavalry skirmish took place to the
disadvantage of the French.
On the 14th, Drouet, whose march had been very rapid, arrived,
and then Soult, who knew that lord Wellington expected large
reinforcements, and was desirous to forestal them, Intercepted
advanced to Fuente del Maestro, whereupon Hill took despatch from
Soult to Marmont.
measures to concentrate the covering army on the
position of Albuera. Meanwhile Marmont, who had reorganized the
army of Portugal, in six divisions of infantry and five brigades of
cavalry, received Napoleon’s orders to co-operate with Soult; and in
this view had sent Reynier with two divisions by the pass of Baños,
while himself with a considerable force of infantry and cavalry and
ten guns escorted a convoy to Ciudad Rodrigo. General Spencer,
with the first, fifth, sixth, and light divisions, and one brigade of
cavalry, was then behind the Agueda; and Pack’s Portuguese
brigade was above Almeida, which had been again placed in a
condition to resist an irregular assault. Spencer’s orders were to
make his marches correspond with those of the enemy, if the latter
should point towards the Tagus; but if the French attacked, he was to
take the line of the Coa, and to blow up Almeida if the movements
went to isolate that fortress. On the morning of the 6th, Marmont,
having introduced his convoy, marched out of Rodrigo in two
columns, one moving upon Gallegos, the other upon Espeja. The
light division fell back before the latter, and Slade’s cavalry before
the former; but in this retrograde movement, the latter gave its flank
obliquely to the line of the enemy’s advance, which soon closed
upon, and cannonaded it, with eight pieces of artillery. Unfortunately
the British rear-guard got jammed in between the French and a piece
of marshy ground, and in this situation the whole must have been
destroyed, if captain Purvis, with a squadron of the fourth dragoons,
had not charged the enemy while the other troopers, with strong
horses and a knowledge of the firmest parts, got through the marsh.
Purvis then passed also, and the French horses could not follow.
Thus the retreat was effected with a loss of only twenty men. After
the action an officer calling himself Montbrun’s aide-de-camp
deserted to the allies.
General Spencer, more distinguished for great personal intrepidity
than for quickness of military conception, was now undecided as to
his measures; and the army was by no means in a safe situation, for
the country was covered with baggage, the movements of the
divisions were wide, and without concert, and general Pack who had
the charge of Almeida too hastily blew it up. In this uncertainty the
adjutant-general Pakenham pointed out that the French did not
advance as if to give battle, that their numbers were evidently small,
their movements more ostentatious than vigorous, and probably
intended to cover a flank movement by the passes leading to the
Tagus: he therefore urged Spencer either to take up a position of
battle which would make the enemy discover his real numbers and
intentions, or retire at once behind the Coa, with a view to march to
lord Wellington’s assistance. These arguments were supported by
colonel Waters, who, having closely watched the infantry coming out
of Ciudad Rodrigo, observed that they were too clean and well
dressed to have come off a long march, and must therefore be a part
of the garrison. He had also ascertained that a large body was
actually in movement towards the passes.
Spencer yielding to these representations marched in the evening
by Alfayates to Soito, and the next day behind the Coa. Here certain
intelligence, that Marmont was in the passes, reached him, and he
continued his march to the Alemtejo by Penamacor, but detached
one division and his cavalry to Coria, as flankers, while he passed
with the main body by Castello Branco, Vilha Velha, Niza, and
Portalegre. The season was burning and the marches long, yet so
hardened by constant service were the light division, and so well
organized by general Craufurd, that, although covering from
eighteen to eight-and-twenty miles daily, they did not leave a single
straggler behind. The flanking troops, who had been rather
unnecessarily exposed at Coria, then followed, and Marmont having
imposed upon Spencer and Pack by his demonstration in front of
Ciudad Rodrigo, filed off by the pass of Perales, while Reynier
moved by the passes of Bejar and Baños, and the whole were by
forced marches soon united at the bridge of Almaraz. Here a
pontoon bridge expected from Madrid had not arrived, and the
passage of the Tagus was made with only one ferry-boat which
caused a delay of four days, which would have proved fatal to
Badajos, if the battering guns employed in that siege had been really
effective.
When the river was crossed, the French army marched in two
columns with the greatest rapidity upon Merida and Medellin, where
they arrived the 18th, and opened their communications with Soult.
On the other side, lord Wellington had been attentively watching
these movements; he had never intended to press Badajos beyond
the 10th, because he knew that when reinforced with Drouet’s
division, Soult alone would be strong enough to raise the siege, and
hence the hurried assaults; but he was resolved to fight Soult, and
although he raised the siege on the 10th, yet, by a deciphered
intercepted letter, that Phillipon’s provisions would be exhausted on
the 20th, he continued the blockade of the place, in hopes that some
such accident of war as the delay at Almaraz might impede
Marmont. It may be here asked, why, as he knew a few days would
suffice to reduce Badajos, he did not retrench his whole army and
persist in the siege? The answer is that Elvas being out of repair,
and exhausted both of provisions and ammunition, by the siege of
Badajos, the enemy would immediately have taken that fortress.
When Soult’s advanced guard had reached Los Santos, the
covering army, consisting of the second and fourth divisions and
Blake’s Spaniards was concentrated at Albuera, Hamilton’s
Portuguese were also directed there from Badajos; meanwhile the
third and seventh divisions maintained the blockade, and Wellington
expecting a battle repaired in person to Albuera, but, unlike
Beresford, he had that position entrenched, and did not forget to
occupy the hill on the right.
On the 14th, it was known that Marmont was at Truxillo, and that in
four days he could unite with Soult, wherefore the blockade was also
raised with a view to repass the Guadiana, yet Wellington still
lingered at Albuera hoping to fall on Soult separately, but the
cautious manner in which the latter moved, continually refusing his
left and edging with his right, towards Almendralejos, soon
extinguished this chance; on the 17th, the blockade having been
raised the day before, the allies repassed the Guadiana in two
columns. The British and Portuguese moved by the pontoon bridge
near Badajos, the Spaniards crossed at Jerumenha;—this
movement, not an easy one, was executed without any loss of men
or stores, and without accident, save that general William Stewart by
some error, took the same line as Blake, and at night fell in with the
Spaniards, who thought his division French and were like to have
fired.
The 19th the united French armies entered Badajos, which was
thus succoured after two most honourable defences, and at a
moment when Phillipon, despairing of aid and without provisions,
was preparing his means of breaking out and escaping.
The 21st Godinot’s division which had marched by Valverde took
possession of Olivenza; the 22d he pushed a detachment under the
guns of Jerumenha, and the same day the whole of the French
cavalry crossed the Guadiana in two columns, advancing towards
Villa Viciosa and Elvas on one side, and Campo Mayor on the other.
Lord Wellington being now joined by the head of Spencer’s corps,
had placed his army on both sides of the Caya, with cavalry posts
towards the mouth of that river and on the Guadiana in front of
Elvas. His right wing was extended behind the Caya to the lower
bridge on that river, and his left wing had a field of battle on some
high ground resting on the Gebora, a little beyond Campo Mayor,
which fortress was occupied, and the open space between it and the
high ground strongly entrenched. On this side also cavalry were
posted in observation beyond the Gebora and about Albuquerque,
the whole position forming an irregular arch embracing the bridge of
Badajos. The wood and town of Aronches were behind the centre of
the position and the little fortified place of Ouguella was behind the
left; but the right wing was much more numerous than the left, and
the Monte Reguingo, a wooded ridge between Campo Mayor and
the Caya, was occupied by the light division, whose position could
not be recognized by the enemy.
If the French attacked the left of the allies, a short movement
would have sufficed to bring the bulk of the troops into action on the
menaced point, because the whole extent of country occupied did
not exceed ten or twelve miles: the communications also were good,
and from Campo Mayor open plains, reaching to Badajos, exposed
the French movements which could be distinguished both from
Elvas, from Campo Mayor, and from the many atalayas or watch-
towers on that frontier.
The chief merit of this position was the difficulty of recognizing it
from the enemy’s side, and to protect the rear, the first division was
retained at Portalegre: from thence it could intercept the enemy at
Marvão or Castello de Vide if he should attempt to turn the allies by
Albuquerque; and was ready to oppose Soult if he should move
between Elvas and Estremos; but the march from Portalegre was too
long to hope for the assistance of this division in a battle near Elvas
or Campo Mayor.
The French cavalry, as I have said, passed the Guadiana on the
21st, both by the bridge of Badajos and by two fords, where the road
of Olivenza crosses that river, below the confluence of the Caya. The
right column after driving back the outposts of the allies, was
opposed by the heavy dragoons, and by Madden’s Portuguese, and
retired without seeing the position on the Campo Mayor side; but the
horsemen of the left column, while patrolling towards Villa Viciosa
and Elvas, cut off a squadron of the eleventh dragoons, and the
second German hussars which were on the Guadiana escaped to
Elvas with difficulty and loss. The cause of this misfortune in which

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