APBS Webinars

Date and Time

February 28, 2020
3:30 PM (Eastern), 2:30 PM (Central)

Presenter

Tamika La Salle, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut

Description of Webinar:

This webinar will focus on the impact of culture on students’ educational experiences and why cultural considerations should be considered when educating minoritized youth. Recommendations and strategies to promote equity in discipline practices for schools implementing PBIS will also be discussed.

Registration

Non-member Registration
Member Registration

About the Presenter

Dr. La Salle earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Georgia State University in 2013. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut where she joined the faculty in the Neag School of Education in 2013. Dr. La Salle was previously a teacher of special education at the middle and elementary school levels in the Atlanta, Georgia area. There, she subsequently worked as a consulting school psychologist in surrounding school districts. Currently, Dr. La Salle is a research scientist for the Center for Behavioral Education Research (CBER). She studies culturally responsive educational practices and school climate. She is particularly interested in the impact of demographic, cultural, and ecological factors on students’ educational experiences and on developing and maintaining culturally responsive school environments that facilitated positive school environments for students, are proactive in supporting students, and provide equitable opportunities, especially for minoritized youth. Dr. La Salle developed the Georgia School Climate Survey, a national survey used to assess perceptions of school climate across students, families, and school personnel. The GSHS is used as a state-wide measure in Georgia and through the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Technical Center as an outcome measure. As of 2018, the surveys were administered to more than 260 districts across 20 states. The survey was also vetted for reliability and validity by the National center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments.

Dr. La Salle is a co-investigator on a 4 million dollar PBIS-V subgrant to UConn, serving as the school climate and culture coordinator for the PBIS Technical Center. She is also a co-investigator on a 2.4 million dollar NIH grant focused on reducing youth violence and racisim and discrimination through comprehensive prevention strategies. Since 2017, Dr. La Salle has served as project coordinator leading a Cross-Cultural School Climate Group with partners from more than 9 countries. The aim of this project has been to adapt the GSHS to international constructs to examine cross-cultural similarities and differences in the impact of school climate on student outcomes and to provide free resources that can be accessed nationally and internationally to support culturally-relevant school climate improvement effort. To date, the surveys have been translated and adapted into 10 languages and administered to more than 20K students, 3K parents, and 10K teachers. She has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to school climate, scale development, integrating systems, and culturally-relevant practices and interventions. Dr. La Salle also regularly serves as a school and state consultant, working with schools to identify and implement culturally responsive intervention and prevention practices to support equitable access and opportunities and to improve school climate.

In 2018, Dr. La Salle received the Excellence in Research & Creativity, Early Career Award from the University of Connecticut’s American Association of University Professors. She serves as co-chair for the National Association of School Psychology Minority Scholarship Program, co-chair of International School Psychology Association Research Committee, and serves as an ex-officio in the equity seat and co-chair of the equity workgroup for the Association of Positive Behavior Supports.