Braun Educational Center – Illinois

The Impact of CPI Training

• Eliminated the use of seclusion
• Improved student-staff relationships
• Boosted staff morale and retention
• Created environments that support student success and well-being

Situation

Braun Educational Center is a therapeutic day school in Southwest Cook County, Illinois that serves students in PreK-12 living with developmental and cognitive disabilities. All staff were trained in strategies to safely handle challenging situations and followed guidelines established by the Illinois State Board of Education. But the training they had didn’t account for times when student responses required unique approaches for safe, proactive de-escalation.

When the Illinois State Board of Education updated their guidelines, Kristine Jones, principal of Braun Educational Center, used this opportunity to look for a new training that could help staff support student success and well-being by proactively de-escalating challenging situations.

Solution

Kristine reached out to CPI to learn more about the flexible de-escalation training solutions available. CPI helped Kristine determine the best way to roll out CPI training to staff.

Now, all staff receive CPI training at the beginning of every school year. Monthly refreshers are also used to ensure proactive de-escalation skills and techniques are top of mind for all staff. And to ensure that training is easily provided to all staff, Braun Educational Center has 5 staff who are trained CPI Certified Instructors.

Results

By incorporating regular CPI training, staff at Braun Educational Center have been able to support student success and well-being while also boosting staff morale and retention rates.

• 100% reduction in seclusion
• 47% decrease in student incidents
• 90% increase in staff retention 

“I think flexibility is essential in working with students who have dysregulation and significant behaviors. I like that CPI is principle based. It gives you a multitude of tools to use in various situations. When you’re in an environment where you feel safe and the students feel safe, everyone’s able to be more successful academically, socially, and emotionally.”

Kristine Jones
Principal, Braun Educational Center

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