Cheryl Walton is the Instructional Specialist for Behavior Support and provides PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) support for the entire school district. Each school has a Student Assistance Team and Ms. Walton is a resource for these teams to help collect data, provide interventions and monitor progress so students have the support they need to manage and regulate their behavior. Ms. Walton said, “behavior is a form of communication, and throughout my years as an educator, I can see how stress, trauma, social media, etc. are impacting our students’ social emotional health and many are struggling with how to cope.”
In her current role, she coaches school level PBIS teams to support the process of making data-driven decisions and ensure full implementation of the PBIS framework. She also provides professional development training on PBIS to support staff and paraprofessionals in the district, participates in monthly PBIS coaching sessions with the State Support Team, and facilitates monthly district meetings with the PBIS representatives from each school.
She has been an educator for 29 years, teaching for the first 5 years in the East Cleveland school district. For the past 25 years she has worked for the CHUH City School District in a wide variety of positions. She taught fourth and fifth grade, 6th grade math, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to K-5 students. She also served as a Student Learning Advocate for virtual students in TVA (Tiger Virtual Academy) and as a member of the district’s Equity Committee which brought her an opportunity to give a presentation at the Nation Conference for MSAN (Minority Student Achievement Network).
She attended Shaker Heights High School and then graduated from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia majoring in Economics. She then received a masters’ degree in Education from John Carroll University and her principal licensure from Cleveland State University.
Ms. Walton is another highly qualified educator dedicated to the success of Heights students. She knows that PBIS strategies positively impact both students and staff and she believes that with sustained implementation with fidelity, they will help decrease behavior problems and increase student engagement. “The goal is for students to feel valued and connected to the school community. I am excited to continue the work already started with PBIS so we can make continued progress in our schools.”