In education, what I’ve coined as transactional classroom management, a system where rewards are given for good behavior and consequences are used for missteps, has become the default. This approach reflects a deeper systemic issue: it prioritizes short-term compliance over meaningful student growth, often failing to address the root causes of student behavior.
While this approach often seems to keep things in order in the short term, it may not address the deeper, more sustainable needs of students. Over time, this system can lose its effectiveness as students may become disengaged, with research showing that up to 70% of students stop responding to extrinsic motivators after repeated use (Deci & Ryan). The challenge is that transactional management doesn’t address the systemic roots of student behavior or foster the long-term habits that students need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Why Transactional Management Falls Short
When we rely on rewards and consequences, we’re managing short-term compliance, not addressing the root causes of behavior or developing long-lasting habits. The result is that students are following rules, but they’re not developing critical habits like self-regulation or intrinsic motivation. Over time, the reward system becomes less effective, and the behavior that once seemed “under control” starts to slip away.
This is where the Student Success Model steps in. Instead of relying on external motivators, it focuses on building habits, nurturing trust, and creating a proactive support system that prepares students for the real challenges they’ll face both inside and outside the classroom.
A Solution: The Student Success Model
Unlike transactional methods, which focus on rewards and consequences to manage behavior, the Student Success Model takes a deeper approach. It's built on relationship-building, trust, and proactive support, creating the foundation for sustainable habits that support long-term success. The model helps educators move beyond surface-level behavior management to address the internal drivers of student actions, helping students build lasting skills for self-regulation, resilience, and responsibility.
The focus is on understanding the whole child, their backgrounds, needs, and the root causes of their behavior. By taking a holistic approach, educators create a space where students are supported not just academically, but emotionally and socially as well. This comprehensive approach allows students to develop intrinsic motivation that can fuel their growth long after the external rewards fade.
Building Habits, Not Just Compliance
One of the core principles of the Student Success Model is that it’s not enough to just correct behavior. We need to help students build lasting habits that will serve them long-term habits like self-motivation, responsibility, and resilience. These habits don't come from transactional exchanges. They come from deep connections, support, and consistent, positive experiences.
By fostering an environment built on trust, educators are able to teach students that success isn’t about the next reward or avoiding the next punishment. Success is about mastering skills, solving problems, and developing personal growth. These habits, habits that are internally motivated, are what will make students successful in school, and later in life.
Why the Student Success Model Works
The Student Success Model shifts the focus away from simply managing behavior, which often leads to a circumstantial cycle that prevents meaningful student growth. Instead of constantly responding to issues as they arise, the model promotes a proactive approach by addressing the root causes of student behavior. By building systems that support academic, social, and emotional needs, it fosters lasting change that traditional reward-based systems cannot achieve.
This approach doesn’t just aim to stop misbehavior, it seeks to understand the "why" behind it. When students feel supported, understood, and valued, they are more likely to develop positive habits that will serve them long-term. Rather than reacting to behavioral problems, educators using the Student Success Model focus on proactive relationship-building, emotional intelligence, and self-regulation. This empowers students to take ownership of their own success and cultivate habits that extend well beyond the classroom.
The key difference between transactional classroom management and the Student Success Model is that the latter prioritizes building habits over enforcing compliance. By focusing on the long-term development of the whole child, we move beyond short-term fixes and foster the intrinsic motivation, resilience, and self-regulation students need to succeed. And as we know, these habits don’t fade when the rewards are no longer there. In fact, they become the foundation for a student’s success, both in and out of the classroom.
Ultimately, sustainable success isn’t about managing behavior with rewards and consequences, it’s about helping students develop the habits they need to succeed independently, with confidence and resilience, far beyond their time in school.
Ready to transform your approach to student support? Visit tazwallace.com to explore resources and learn how we can help create lasting success for every student.
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