In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Margo Uwayo of the Kalamazoo Academy for Behavioral and Academic Success (KABAS) — a K–6 school that blends behavior analysis with education to support both behavior intervention and academic skill acquisition. We dive into the origin story of KABAS, how applied behavior analysis can be a tool for both learning and behavior, the legal hurdles to launching a school rooted in science, and how educators and behavior analysts can work together.

Margaret Uwayo is the Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Academy for Behavioral Success (KABAS), a nonprofit ABA K-6 school, and the Senior Director of Behavioral Health and Academic Success at YWCA, Kalamazoo. She completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis at Western Michigan University. Dr. Uwayo has extensive experience in the application of behavior analytic interventions to improve early and advanced verbal repertoires of children and youth with and without exceptional needs. She has experience delivering culturally-responsive clinical and educational services for individuals from diverse backgrounds working across settings such as early childhood, Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI), and in K-12 school settings. Her research focuses on the application of behavioral analysis to improve literacy outcomes for children from underserved communities. She is an author, speaker, and lecturer. She’s passionate about the dissemination of Behavior Analytic practices across cultures, disciplines, and the ways in which Behavioral Systems Analysis can be used to establish and sustain those practices. Dr. Uwayo is a Board Certified Behavioral Analysis and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in Michigan.

Learn more about and consider donating to KABAS at https://kalamazooschool.org Cooperant Learning is a project of Sparks Behavioral Services. For more information, visit: https://sparksbehavioralservices.com.

Further reading

1. D’Arms.A., Uwayo, M., Johnson, G., Morgan, G., & Ross, D. (2024). Teaching middle schoolers and adolescents to textually respond. In D. Ross & R. D. Greer (Eds.), When text speaks: Learning to read & reading to learn (181-210). Sloan Publishing.
2. Hugh-Pennie, A.M., Hernandez, M., Uwayo, M.., Johnson, G., & Ross, D. (2021). Culturally relevant pedagogy and applied behavior analysis: Addressing racial bias in education. Behavior Analysis in Practice.
3. Uwayo, M., Hernandez, M., & Ross, D., (2021). Understanding the needs of economically disadvantaged children and families in “A scientific framework for compassion and social justice: Lessons in Applied Behavior Analysis”: pp 151-158. Edited by Jacob A. Sadavoy & Michelle L. Zube. New York, New York.
4. Damashek, A., Ross, D., Corlis, M., Uwayo, M, & Westine, C. (2020). Treatment and prevent approaches for economically disadvantaged young children: Challenges and opportunities. Early ChildhoodDevelopment and Care.
5. Fontenot, B., Uwayo, M., Avendano, S., & Ross, D. (2019). “Inclusion of Disadvantaged Children in Applied Behavior Analysis Research: A Review of the Literature.” Behavior Analysis in Practice.
6. Farris, T. M., Ross, D., Fontenot, B., Johnson, G., Uwayo, M., & Warrilow, G. D. (2017). “Community Service Learning: Recruiting and Retaining Psychology Majors for Service in Low-IncomeCommunities” in Student Experiences and Education Outcomes in Community Engagement for the 21st Century: pp. 85-103. Edited by C. Crosby & F. Brockmeier. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

The BACB® does not endorse, approve, or assume responsibility for this course or its content. Completion of this course provides ACE-approved continuing education credit toward BACB® recertification requirements.