As the Charter School for Applied Technologies continues to expand enrollment, a federal grant will help make sure the growing number of students are getting the support they need to be successful. Time Warner Cable News Reporter Kaitlyn Lionti tells us how more than $500,000 in funding will be used to improve the counseling program. 

TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- The Charter School for Applied Technologies is making a change to help draw students into learning. 

"All you've got to do is take a look at a student's grades in a class that he wants to be in, as opposed to one he's just in because he's told to...the difference is amazing," said Garrick Loveria, director of Student Services.

That's why the school is implementing the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support model or PBIS for its students.

The philosophy behind it is creating a positive school culture. 

"You're talking about how kids view coming to school and how they act in the classroom, so there's going to be academic benefits paid there as well," said Loveria.  

Since it's start in 2001, the school's been using a disciplinary system with traditional consequences, but it wasn't working for all students. 

With enrollment set to increase until 2020, its leaders wanted to try a new behavior system to meet their needs. 

"We will be adding students that come at different stages, including at middle school after they have been in an elementary school other than our own," said J. Efrain Martinez, superintendent. 

Starting next year, the school will have $575,700 in federal funding to help implement PBIS in kindergarten through fifth grade over the course of three years. 

However, they'll use it the model up to grade 12, and they started trying it out this year.

"We started rewarding for behaviors that we saw that were positive and that we wanted and the kids responded tremendously," said Loveria.

PBIS doesn't eliminate discipline, but Martinez said it uses a different approach to inappropriate behavior, "We don't ask them 'Don't be rude,' no, we have to tell them not to yell that way to your colleague. Do not use that word, what word should you be using?" 

The funding will support adding two new counselors, training staff and sustaining an early intervention program. 

"When you deal with these issues early on, with counselors, social workers or just with a really positive school environment, you're paying dividends down the road. Those students are going to be much more likely to graduate and be successful," said Loveria.