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  • In this episode, we’re looking back at every podcast we had over the past school year and sharing our favorite episodes and lessons learned. We’ve interviewed 16 guests across nine episodes. Every conversation gave us something to think about and find ways to infuse it in our work moving forward. Today, we wanted to highlight just five of those episodes and encourage you to take another listen over these summer months.

    To travel back in time to any of these episodes mentioned today, check out the following links:

    Ep. 32: The Fundamentals of Schoolwide Teams

    Ep. 34: Conferences as Professional Development

    Ep. 36: Culturally Sustaining Practices

    Ep. 38: Mythbusters — There are Some Students Skewing Our Schoolwide Data

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  • By the end of the school year, you have a lot of data at your fingertips. There are two important actions to take. The first is to share it with your schoolwide community as part of your annual PBIS evaluation. The second is to plan how you’ll build on your success next year.

    In this episode, we’re talking about what it takes to evaluate PBIS implementation and use data to create an action plan at the end of the year. Joining us in our conversation are Diane LaMaster, Michele Cook, and Kim Barker.

    Diane LaMaster is a technical assistance coordinator with the Midwest PBIS Network. Diane brings with her decades of experience in various roles including as a special education teacher, behavior interventionist, and a district coach.

    Michele Cook has been a special educator, PE teacher, PBIS coach, building principal, and executive director of student support services in the Gresham-Barlow School District in Gresham, OR. Now she works part time to support multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) implementation in the district.

    Kim Barker is a long-time educator from Gresham-Barlow School District, too. This year marks her 21st year with the district where she now works as an administrator for Deep Creek Damascus K-8 School.

    During our conversation, we explored the way data serve as historical references for where implementation has been and where it will go in the future.

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links:

    Tiered Fidelity InventorySelf-Assessment SurveySWIS Suite
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  • Have you heard this before in your teams: If we removed these students from our schoolwide data, our trends would look better. In this episode, we’re tackling the myth that some students’ behavior data skew our schoolwide data. Joining us in this conversation are Rayann Silva and Mari Meador from the University of Washington’s School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training (SMART) Center.

    Rayann has done it all in education. From classroom teacher to district administrator, to state/regional school mental health training and technical assistance provider, she centers social-emotional well-being in every role she holds. In her current work, she supports education agencies and school districts to deliver evidence-based strategies that improve social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for all.

    As an implementation coach, Mari supports schools in their implementation efforts. She has been a PBIS state facilitator, an assistant coordinator for the Northwest PBIS Network, and a school-based counselor and mental health associate. Mari is a forever advocate for system-level change, culturally responsive practices, and social-emotional learning.

    Together, we talked about the unintended consequences of excluding some students from schoolwide data, and what it truly means to include every student’s experience in our schoolwide decisions.

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links:

    Role of social worker at all three tiers from Washington State Association of School Psychologists Behavioral Health Coalition

  • There are two primary questions every team should ask related to their PBIS implementation:

    Are we doing what we said we would do? (Fidelity) How does our implementation affect the people in our school? (Outcomes)

    Because PBIS is an evidence-based framework, you know there are data to help you answer these questions. Which brings us to today’s topic: How do you choose a system to store and monitor the fidelity and outcome data you collect? Joining us today to help us answer that question are Diertra Lomeli and Seth May.

    Diertra is the PBISApps Customer Support Manager. She leads the team of people who connect with our users, set up every account, invoice every subscription, and problem-solve every bug as it comes in. Diertra is also a member of several project teams dreaming up new app features to address emerging needs related to data-driven decision making in PBIS implementation.

    Seth is the PBISApps IT Director. He started as a developer creating the very first version of the Schoolwide Information System (SWIS). Now, he leads a team of developers and IT professionals to create the applications schools use everyday.

    For more information about the resources mentioned in this episode, check out the following links:

    More information about SWISMore information about PBIS AssessmentPBIS Assessment Coordinator Form to sign up for PBIS Assessment Options to integrate your student information system with SWISSign up for more information about the new PBISApps Community
  • For PBIS implementation to feel authentic to your school’s culture, it’s important to ask your larger schoolwide community for their feedback about the systems and practices you’ve put in place AND to use that feedback to improve your implementation.

    In this episode, Dr. Ambra Green joins us to talk about how you can implement the foundational features of PBIS to create culturally sustaining, truly inclusive spaces.

    Ambra is an Associate Professor of Special Education at The University of Texas at Arlington. She is a national scholar with publications and research focused on students of color with and at-risk for disabilities, inequitable school practices, behavior disorders, PBIS, and the use of evidence-based practices. Ambra currently serves as a member of the Center on PBIS Equity workgroup and provides technical assistance at the school, district, and state levels.

    During our conversation, the three of us talked about how to know when there's a mismatch between your implementation and the lived experiences in your schoolwide community, the way two-way conversations are critical to the process of creating culturally sustaining implementation, and to engage everyone in those conversations requires trust you need to develop over time.

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links:

    Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI)State and Local PBIS Coordinator LookupNational Center on Intensive InterventionPBIS Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide‍
  • Today, we’re bringing you another installment in our mythbuster series. In October, we tackled the myth that PBIS is only about rewards. Spoiler alert: Rewards are part of it, but there’s more to it than the myth suggests. In this episode, we’re exploring the myth: There are no consequences in PBIS. Back again to help us bust this myth is Dr. Kent McIntosh.

    Kent is the Philip H. Knight Chair of Special Education at the University of Oregon and the Director at PBISApps. He is also Co-Director of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. His current research focuses on increasing racial equity in school discipline, and sustainability of systems for social, emotional, and behavior support in schools.

    Together, we talked about the types of consequences we deliver in schools. We really honed in on how our options ought to be instructional whenever possible and removing students from instruction shouldn’t be our option B, C, or even D.

    For more information about the resources shared in the episode, check out the following links:

    Tiered Fidelity Inventory Consequence Matrix Referral Category Definitions Practice Guide – Supporting and Responding to Behavior: Evidence-based Classroom Strategies for Teachers
  • A system-level feature of your PBIS implementation involves the professional development you offer to all staff.

    Many of us take advantage of conferences to receive professional development, especially related to our PBIS implementation. We love a good conference. We also know lecture-style learning alone isn’t enough to sustain the outcomes we want to achieve. We wondered what it would look like to leverage our conference experience to supplement our on-going professional learning.

    We called on some conference organizers for our favorite PBIS conferences to see what they had to say about this idea. Joining us in conversation are Dr. Jessica Swain-Bradway, Kelly Perales, and Dr. Stephanie Martinez.

    Dr. Jessica Swain-Bradway is the executive director for Northwest PBIS Network – an organization providing professional development and support around PBIS & MTSS. She is also helps to organize the group’s annual PBIS conference. In her work, Jessica also focuses on equipping teachers with strategies for instruction, relationship-building, and designing effective learning environments.

    Kelly Perales is the co-director of the Midwest PBIS Network and she's an implementer partner with the Center on PBIS. As an implementer partner, Kelly helps to organize the annual National PBIS Leadership Forum. Kelly leads schools implementing the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) by focusing specifically on the integration of mental health and educational systems. In addition to her work with schools, she researches the effects ISF has on family-school-community partnerships.

    Dr. Stephanie Martinez provides training and technical assistance on the Florida PBIS Project at the University of South Florida. She is also a board member for the Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS). As a tri-chair for the Training and Education Committee for APBS, Stephanie assists with planning the organization’s annual International Conference on Positive Behavior Support. She also helps coordinate the High School APBS Network.

    For more information about the resources shared in the episode, check out the following links:

    Northwest PBIS Conference

    National PBIS Leadership Forum

    International Conference on Positive Behavior Support

    Society for Prevention Research Annual Meeting

    Council for Exceptional Children Convention and Expo

    National Center for School Mental Health Annual Conference

    California PBIS Conference

    Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference

  • We’re back with the second installment of our Expert Instruction Mythbusters series. Today we’re exploring the myth: “PBIS is just about rewards and tokens.” Joining us in conversation is Dr. Kent McIntosh.

    Kent is the Philip H. Knight Chair of Special Education at the University of Oregon and the Director at PBISApps. He is also Co-Director of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. His current research focuses on increasing racial equity in school discipline, and implementation and sustainability of systems for social, emotional, and behavior support in schools.

    During our discussion, we explored the ways rewards are intricately linked with the schoolwide expectations you set. We talked about the purpose rewards play in your PBIS implementation and how they play an important role in establishing the equitable outcomes you hope to achieve.

    For more information about the resources shared in the episode, check out the following links:

    • Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) https://www.pbisapps.org/products/tfi

    • Feedback and Input Survey https://www.pbisapps.org/resource/feedback-input-surveys-fis-manual

    • School Climate Survey (SCS) https://www.pbisapps.org/products/scs

    • Lesson Plan: Co-creating Classroom Expectations with Students (Elementary Schools) https://www.pbis.org/resource/lesson-plan-co-creating-classroom-expectations-with-students-elementary-schools

    • Be+ App https://www.pbis.org/announcements/track-positive-reinforcement-with-our-be-app

  • Two system-level, foundational features of PBIS implementation relate to your schoolwide team — specifically who’s on it and how it operates. While research tells us team-based decision making is an effective practice, it can’t pinpoint exactly which practices contribute to that success. , That’s because what makes teams so great has a lot to do with how well they fit within the culture and context of their schoolwide community.

    So what does a schoolwide PBIS team look like? How does it work? We invited our colleague Danielle Triplett to join us today to share some of her experiences working with teams in every role from team member to district-level coach.

    Danielle is a Senior Research Assistant and member of our PBIS Apps training team. She is passionate about schools. In her work, she’s particularly interested in exploring how schools can improve educational equity, offer alternatives to exclusionary discipline, use data for decision-making, and implement multi-tiered systems of support for behavior and mental health.

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links:

    Tiered Fidelity Inventory Centering Equity in Data-based Decision Making: Considerations and Recommendations for Leadership Teams
  • PBIS has its skeptics — folks who just aren’t so sure the framework is useful. It’s fair to question things and criticisms push us to think about how our implementation can be more inclusive. When you hear a critique or even a misperception, how do you respond?

    We thought we’d help you out. Today’s episode of Expert Instruction is the first in our new series: PBIS Mythbusters.

    Mythbusters was a television series where the two hosts, Adam and Jamie, would use science to test a myth and determine once and for all if it was true. If it wasn’t, they stamped the myth as officially busted. We’re taking our cue from that show by exploring some of the critiques about PBIS with experts from across the country. Together, we will figure out whether we can declare the statements true or busted!

    The myth we’re talking about today is, “Students don’t need to be taught how to behave at school; they should just know.” Joining us in conversation is Dr. Jessica Daily and Mimi McGrath Kato.

    Mimi is a Senior Research Assistant here at the UO. In her research, she focuses on implementing prevention systems at the high school level and improving outcomes for students in those places. She brings with her more than 25 years of experience either working in or alongside high schools across the country.Jessica is the Professional Learning Administrator for Michigan’s MTSS Technical Assistance Center. Before working there, she spent time as a school psychologist, a PBIS district coach, a state-wide technical assistance provider, and up until about a month ago, the training team lead here at PBISApps.

    For more information about the resources shared in the episode, check out the following links:

    Feedback and Input Survey
  • Who’s ready for summer? Literally every hand in our office is up…maybe yours is, too. The end of the year is the perfect time to tie up loose ends, pack up your things, and look back on everything you accomplished. Reflection is an active process — one that keeps our work fresh and helps us improve from year to year — and it’s what we’re doing today.

    In this episode, we’re looking back at every conversation we had over the past school year and sharing our favorite highlights and lessons learned. We’ve interviewed 21 guests across 10 episodes. Every conversation gave us something to think about and find ways to infuse it in our work moving forward. Today, we’re sharing five of those lessons with you.To travel back in time and dive into any of these episodes mentioned today, check out the following links:

    Ep. 21: Benefits & Examples of Creating a Schoolwide Purpose Statement Ep. 24: The Benefits of Play‍Ep. 26: Vulnerable Decision Points Ep. 27: Neutralizing Vulnerable Decision Points‍Ep. 29: Integrating Mental Health Supports in Your PBIS Framework
  • This month, we’re taking the opportunity to explore the ways schools embed school mental health within their existing PBIS framework through a process called the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF). The ISF offers you a way to take advantage of the expertise within your larger schoolwide community, add it to the systems, practices, and data accessible on your PBIS teams, and get students the comprehensive support they need.

    In this episode, we’re talking to two people who have done just that.

    Megan Schultz is the community coordinator for an organization called The 15th Night —"a youth-informed, community movement to end youth homelessness by connecting existing resources and finding innovative ways to keep kids in school and off the streets.” In her role, Megan helps schools and community organizations get connected through a system called the Rapid Access Network (RAN). Kelly Perales is the co-director of the Midwest PBIS Network and an implementer partner with the Center on PBIS. She leads schools implementing ISF, focusing on the integration of mental health and education systems. In addition to her work with schools, she researches the effects ISF has on family-school-community partnerships.

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links:

    Overview of ISFAdvancing Education Effectiveness: Interconnecting School Mental Health and School-Wide PBIS, Volume 2: An Implementation Guide: A step-by-step guide for district and school teams implementing ISF.The 15th Night Homepage
  • Teachers across the country say the number of behaviors they manage in the classroom is up this year compared to before the pandemic. We know the first step to improving behavior trends schoolwide is to verify your Tier 1 systems and practices are fully in place. When you’ve verified they are and behavior trends continue to rise, what can you do? In this episode of Expert Instruction, learn how to increase schoolwide support by infusing it with a dose Tier 2 critical elements.

    Joining the conversation are Dr. Billie Jo Rodriquez and Noah Van Horn.

    Billie Jo is a Northwest PBIS Network staff member, a senior lecturer at the University of Oregon, a nationally certified school psychologist, and a board-certified behavior analyst. She has over 20 years of experience supporting students with diverse needs and helping schools implement increasingly intensive function-based supports.Noah is a nationally certified school psychologist and PBIS coach for Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, OR. In addition to his work leading district initiatives to support PBIS, he is a lead trainer for district professional development on topics ranging from Tier1 practices to more intensive, individualized support.
  • Surprise! It’s our first bonus episode of Expert Instruction! We’ve been working as a team to bring some new labels and language to the Schoolwide Information System (SWIS). As part of that work, we revisited the category label definitions and gave them a refresh. As that project comes to completion, we realized the work overlapped with the conversations we’ve had over the last two months.

    When you talk about solutions to disrupt vulnerable decision points, defining behavior — both what it looks like and the options available to address it — is on the list. We had to get the team together to share a little about what the process was like and how you can do it, too, in your school.

    Joining us in conversation are Diertra Lomeli, Katie Schulz, and Seth May.

    Diertra is the Customer Support Team Manager at PBISApps. She leads the team of people who connect with our users, set up every account, invoice every subscription, and problem-solve every bug as it comes in. Katie is a Customer Support Specialist at PBISApps. When users have questions, concerns, or feedback about our applications, they get in touch with our customer support team, and often, they get in touch with Katie.Seth is the Director of IT at PBISApps. He started as a developer creating the very first version of SWIS. Now, he leads a team of developers and IT professionals to create the applications schools use every day.

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out these links:

    Updated SWIS Referral Category DefinitionsDetails to Prep You for Changes Coming to SWISTeach by Design: Disrupt Your Vulnerable Decisions With These Simple Solutions
  • In this episode of Expert Instruction: The Teach by Design Podcast, we’re continuing the conversation from last month’s episode about vulnerable decision points (VDP). Drs. Maria Reina Santiago-Rosaria and Sean Austin are back to share how we can disrupt our decision making in those moments.Today we’re talking about neutralizing routines: brief, step-by-step processes to make our quick decisions more deliberate. During our conversation, we recognized the overlaps between these routines and those we explored in previous episodes related to de-escalation. While both require us to become more present in the moment, neutralizing routines are specifically designed to disrupt our implicit bias—those stereotypes we carry around without even knowing it.María is a researcher at the University of Oregon who focuses on racial equity in school discipline, measuring teacher expectations of students, and supporting students who receive special education services as they transition from middle to high school. Sean is also a researcher at the University of Oregon who focuses on positive behavior support, implementation science, and professional development.The two of them share how they’ve seen these routines implemented, how to know when those routines are working, and how all of this serves the larger goal of making your discipline decisions more equitable for all students.

  • In this month’s episode of Expert Instruction: The Teach by Design Podcast, we’re diving further into the research and practices surrounding vulnerable decisions points (VDPs). Over in our Teach by Design article, we shared how you can find the VDPs contributing to the disproportionate outcomes you see in your data, but why do we even focus on VDPs in decision making in the first place? Joining us to help answer that question are Drs. María Reina Santiago-Rosario and Sean Austin.

    In her research, María focuses on racial equity in school discipline, measuring teacher expectations of students, and supporting students who receive special education services as they transition from middle to high school. She understands what it takes to implement system-level changes and how to guide teams in classroom behavior management and strategic planning for equity in discipline.

    In his work, Sean focuses on positive behavior support, implementation science, and professional development. Before completing his PhD, Sean worked for several years as a school psychologist supporting students with behavioral needs.

    Speaking of Sean’s PhD, his dissertation revealed some interesting things about the common points in the school day that are most vulnerable to biased decisions. We talked to him about that! Then, we asked him and María what makes a VDP such a good starting point and how do we handle those challenging conversations to create the self-awareness necessary before launching into problem solving?

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out these links:

    Don’t Discipline Hangry – a Teach by Design article with more information about unconscious bias and VDPs.Ep. 6: Implicit Bias – an Expert Instruction episode with Dr. Erik Girvan talking about implicit bias and its affect on classroom decisions.Using Discipline Data within SWPBIS to Identify and Address Disproportionality: A Guide for School Teams– a guide from The Center on PBIS on how to data to address equity in your school Registration for the 2023 NWPBIS Conference
  • We’ve mentioned before the important role coaches play in your PBIS implementation. They help hold you and your team accountable, facilitate your meetings, walk you through intervention options, and guide you through the process of making the systems and practices match your unique context. Coaches are valuable members of any implementation effort, and yet, we haven’t spent much time exploring what it means to be a coach.

    In this episode of Expert Instruction: The Teach by Design Podcast, we’re talking with two coaches about what it’s been like to support schools and districts to sustain their implementation in spite of so much disruption. If you’re a coach, a team lead, or you want to hear about these roles from someone else’s perspective, this conversation is for you!

    Joining us in that conversation are Drs. Lisa Powers and Kelsey Morris from the University of Missouri Center for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support.

    Lisa wears many hats in her work, one of which is as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Missouri. She currently supports district-level leadership teams in their PBIS implementation. She has also been a special educator, PBIS facilitator, administrator, and professor. In everything she does, Lisa remains committed to learning with and from the communities she supports and doing whatever she can to make sure every child is successful in school.Kelsey is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri and co-director of the University of Missouri Center for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support. His work focuses primarily on PBIS, classroom management, data-based decision making, and district-wide PBIS implementation.

    For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out these links:

    Missouri Center on Schoolwide Positive Behavior SupportEducator's Blueprint Podcast: Lisa's weekly podcast exploring topics currently impacting school systems, behavior, and instructional practices.Information about the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI)Information about the District Systems Fidelity Inventory (DSFI)Evaluation Brief: Collecting Fidelity Data to Support and Sustain PBIS/MTSS in SchoolsPractice Brief: Creating a Classroom Teaching MatrixUpcoming Webinars for Using the TFI
  • This month’s Teach by Design article introduced the continuum of play and how to embed play-based learning in your classrooms. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at one specific type of play on the continuum. Today, we’re talking about free play.

    Free play is that dedicated time in the day where your students get to move and explore in unstructured space free of any adult interference. In schools, most of us call it recess! Our students love it, and yet there never seems to be enough time dedicated to it. But what if we made more time for it? What are the benefits? How would it work logistically with the bell schedule? Most of this relates to early childhood and elementary school, but what could it look like in middle and high school?

    In this episode, we’re talking about it all with Dr. Michelle Bauml and Nellie Huggins.

    Michelle is a Professor of Education and an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Texas Christian University (TCU). She is also a Play Consultant as part of the Let’s Inspire Innovation ‘N Kids (Liink) Project’s Research Team. The Liink Project is an organization dedicated to increasing student access to unstructured, outdoor recess time as a way of improving social, emotional, behavioral, and academic achievement in schools.

    Nellie is a veteran in the field of early childhood education and an advocate for young children and their families. She has spent the last 22 years working in every early childhood setting and role possible – from infant care to preschool teacher, to preschool owner and director. Currently, she’s the Parent Outreach Coordinator for Early Childhood CARES at the University of Oregon – an organization providing early intervention and early childhood special education to infants, toddlers, and preschool age children in Lane County.

    For more information on the resources shared in this episode, check out these links.

    The Liink Project homepage Early Childhood CARES homepage Time to Play: Recognizing the Benefits of Recess: The research findings around the percent of students who have dedicated time for recess in their day.Super Fun Transitions by Shawn Brown: An album of transition songs to use in early education settings as kids move from one activity to another.
  • This episode of Expert Instruction is the second in our 2-part series about de-escalation. Last episode, we spoke with Dr. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen and Alex Newsom about the school-wide strategies you can put in place to help prevent behaviors from escalating in the classroom. We know it would be impossible to prevent 100% of behaviors from getting bigger. So, what happens when those prevention strategies aren’t enough? What can you do to de-escalate a behavior before it becomes a crisis?

    We invited Ami Flammini and Brian Meyer from the Midwest PBIS Network to help us answer those questions. They are co-authors (along with Kathleen, Alex, Katherine Meyer, Laura Kern, and Robert Putnam) on the new practice brief from The Center on PBIS called, Strategies for De-escalating Student Behavior in the Classroom. Today, they're are sharing how they've used these strategies to stop the escalation cycle and help students return to a place of calm.

    Ami is a technical assistance director with the Midwest PBIS Network where she works to integrate trauma-informed practices within a multi-tiered support system. Ami has nearly 30 years of experience in education as a social worker and trainer, so she is intimately familiar with what it takes to create a positive school culture that supports everyone.

    Brian is a co-director for the Midwest PBIS Network and a partner with The Center on PBIS. He bring with him experience in just about every educational setting. From general education, to higher education, to residential care, to state departments down to the local level, Brian has worked with them all. In his current work with the Midwest PBIS Network, Brian leads the curricular development of district leadership training, Tier 1, classroom management, and bullying prevention.

    Dr. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen is also back for this episode. Kathleen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah and a Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has extensive experience conducting research and training both preservice teachers and in-service district and school personnel in behavior support implementation at Tiers 2 and 3. Her research interests include: designing inclusive educational environments, using efficient methods to train school professionals how to design individualized student behavior plans, and enhancing family-professional partnership within PBIS.

    For more information about some of the resources mentioned in this episode, please check out these links:

    Practice Brief: Strategies for De-escalating Student Behavior in the Classroom Expert Instruction Ep. 22: School-wide Strategies for Preventing Escalated Behavior Teach by Design Article: Slow the Climb: 4 De-escalation Strategies to Keep Behavior from Going Downhill Midwest PBIS Network's Website
  • In this episode of Expert Instruction: The Teach by Design Podcast, we’re kicking off a two-part series about de-escalating the behaviors you see in your school. Today, we’re exploring the school-wide, classroom-wide systems and practices you can leverage to prevent problem behaviors from escalating in the first place.

    Joining us today are two of the authors of a recently published practice brief from The Center on PBIS, Dr. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen and Alex Newson.

    Kathleen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah and a Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has extensive experience conducting research and training both preservice teachers and in-service district and school personnel in behavior support implementation at Tiers 2 and 3. Her research interests include: designing inclusive educational environments, using efficient methods to train school professionals how to design individualized student behavior plans, and enhancing family-professional partnership within PBIS.

    Alex Newson is a doctoral student in Special Education at the University of Oregon. She is a recipient of Project COLEAD, which is a leadership grant focusing on autism, evidence-based practices, diversity, and collaboration across universities. Her current research interests include equitable neuroinclusive research methodologies, collaborative trauma-informed teacher education programs for neurodivergent educators and service providers, and the promotion of autistic mental health in schools for students and staff. She has taught throughout in the Pacific Northwest as a certified Special Educator and educational assistant.

    Oh, and we’re also welcoming our new co-host, Nadia Sampson! Nad is a veteran in the PBIS game and she’s ready to share her experience and her humor as we all learn more about the topics in each podcast episode.

    For more information about some of the resources mentioned in this today, please check out these links:

    Practice Brief: Strategies for De-Escalating Student Behavior in the ClassroomExpert Instruction Ep. 14: Relieving Staff Stress with System-level Solutions – Staff stress is a systemic issue best addressed with system-level solutions. We talked to two experts about how to do that in your school.10 Strategies to Combat Stress in the Classroom – Check out this article for more information about the affects of chronic stress and the fight, flight, or freeze responses you might see in your classroom.