Understanding the root cause of student behavior is essential for creating meaningful interventions. By focusing on function-based behavior, educators can uncover the purpose behind actions and respond with empathy. Examining patterns and providing targeted support empowers students to grow and thrive within a supportive school community.

Meetings that start and end with purpose don’t just feel better—they produce better outcomes. Openers and closers create a foundation of trust, engagement, and alignment, which leads to more innovative ideas, stronger relationships, and actionable results. When participants leave a meeting feeling inspired and connected, they carry that energy into their work, their relationships, and even their personal lives. It’s a ripple effect that starts with a simple but powerful choice: to invest in the moments that prime people to think differently, share openly, and connect authentically.

Building consensus as a school leader is crucial for fostering collaboration, trust, and shared ownership of decisions and direction. By involving stakeholders in the decision-making process, leaders create a sense of unity and alignment toward common goals, improving the chances of success for initiatives and fostering a positive, inclusive school culture.

It is critical for school leaders to understand the importance of consensus building within school communities, process feedback, and effectively communicate with stakeholders throughout the decision-making processes. This protocol is designed to gather warm, cool, and cold feedback from your school community, which can be used to “tune” or adapt the decisions and approaches you move forward with.

No matter our instructional, distributed, or transformational leadership strengths their value does not address the change agent’s mortal enemy, the status quo. Foot soldiers in the status quo army are the purveyors of “No!” No matter how promising an idea, the answer is always the same—no.

Open lines of communication to create brave spaces for your staff, students, and community to share their excitement, hesitations, and to crowdsource the genius in the room. These protocols support organic conversations as you navigate changes or challenges.

During our May Counterpart meetings, we asked folks to share what they have been engaging with recently. Below is a list of all the resources shared by our incredible community, offering a taste of the diverse and inspiring content they’re currently exploring. This list has something for everyone: from thought-provoking articles to captivating podcasts to must-watch documentaries. So, take a peek, pick your poison, and get ready to dive into something fantastic!

You’ve likely heard the idea that employees don’t necessarily leave companies—they leave when they don’t feel supported by their leaders. At the heart of effective leadership is the ability not only to attract great talent but to nurture and retain it. And while compensation and benefits are important, what truly keeps people engaged is feeling valued—both for what they do and for who they are.

Foster psychological safety through clear, intentional communication and shared mental models.

Your beliefs shape your leadership—guiding how you decide, support your team, and drive meaningful change.

Not all great leaders are the same or lead in the same way. Educational leaders, specifically, face many different responsibilities and challenges that other leaders may not. However, there are some core qualities that transcend the time, place, and nature of leadership work. Consider these 7 Great Leadership Qualities to strengthen your own leadership skills while fostering a more inclusive workplace.

The role of educator—and educational leader—takes heart. And courage. But did you know that courage isn’t one-size-fits-all? Not only are there different types of courage, but you can also develop your own personal levels of courage through reflection and practice. Consider these 6 Types of Courage for Inclusive Workplaces to strengthen your own resolve as a leader and help model a more confident and inclusive workplace.

This brief, yet powerful, closing activity not only offers a clear end to your gathering/meeting/training/activity/etc., but it provides participants the opportunity to reflect on their experience in ways they may not consciously be aware they need, but that they do nonetheless. This versatile closing activity is fantastic for students, staff, leadership teams, peer groups, etc.

In today’s world, students need more than academic knowledge to succeed—they need the social and emotional skills to navigate challenges, build relationships, and grow with confidence. Embedding social and emotional learning (SEL) into curriculum helps students develop empathy, resilience, and self-awareness alongside academic skills, creating classrooms where all learners can thrive.

These are some of the best writing games that require minimal or no setup time and are an excellent option for substitute teachers looking to quickly break the ice with students or English teachers just seeking fresh ideas to brighten up their lessons.

Continuous improvement should be embedded in day-to-day work, in a systemized, organic way. You can think of the cyclical process as a formative assessment of the ideas being tested.

In an increasingly interconnected world, schools are tasked with preparing students to be knowledgeable, adaptable, and globally minded citizens. Becoming an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School is a powerful way to achieve this goal.

This paper is the first policy research paper in a series on student well-being in IB World Schools. In this resource, the paper provides practical guidance to schools for developing a context-specific well-being policy.

At North Valley High School, school culture is more than words on a wall. It is something students, teachers, and leaders practice together with intention and care. Principal Erik Lathen and his team have found meaningful ways to bring the school’s identity into daily classroom life.

While research has shown school-wide trauma-informed practices benefit all students, one-size-fits-all programs don’t work. Mainstream approaches to trauma-informed practices often fail to address or prevent trauma, and at worst can actually perpetuate harm. In order for trauma-informed practices to be meaningful for students—their teachers and school leaders must question whether those practices are being rolled out in a culturally responsive way.

When teachers are proactive and responsive to the needs of students suffering from traumatic stress and make small changes in the classroom that foster a feeling of safety, it makes a huge difference in their ability to learn. This resource provides some examples.

A trauma-informed MTSS framework integrates compassionate, schoolwide practices that support both student well-being and academic success. Rather than adding new initiatives, apply a trauma lens to existing routines, relationships, and policies. Research highlights the importance of professional learning, cross-role collaboration, and staff wellness as key components of sustainable implementation. By aligning trauma-informed strategies with the MTSS structure, schools can create consistent, supportive environments where all students and staff can thrive.

Many schools are implementing PBIS in efforts to reduce racial disproportionality in school discipline. Research shows that schools implementing PBIS with fidelity have more equitable school discipline, but eliminating disproportionality requires a specific equity focus. This resource highlights specific strategies and free Center on PBIS resources for enhancing the cultural responsiveness of PBIS systems.