Today our guest is Liz Ritz the Director of Teaching and Learning, at Oak Harbor Public Schools. We talk to Liz about her experience infusing CharacterStrong throughout the Oak Harbor district, and she shares difference between implementing with fidelity and integrity. Liz highlights the importance of building relationships in meetings, professional development, and one-on-one sessions with staff.. She also explains how having a Tier 1 program has laid a strong foundation as they proactively...

Today our guest is Kiley Luckett the District Mental Health Coordinator with Lawrence Public Schools in Lawrence Kansas. We talk to Kiley about how they have planned, selected, and implemented the CharacterStrong curriculum over this last year. She shares about what they did as a district to make initial & ongoing implementation successful with both staff and students. Kiley also talks about the importance that clarity, competency, and consistency has been in helping the schools across...

Today our guest is Sharon Bradley, School District Administrator who supports Character, Attendance, and Restorative Practices & Founder and Principal Consultant at RestorativeFlo Educational Solutions. We talk with Sharon about how about 80% Restorative Practices are dedicated to building a strong community and relationships, not just resolving conflicts. She shares that it's not only about addressing issues but creating a supportive atmosphere for everyone. Sharon also emphasizes the...

We're counting down the top 6 podcasts of 2023!  Today our guests are Amber Benson & Ruby Voss, better know as BensonVoss. We talk to BensonVoss about the role that Positive Relationships & Data-Based Decisions play in Student Growth. They share how they work to build positive relationships from day one of the school year, and the positive impact that this has in their classroom. BensonVoss also talk about how they have intentionally done more with less and how they work for total...

We're counting down the top 6 podcasts of 2023!  Today our guests are Katrina Hill, Caleb Amstutz, & Melanie Fox. We talk to Katrina, Caleb, and Melanie about the advisory program at Community School. which was recently recognized as an inaugural AMLE School of Distinction in 2022. They share about multiage groupings, multiyear relationships, & the value of traditions and the impact that these have had in the lives of the students at Community School. Learn More:  Visit the...

We're counting down the top 6 podcasts of 2023!  Today our guest is Josh Nelson a School Counselor at Richard Lewis Brown Gifted and Talented Academy. We talk with Josh about creating systems for changing how discipline referrals are handled in schools. Josh suggests that we view behavior as unmet needs rather than just bad behavior, and emphasizes the importance of shifting our thinking about discipline from punishment to correction. Josh also shares how they analyzed behavior referral data...

We're counting down the top 6 podcasts of 2023!  Today our guest is Ryan Marshall, School Counselor at South Salem High School and the 2023 Oregon School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Ryan about student driven suicide prevention and how they have worked to add student input and voice in supporting student mental health. He shares how this work started with one student, and how as they gathered information across the district they heard from students that they wanted to help. Ryan...

We're counting down the top 6 podcasts of 2023!  Today our guest is Dr. Alvia Baldwin the Director of Guidance and Counseling in Alief ISD in Texas. We talk to Dr. Baldwin about how to increase staff and Admin buy-in in our schools and districts. She talks about the different ways that they have put a focus on character education across the district at Alief, not just with the students but also with the staff. Dr. Baldwin shares how having fun has be an important piece of creating a...

We're counting down the top 6 podcasts of 2023!  Today, our guest is Dr. Clay Cook, the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong. We speak with Clay about why Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports should run concurrently instead of waiting for Tier 1 to be fully in place before starting Tier 2. He identifies some of the necessary components for this approach and discusses the differences between Tier 1 and Tier 2. Clay also emphasizes the time required to support students with Tier 2 needs, and...

This week CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin overviews a weekly meeting process that has been a part of CharacterStrong from the beginning. He shares about the EOS process and talks about about the regular weekly meeting principles that anyone can use to help bring high accountability and high supports for us and our teams. Learn More:  Send us your thoughts/questions at [email protected] Visit the CharacterStrong Website

Today our guest is John Morrison an Educational Leadership Consultant, and named One of Canada’s Outstanding Principals by the Learning Partnership. We talk with John about how we can better connect students to school in a meaningful way and how this directly connects with attendance. He also shares about the research that they did which shows the impact of students missing classes and the 4 things that they started to do in response to begin to decrease the number of students that were...

Today our guest is Cory Notestine the Executive Director of People at CharacterStrong. We talk with Cory about how implementing MTSS can often feel like the wild west as schools within districts each do their own things, making it difficult to track and support MTSS implementation. He shares how some of the pain points in implementation come from us not truly understanding the systems that we work in, how they operate, and who the decision makers are. Cory talks about how districts are often...

Today our guest is CharacterStong co-founder Houston Kraft! We talk with Houston about gratitude and how gratitude is one of the most low burden, hi impact things that we can do for our mental well being. He shares that we can start to practice gratitude by acknowledging and being aware of the good things in our lives, figuring out where they have come from, and then having this lead us to appreciation. Houston also unpacks the idea of beginning to train ourselves to look for the good things...

Today our guest is Dr. Clay Cook the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong We talk to Clay about The importance of having Shared Clarity and Commitment when it comes to implementing MTSS. He breaks down the connection between clarity and adult readiness, highlighting their pivotal roles as prerequisites for successful MTSS implementation Clay also reminds us that clarity proceeds commitment, and shares that 80% of implementation efforts fall because we don’t have adult readiness. ...

Today our guest is Dr. Beth Ruff, School Counselor at Powder Springs Elementary School We talk to Dr. Ruff about Arts Integration in school counseling and how at Powder Springs they integrate art into all of the elementary classes. She shares how art integrates so well with the school counseling standards and framework, and gives examples of how they have used art to help students talk about topics such as grief and loss. Additionally, Dr. Ruff highlights the proactive use of art and music...

Today our guest is Dr. Alisha Hill the Director of School Support at CharacterStrong We talk with Dr. Hill about strategies to establish readiness for initial implementation across districts. She discusses how in her district they focused on building readiness in three key areas: motivation, capacity, and support structures. Dr. Hill emphasizes the significance of having a district-level team, ensuring support for adults involved in the process, and fostering a shared vision throughout the...

Today our guest is Melissa Rosario, Elementary Specialist at CharacterStrong. We talk to Melissa about ways that we can provide continuous, ongoing, and effective support for new teachers. Melissa highlights the concerning statistics regarding new teachers and the decline of teachers in schools today. She explains the 5 phases of first-year teachers and how we can use them to design support programs. Melissa suggests several intentional ways to support new teachers, including creating...

Today our guest is Brandon Bakke - Director of Secondary Education at CharacterStrong. We talk to Brandon about ways that we can work to support principals not only during National Principal's Month but also throughout the year. Brandon emphasizes the impact of simple acts of gratitude, such as sending a quick note, compliment, or video. He also shares a really creative idea to help principals build relationships in a way that they might not normally have the opportunity to do. In addition,...

Today CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin reminds us that at the core of our work it’s all about relationships. He shares two quick stories that highlight the positive outcomes that can happen when we purposefully engage with our students' interests and strive to learn from them. John also reminds us that so often what we see on the surface does not reveal the full story of what is happening in the lives of those around us.   Learn More:  Visit the CharacterStrong Website

Today our guest is Dr. David Arencibia, Principal at Colleyville Middle School in Colleyville, TX. We talk with Dr. Arencibia about what it takes to build a strong, positive school culture, and how they have succeeded in doing so at Colleyville. He explains how they have prioritized their four core values: relationships, positivity, a growth mindset, and teamwork, and how they incorporate these values into everything they do. Dr. Arencibia also discusses how they maintain a positive culture...

Today our guest is Meredith Draughn, School Counselor at B Everett Jordan Elementary in North Carolina and also the 2023 ASCA National School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Meredith about the easy minute meeting, which is a simple needs assessment strategy. She breaks down the 4 question assessment that makes up the meeting and talks about the importance of activating positive thinking with students. Meredith also shares how she introduces & implements these meetings during the school...

Today, our guest is Dr. Keisha Larry Burns, School Counselor at Shadow Hills Engineering & Design Magnet Academy. We talk with Dr. Burns about equity, access, and opportunity as we seek to support all students in our schools. She talks about the challenges that students have faced and she reminds us that each student we meet is unique and has different needs. Dr. Burns provides insights on how we can support all students and ensure they receive the necessary resources for success....

Today our guest is Megan Gruis the Executive Director of Implementation Supports & Tier 2 at CharacterStrong. We talk with Megan about the importance of coaching alongside professional development (PD), and the science behind it. She reminds us that it is not enough to simply introduce new ideas during implementation; consistent coaching of our teams is necessary to help them be more effective in their efforts to help students. Megan shares research and statistics that demonstrate the...

Season 6 Kickoff! We talk with CharacterStrong Co-Founder Houston Kraft about key strategies that can help us be more intentional in our work and relationships. He shares about the power of specificity, surprise, and constraint, and how these approaches can help us better connect with others. Houston also shares about the importance of consistency over time. He reminds us that true change and growth come from sustained effort and dedication, and reminds us that we need to cultivate habits of...

Today our guest is Jana Clark, Assistant Principal, Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. We talk with Jana about the significance of planning professional development. She shares how she approaches professional development by considering what educators require and how administrators can support them through great PD. Jana explains how they intentionally connect teachers from various schools to remind them about the impact they have on students' lives. Additionally, she shares how...