Expert Instruction: The Teach by Design Podcast

We’re continuing our yearlong exploration of the impact of PBIS by looking at where students spend most of their school day: the classroom. Joining us are three experts who created the Promoting Positive Practices in the Classroom webinar series: Dr. Ruthie Payno-Simmons is an international speaker, the owner and executive consultant of RPS Educational Impact, and serves as a director at the Center for Education Equity at Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, where she leads the U.S. Department of Education's Region III Equity Assistance Center. With more than 25 years of experience, Ruthie partners with schools, districts, state education agencies, and national technical assistance centers to strengthen equitable educational systems. Dr. María Reina Santiago-Rosario is a nationally certified school psychologist and research associate at Educational and Community Supports, a research unit at the University of Oregon and home to PBISApps. She is an implementation partner with the Center on PBIS and specializes in PBIS implementation, culturally responsive and equitable practices, and supporting students receiving special education services as they transition from middle to high school. Dr. Brandi Simonsen is a professor of special education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is also the co-director of the Center on PBIS and a member of the MTSS Leadership Collaborative. In her research, Brandi focuses on supporting educators' implementation of PBIS/MTSS across a continuum of settings. In this episode, we explore how positive classroom practices can create a domino effect that extends across an entire school. Our guests share how intentional partnerships with students and families, culturally sustaining practices, and safe and inclusive environments can strengthen relationships, belonging, engagement, learning, and well-being. We also discuss how small, evidence-based practices, like greeting students by name, can help create classrooms where students feel seen, valued, and ready to learn.

We’re kicking off a new season of Expert Instruction and our yearlong exploration of the impact of PBIS. Joining us are four regional partners from the Center on PBIS: Brian Meyer is the co-executive director of the Midwest PBIS Network. From general education to higher education, residential care, to state departments down to the local level, Brian has worked with them all. As a partner with the Center on PBIS, he coordinates technical assistance offered to state education agencies, the National Leadership Forum, the workgroup on Juvenile Justice and Alternative School settings, and internal evaluation supports. Kelly Perales is the co-executive director of the Midwest PBIS Network and an implementer partner with the Center on PBIS. She provides professional development and technical assistance for state and local leaders in the implementation and scale up of PBIS. Kelly has also led local, regional and state-level implementers in the Interconnected Systems Framework, focusing on the integration of mental health and education systems.Dr. Brandi Simonsen is a professor of special education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is also the Co-Director of the Center on PBIS and a member of the MTSS Leadership Collaborative. In her research, Brandi focuses on supporting educators' implementation of PBIS/MTSS across a continuum of settings. Dr. Jessica Swain-Bradway is the executive director for Northwest PBIS Network – an organization providing professional development and support around PBIS and MTSS. In her work, Jessica focuses on equipping teachers with strategies for instruction, relationship-building, and designing effective learning environments. In this episode, we explore how PBIS can influence far more than student behavior. Our guests share how the framework supports priorities such as attendance, academics, mental health, school climate, staff well-being, and family engagement. We also discuss how relationships, local capacity, and a shared commitment to safer, more predictable, equitable, and nurturing learning environments help sustain PBIS implementation over time.

Guest Bios Dr. Ambra Green Dr. Ambra Green is an associate professor of special education within the Teacher and Administrator Preparation Department 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, issues related to inequitable school practices, behavior disorders, positive behavioral interventions and supports, and teacher use of evidence-based practices. Dr. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen Dr. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen is an associate professor in special education at the University of Utah. She has extensive experience conducting research with and training both preservice teachers and in-service district and school personnel in the implementation of multi-tiered systems of behavior support in schools. 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. Links to Additional Resources Creating Calm: 5 Ways to Prevent Big Behaviors Ep. 22: School-wide Strategies for Preventing Escalated Behavior Slow the Climb: 4 De-escalation Strategies to Keep Behavior from Going Downhill Ep. 23: How to De-escalate Student Behavior Questions When schools think about de-escalation, what are they most often getting wrong—and why do we need to rethink who owns the work? What role do adult systems, policies, and practices play in preventing escalation before a crisis ever occurs? What are the strategies that you would recommend that other school leaders lean on within their PBIS implementation to strengthen their de-escalation efforts?

Guest Bio - Kristin Bailey Originally from Charleston, Kristin Bailey experienced twenty six hurricane seasons in South Carolina before moving to Denver for work in 2010. She began her work in Denver as a Colorado State Public Defender in Arapahoe County as a dedicated advocate for kid clients. In 2018, she transitioned to Denver Public Schools as part of the in-house counsel team. In this role, Kristin works to keep more kids in schools rather than pushing them into the delinquency system. She devotes every day to helping ensure schools are welcoming, inclusive, and safe environments for all students, while striving to reverse the school-to-prison pipeline. Crisis Prevention Bonus Episode 2 with Kristin Bailey 1. Let’s start with some definitions: In the context of crisis prevention, when we say “Ethical Protection Without Criminalization”, what are we talking about? What does ethical protection mean? Protection for whom or from what? What are some of the typical crisis responses we see in schools? 2. What does safety look like when it is not rooted primarily in exclusion or punishment? 3. When schools are trying to respond to harm, protect students, and maintain a safe learning environment, what should educators and administrators keep in mind so their responses do not unintentionally create more harm or exclusion? Follow-up: What role can systems like PBIS play in helping schools balance accountability, support, and belonging?

Over the 2025–26 season of Expert Instruction, we explored how data help schools make better decisions for students. In this year-end reflection episode, Megan Cave and Danielle Triplett look back on the conversations, lessons, and stories that shaped the season. Together, they revisit favorite moments from guests across the PBIS community and reflect on what they learned about prevention, relationships, systems, and data-based decision making.

We're coming to you LIVE from the NWPBIS Conference in Tacoma, WA to explore another PBIS myth. Joining us today are Becky Gawenit and Charisse Elliott. Becky is from Battle Ground Public School District in Battle Ground, WA. She's been a part of that district for the last 18 years as either a school psychologist or as a district MTSS coach. Charisse is a behavior program associate with Salem-Keizer Public Schools in Salem, OR. In her role, she works as an advocate for what teachers, students, and families need by focusing on systems to create supportive, inclusive learning environments. In this installment of our Mythbusters series, we discuss whether districts use the data you submit as a gotcha . We talk about how data work best when they inform the decisions you make, but when you submit those same data to the district, they seem work as a punishment. Charisse and Becky help us understand that finding the middle ground involves trusting relationships, honest coaching, and a culture prioritizing improvement over accountability.

We continue our exploration of Tier 3 support by focusing on an important and often misunderstood part of behavior support plans: measuring fidelity. Joining us today is Rose Iovannone. • Rose is a research professor at the University of South Florida and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She also serves as director of the University of South Florida Interdisciplinary Center for Evaluation and Intervention, where she supports individuals with complex needs from early childhood through young adulthood. In addition to her research, Rose works closely with educators through training and professional development to support practical, real-world implementation of behavior support systems. In this episode, Rose helps us reframe fidelity as a way to evaluate whether a behavior support plan is actually feasible, effective, and aligned with classroom realities, rather than a measure of teacher performance. She also gives us actionable ideas for how teams can build buy-in, start small, and integrate fidelity into their ongoing problem-solving process. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: • Expert Instruction Ep. 58 : Tier 3 Supports in General Education Classrooms • Teach by Design: The Fit Check Your Behavior Plan Needs • Prevent–Teach–Reinforce ( PTR ) Model • Technical Adequacy Tool for Evaluation ( TATE )

Some of the most important systems and practices you can implement are the proactive things you do to prevent behavior from escalating. This episode is part of a special Crisis Prevention Series produced in partnership with the Center on PBIS Crisis Prevention Workgroup, where we explore how PBIS systems can support schools in preventing, preparing for, and responding to crises. When we talk about preventing crises, we’re talking about: Your response to the needs in your schoolwide community How you ensure physical and emotional safety in your building The interventions you implement to support student outcomes How you help everyone know how to respond if a crisis occurs All of this starts by considering the culture you foster schoolwide. In this episode, we’re talking about how creating a culture of belonging can play a foundational role in your school’s crisis prevention strategies. Joining us today is our special co-host from the Center on PBIS’ Crisis Prevention workgroup , Janelle Hughes and our guests, Dr. Nikole Hollins-Sims, Dr. Becky Millspaugh, and Kelly Perales. Nikole is an educational leader, consultant, and speaker known for her expertise in equitable practices, systems transformation, and leadership coaching. Kelly is the co-executive director of the Midwest PBIS Network and an implementer partner with the Center on PBIS. She provides professional development and technical assistance for state and local leaders on PBIS implementation. Becky is a project consultant for the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit and a school improvement facilitator for Montgomery County Schools in Pennsylvania. She provides professional learning and data analyses strategies for complex mental health support planning for teams across the Commonwealth.

We continue our exploration of Tier 3 support by focusing on the way systems make it possible to get students the level of support they really need. Joining us today are Mara Lynaugh and Jess Olson. Mara is a member of our PBISApps training team. She brings to the team over 25 years of experience in public education as a special education teacher and a Student Services coach where she supported schools to implement multi-tiered systems and practices focused on meeting students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs. Her passion for helping educators, students, families, and community partners create learning environments where every student achieves their goals. Jess is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and doctoral student in Special Education at the University of Utah. Her work centers on helping schools implement function-based, individualized behavior support with strong alignment to PBIS and a clear focus on teacher implementation fidelity. Before this, Jess spent several years as a district BCBA, partnering with educators and school teams across general and special education to design behavior support plans, coach implementation, and build sustainable routines that fit the realities of busy classrooms. Tune in to hear Jess tell the story about how she and her colleagues implemented a system of support that allowed the three of them to manage their work in a district of 60,000 students spread across 92 schools. It’s an approach that resulted in fewer students referred to special education for their behavior and more students getting the support they needed right within their general education classrooms. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: Expert Instruction Ep. 57: Mythbusters — Functional Behavioral Assessment is Only for Special Education Additional resources from Jess’ story including powepoint presentations, meeting templates, data review questions, and more Basic FBA Training

When targeted interventions don't improve the behavior you hope to see, what's the next step? Today's guest might tell you to check the function of that behavior. Today, we're talking with Dr. Chris Borgmeier and exploring the myth: Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is a process only meant for special education . Chris is a Professor and the Doctoral Program Director in the College of Education at Portland State University. He is co-author of the Basic FBA to BIP training series and developed the Basic FBA to BIP e-learning series . His research focuses on using multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to support students with challenging behavior. He has been a trainer and consultant for MTSS for Behavior implementation across the North America and internationally. During our conversation, we talk about where this myth comes from and how schools can use the elements of FBA to make function-based thinking a schoolwide practice. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: ABC Tracker Practice Brief: When to Use Functional Behavioral Assessment? Best Practice vs. Legal Guidance

When we talk about Tier 2 support, we usually talk about the support we offer students. Today, we're talking about the ways we support the adults in our building to implement Tier 2 with fidelity...and maybe even a little enthusiasm. Back with us again are our colleagues Dr. Billie Jo Rodriguez and Noah Van Horn. Billie Jo is an Associate Teaching Professor and the School Psychology director of clinical training at the University of Oregon, a nationally certified school psychologist, and a doctoral 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. He is also a trainer and PBIS coach for the NWPBIS Network. In addition to his work leading district initiatives to support PBIS, he is a lead trainer for district professional development on topics ranging from Tier 1 practices to more intensive, individualized support. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: Expert Instruction - Ep. 54: Mythbusters - Student Behavior is More Significant Now Than Ever Tiered Fidelity Inventory Overview of Tier 2 Support Cooking with Fidelity: How Smart Adaptations Improve Tier 2 Outcomes Tier 2: A District-Level Systems Guide

In this episode, we're sharing some of our favorite things from past lists...including one of our favorite episodes. This month, we're revisiting a conversation from 2021 with Drs. Erin Chaparro and Ginny Joseph about Tier 2 teams and the foundations of decision making at the Tier 2 level. Dr. Chaparro is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Oregon and the Principal Investigator for the TIPS project . For more than a decade, Erin has worked with districts and schools to implement multi-tiered systems of support for literacy as well as PBIS. She is also the co-author of the book Assessment in Special and Inclusive Education. Dr. Ginny Joseph is the Coordinator of PBIS and Mental Health at Orange County Department of Education. She trains and supports school teams implementing a multi-tiered framework for behavior supports. Her experience ranges from function-based support planning, to using data to drive decisions, to planning behavioral support for small groups of students. For more information about some of the resources mentioned in this episode, check out these links: Favorite Things 2025 PBISApps Community Ep. 16: Adding Student Voice to Leadership Teams Ep. 43: Mythbusters - Rewards Don't Work to Improve Student Outcomes An overview of the TIPS model TIPS Meeting Minutes Template Tiered Fidelity Inventory

We're continuing our year-long series exploring the way data play a crucial role in our PBIS implementation. In this episode, we’re going to put those data to use as we look to address the myth that student behavior is more significant now than ever before. Joining us are Dr. Billie Jo Rodriguez and Noah Van Horn. Billie Jo is an Associate Teaching Professor and the School Psychology director of clinical training at the University of Oregon, a nationally certified school psychologist, and a doctoral 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. He is also a trainer and PBIS coach for the NWPBIS Network. 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. This episode doesn't start the same way our other mythbuster episodes start. Where we typically look to bust the myth, this myth isn't so easily busted. If student behavior truly is on the rise, we ought to look for ways we can reverse the trend. One way is to lean into our multi-tiered systems and start layering on Tier 2 support for groups of students who might benefit. Listen in as we hear from these coaches how their schools have started small, implementing efficient, practical strategies, to improve student outcomes and make every classrooms feel just a little calmer. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: Schoolwide Information System (SWIS) Check-In Check-Out SWIS (CICO-SWIS) SWIS Data Summary 2024-25 PBISApps Community Your Data Story Doesn't End Here: Tier 2 Can Flip the Script Webinar: CICO in Practice: A Proven Tier 2 Behavior Intervention That Builds Connections

All this month we’re looking at the ways we can use data to guide our decisions on how to get students the additional support they need sooner. There are some common decision rules your team can follow, but what does that look like in practice? Our guests today will share their experience. Joining us in conversation are Dr. Lisa Friesen from North Kansas City Schools and Jamie Ferguson from Oak Park High School , both in Kansas City, MO. Lisa has been with North Kansas City Schools for 22 years. She is a former elementary and high school special education teacher and currently serves as a District Instructional Coordinator for MTSS, organizing and supporting academic and behavior interventions and systems K-12. Jamie has been part of the North Kansas City School District for the past 16 years. She spent 11 years at Linden West Elementary co-leading Tier 1 interventions and served on the Tier 2 and Tier 3 support teams. At Oak Park High School, Jamie focuses her time on academic intervention and student success through programs like Missouri Options and Check-In/Check-Out. Listen in as they share how they learned the value of Tier 1 systems to support their efforts at the Tier 2 level and how getting students the support they need involves both personal relationships and consistent data. For more information on the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: Missouri PBIS CICO in Practice: A Proven Tier 2 Behavior Intervention That Builds Connections (Free PBISApps Webinar) An Overview of Targeted Interventions

In this episode, we continue the conversation around our year-long theme: Data in PBIS. Collecting data is an important step in your PBIS implementation. Using data to drive decisions is how those data truly come alive. How do you do that? Well, the Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) framework is the only scientifically-based data-based decision making practice available to schools. Joining us today to talk about the fundamentals of the TIPS framework is Dr. Erin Chaparro. Dr. Chaparro is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Oregon and the Principal Investigator for the TIPS project . For more than a decade, Erin has worked with districts and schools to implement multi-tiered systems of support for literacy as well as PBIS. She is also the co-author of the book Assessment in Special and Inclusive Education. Listen in as we share how to get more out of your team meeting time, make more informed decisions, and get students the support they need faster than ever. Don’t forget to check out the TIPS website and click “Submit Inquiry” at the bottom of the page to learn more about participating in their upcoming study! For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: TIPS Fidelity Checklist Upcoming SWIS Drill Down Webinars Teach by Design “Start With Why: How to Put Purpose Back in Your Work” *NEW* TIPS meeting minutes template

This episode kicks off PBISApps’ 2025–26 school year theme: data in PBIS. Our guest today is a true PBIS pioneer: Dr. Rob Horner. Dr. Horner is an emeritus professor at the University of Oregon and a key figure in developing PBIS. He brings with him a 40-year history of research, grant management, and systems change efforts related to school reform and PBIS. He has published over 390 professional papers and directed over $200 million dollars in federal grants. Among many past national awards, in 2020 he won the Association of Positive Behavior Support Leadership Award. During our conversation, we talk about the early days of PBIS, when Rob and colleagues worked directly with schools to address challenging behaviors. They discovered that individual behavior plans could help—but lasting change required schoolwide systems and a preventative culture. PBIS emerged as a framework with core features that could adapt to local cultures, from rural schools to Native communities. Data always played a key role in this work. Listen in and learn how collecting and analyzing data can help your team see what’s really happening, ask better questions, and identify the smallest changes that make the biggest impact.

In this episode, we’re looking back at the podcast 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. 43: Mythbusters - Rewards Don't Work to Improve Outcomes Ep. 45: Mythbusters - Students Today Don't Care About School Like They Used to Ep. 46: Creating Equitable PBIS Solutions that Work for All Students Ep. 47: Cultivating a Culture of Belonging in Your Classroom Ep. 48: All Means All - Inclusive Practices in Tier 1 PBIS ...and don't forget to sign up for more information about our PBISApps Community . We've got some great topics coming next year. You won't want to miss out of these conversations. Sign up for our email list!

In a perfect world, there would be a mental health professional embedded in every school across the country. Students would have immediate access to the support they need and the resources they deserve. The reality is, there is a workforce shortage among mental health providers and community resources are overwhelmed by the need. More students need support than we can serve efficiently. If we could change that outcome, shouldn’t we? That’s exactly what our friends and colleagues at The Ballmer Institute are trying to do! The Ballmer Institute offers an ground breaking undergraduates an opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in child behavioral health. Graduates will enter the workforce with specialized training to: Identify youth who can benefit from early intervention or referral to mental health services Teach youth to label and regulate emotions and develop other skills to support well-being Deliver evidence-based prevention and intervention programs to prevent or disrupt the progression of youth mental health concerns Collaborate with other professionals (like teachers, psychologists, and social workers) to support health and wellness among young people Joining us today is Dr. Miriam White-Pedeaux, an assistant clinical professor at the Ballmer Institute. In her work, Miriam supervises undergraduates completing their bachelor’s degree and she mentors youth-serving professionals earning a graduate-level microcredential in evidence-based mental health practices. Miriam has supported K-12 students at various school districts in Southern California, Oregon, Ghana and Ecuador. She is deeply passionate about increasing access to high-quality care and improving healthy literacy in youth and families. Listen in as we talk about the current mental health realities facing schools today and the low-level, high-impact strategies you can use right now to support all students in your building. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: What Works Clearinghouse National Center for School Mental Health Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration ‍ Resources about mental health and social-emotional well-being from The Center on PBIS

As we explore what inclusive education means, we need to talk about what it means to create truly inclusive schoolwide systems, data, and practices. If schoolwide means all students have access to the same foundational features, how do you ensure “all” really means “all” in your Tier 1 PBIS implementation? Joining us to help answer this question is Dr. Sheldon Loman from Portland State University (PSU). Sheldon is a Professor in the Special Education Department at PSU. He has a passion for researching and teaching about inclusive practices to support students with extensive support needs. Most recently, his research explores universal design and how to make schoolwide PBIS more inclusive of students with extensive support needs. Before his work at PSU, Sheldon was a special education teacher and positive behavior support coordinator in a diverse, urban school district in California. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following resources and links: Research Findings: Walker, V. L., & Loman, S. L. (2021). Strategies for Including Students With Extensive Support Needs in SWPBIS. Inclusive Practices , 1(1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/27324745211000307 Research Findings: Walker, V. L., Loman, S. L., Mickelson, A. M., & Lyon, K. J. (2022). Participation of students with extensive support needs in SWPBIS: Administrator and educator perspectives. Psychology in the Schools , 59(8), 1623-1642. The TIES Center. This center works with states, districts, and schools to support moving students with disabilities from less inclusive to more inclusive environments. The TIES Center resources on PBIS The TIES Center PBIS video series on how to make PBIS more inclusive

Join us this month with guest Dr. Nikole Hollins-Sims as we discuss how to cultivate a culture of belonging in your classroom. Using the elements of PBIS, Dr. Hollins-Sims helps us break down how students thrive at school when they feel they belong. For starters, the ABCs of student wellbeing, Agency, Belonging and Connectedness, have a tremendous influence on whether students feel like they are part of your school. When educators focus on cultivating each of these components in their classroom climate through greetings, exercises and class culture, students thrive. We also visit how your own SWIS data results can tell a story of class belonging. Nikole Y. Hollins-Sims, Ed.D., is an internationally recognized speaker, author and facilitator. She currently serves as a research associate for Educational and Community Supports (ECS) as a research unit within the University of Oregon’s College of Education . Nikole has formerly served as a technical assistance coordinator for the Midwest PBIS Network and is a former Special Assistant to the Secretary of Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links: Expert Instruction Ep. 21: Benefits & Examples of Creating a Schoolwide Purpose Statement with Dr. Nikole Hollins-Sims School Climate Survey Feedback & Input Survey Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) Teach by Design “Proven Ways to Make Schoolwide Feedback Work”