Ep. 63: Building Positive Classrooms

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.