How to Build Relational Capacity with Staff and Students from Day One - Derrick Lawson

Today our guest is Derrick Lawson, co-executive director of CATLL and CASCD and a former principal at all three school levels. Derrick shares practical strategies for building relational capacity with staff and students at the start of the school year, and why the first days of school should be spent on connection, not content. He also explains how school leaders can build staff capacity for relationship-building by modeling connection activities, creating shared resources, and embedding brief connection routines into every staff meeting throughout the year. In this conversation, Derrick offers important reminders for educators and leaders: Students will not learn at their best until they feel seen, heard, and valued, and that environment has to be built intentionally before content can stick. Teachers who say relationship-building "isn't their thing" often just lack a structure or script. Giving them ready-made activities and modeling them first removes that barrier. When leaders model connection activities with staff, teachers replicate them in their classrooms. What you put in front of people is what you are most likely to see spread. Ten years from now, students and staff will not remember individual lessons, they will remember how you made them feel. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Learn more about Intellispark Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Request a Quote Today! Learn more about CharacterStrong Implementation Support Visit the CharacterStrong Website   About Derrick Lawson:  Derrick Lawson retired in June of 2025 after 9 years as Principal of  his Alma Mater – Indio High School in Desert Sands USD and 31 years as a K-12 principal at all three levels. Aside from being a K-12 student in the district, he returned his third year of teaching to the district and after teaching, served as a Facilitator in State and Federal Programs and a principal at all 3 levels and opened 2 new campuses. He has spent the majority of his career working in high poverty schools as well as with large populations of long term English Learners and special needs students. During his 9 years in the classroom, he taught all levels K-12 as well as in the University credentialing program as an adjunct professor. He was selected as ACSA Region XIX's Principal of the Year in 2010 and then selected as the ACSA State Middle Grades Principal of the Year and NASSP 2012 Principal of the Year for California and 2025 ACSA State Secondary Principal of the Year. He has served in several leadership roles for ACSA over the years.  In addition to serving his Charter, he was the Region 19 President and Treasurer as well as the NASSP State Coordinator for California and has been involved in State and National lobbying efforts for education from 2012 to the present. He served as the NASSP Region 7 Coordinator, leading the 9 western states and facilitating their advocacy and professional development efforts and a 3 year term on the Board of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He has been directing one of the ACSA Principals Academies for the past 10 years. His newest role is the Co-Executive Director for the California Association for Teaching, Leading, and Learning (CATLL) after serving on the board for 4 years. He lives in Bermuda Dunes and loves to travel, play piano, scrapbook, and all things Disney.  He is married with two adult children and an unexpected 4 (as his wife says) grand-dogs and a cat.