Measuring Student Emotions with Neuroscience: AgileBrain with Dr. Bill Nolen & Margot Moses

Measuring Student Emotions with Neuroscience: AgileBrain with Dr. Bill Nolen & Margot Moses What if your school could measure student emotions as precisely as academic performance? In this groundbreaking episode, host Bridget Johnson sits down with Dr. Bill Nolen and Margot Moses from Leading Indicator Systems to explore AgileBrain—a revolutionary neuroscience-based platform that's transforming how schools understand and support student emotional wellbeing and motivation. Dr. Nolen, Chief Scientist and co-founder with a doctorate in Psychometrics from Boston University, shares the fascinating neuroscience behind AgileBrain's unique image-based assessment approach. Margot Moses, Senior Advisor for Student Wellbeing with nearly 30 years in independent school leadership, provides practical insights into how schools nationwide are using emotional data to create more caring, connected, and resilient communities. This conversation challenges traditional wellbeing surveys and self-reporting methods, revealing how neuroscience-based emotional measurement provides actionable insights that help every student—and every educator—thrive. You'll discover why emotions aren't obstacles to learning but essential partners in human functioning, and how schools can leverage this understanding to transform student support services. In this episode, you'll learn: How AgileBrain's 3.5-minute image-based assessment measures emotions without using any words, providing insights traditional surveys miss The neuroscience breakthrough that revealed emotions aren't just feelings—they're fundamental to all human decision-making and functioning Why the "Big Five" emotional motivators (achievement, connection, growth, power, and significance) matter more than you think for student success How to move beyond anecdotal wellbeing data to evidence-based emotional measurement that drives targeted interventions Practical applications for deans, advisors, counselors, and administrators to use emotional data in advisory programs, crisis response, and student support Why measuring emotions helps identify individual student superpowers and strengths, not just deficits or problems The critical difference between qualitative self-reporting and quantitative neuroscience-based assessment for student wellbeing Real-world case studies from schools successfully implementing emotional measurement to improve student life programs Featured Guests: Dr. Bill Nolen serves as Chief Scientist and co-founder at Leading Indicator Systems. With all three degrees from Boston University, including his doctorate in Psychometrics, Bill has designed assessments measuring human thinking, feeling, and behavior throughout his distinguished career—from corporate leadership programs to his groundbreaking work on the original Apple Macintosh team. He brings deep expertise in neuropsychology and assessment design to the emotional framework that powers AgileBrain. Margot Moses is an experienced educational leader with nearly 30 years in independent schools. As Senior Advisor for Student Wellbeing at Leading Indicator Systems, she designs and implements wellbeing programs integrating emotional measurement and neuroscience into educational practice. A Klingenstein Center graduate from Teachers College, Columbia University, Margot has held leadership roles at Carolina Day School, The Madeira School, The Holderness School, and The Breck School, where she guided student life, curriculum, and faculty development. Learn more about AgileBrain: https://www.agilebrain.com Visit the Deans' Roundtable: https://deansroundtable.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-johnson510/ Email: [email protected] Student Life Assessment Program: https://deansroundtable.org/k-12-student-life-assessment-program-independent-school-evaluation/  The Dean's Roundtable: Where student life professionals connect, learn, share, and grow together.