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