The CharacterStrong Podcast

Today our guest is Cory Notestine the Executive Director of People at CharacterStrong. We talk with Cory about how implementing MTSS can often feel like the wild west as schools within districts each do their own things, making it difficult to track and support MTSS implementation. He shares how some of the pain points in implementation come from us not truly understanding the systems that we work...

Today our guest is CharacterStong co-founder Houston Kraft! We talk with Houston about gratitude and how gratitude is one of the most low burden, hi impact things that we can do for our mental well being. He shares that we can start to practice gratitude by acknowledging and being aware of the good things in our lives, figuring out where they have come from, and then having this lead us to appreci...

Today our guest is Dr. Clay Cook the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong We talk to Clay about The importance of having Shared Clarity and Commitment when it comes to implementing MTSS. He breaks down the connection between clarity and adult readiness, highlighting their pivotal roles as prerequisites for successful MTSS implementation Clay also reminds us that clarity proceeds commitment...

Today our guest is Dr. Beth Ruff, School Counselor at Powder Springs Elementary School We talk to Dr. Ruff about Arts Integration in school counseling and how at Powder Springs they integrate art into all of the elementary classes. She shares how art integrates so well with the school counseling standards and framework, and gives examples of how they have used art to help students talk about topic...

Today our guest is Dr. Alisha Hill the Director of School Support at CharacterStrong We talk with Dr. Hill about strategies to establish readiness for initial implementation across districts. She discusses how in her district they focused on building readiness in three key areas: motivation, capacity, and support structures. Dr. Hill emphasizes the significance of having a district-level team, ens...

Today our guest is Melissa Rosario, Elementary Specialist at CharacterStrong. We talk to Melissa about ways that we can provide continuous, ongoing, and effective support for new teachers. Melissa highlights the concerning statistics regarding new teachers and the decline of teachers in schools today. She explains the 5 phases of first-year teachers and how we can use them to design support progra...

Today our guest is Brandon Bakke - Director of Secondary Education at CharacterStrong. We talk to Brandon about ways that we can work to support principals not only during National Principal's Month but also throughout the year. Brandon emphasizes the impact of simple acts of gratitude, such as sending a quick note, compliment, or video. He also shares a really creative idea to help principals bui...

Today CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin reminds us that at the core of our work it's all about relationships. He shares two quick stories that highlight the positive outcomes that can happen when we purposefully engage with our students' interests and strive to learn from them. John also reminds us that so often what we see on the surface does not reveal the full story of what is happening in...

Today our guest is Dr. David Arencibia, Principal at Colleyville Middle School in Colleyville, TX. We talk with Dr. Arencibia about what it takes to build a strong, positive school culture, and how they have succeeded in doing so at Colleyville. He explains how they have prioritized their four core values: relationships, positivity, a growth mindset, and teamwork, and how they incorporate these va...

Today our guest is Meredith Draughn, School Counselor at B Everett Jordan Elementary in North Carolina and also the 2023 ASCA National School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Meredith about the easy minute meeting, which is a simple needs assessment strategy. She breaks down the 4 question assessment that makes up the meeting and talks about the importance of activating positive thinking with stu...

Today our guest is Megan Gruis the Executive Director of Implementation Supports & Tier 2 at CharacterStrong. We talk with Megan about the importance of coaching alongside professional development (PD), and the science behind it. She reminds us that it is not enough to simply introduce new ideas during implementation; consistent coaching of our teams is necessary to help them be more effective in...

Season 6 Kickoff! We talk with CharacterStrong Co-Founder Houston Kraft about key strategies that can help us be more intentional in our work and relationships. He shares about the power of specificity, surprise, and constraint, and how these approaches can help us better connect with others. Houston also shares about the importance of consistency over time. He reminds us that true change and grow...

Today our guest is Jana Clark, Assistant Principal, Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. We talk with Jana about the significance of planning professional development. She shares how she approaches professional development by considering what educators require and how administrators can support them through great PD. Jana explains how they intentionally connect teachers from various s...

Today our guest is Dr. Renee Carr - Owner and Founder of Kids Before Content LLC. We talk with Dr. Carr about importance of educators developing their own social & emotional learning skills in order to better serve their students. Dr. Carr shares an example from the classroom that highlights the significance of equipping and supporting educators. She also discusses her new book, Kids Before Conten...

Today our guest is Josh Nelson a School Counselor at Richard Lewis Brown Gifted and Talented Academy. We talk with Josh about creating systems for changing how discipline referrals are handled in schools. Josh suggests that we view behavior as unmet needs rather than just bad behavior, and emphasizes the importance of shifting our thinking about discipline from punishment to correction. Josh also...

Today our guest is Chris Layton the Executive Director of Partnerships at CharacterStrong. We talk to Chris about how we can be more intentional, relational, and transformational leaders. He breaks down each one of those focuses and gives us some examples of how we intentionally shape our school cultures every single day. Chris also reminds us that growth in these areas doesn't just happen, we hav...

Today our guest is Dr. Clay Cook the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong. We talk with Clay about the importance of focusing on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). He shares that MTSS is a framework that provides a continuum of supports that can be matched to the level of student needs. Clay also emphasizes the need for adult supports to ensure that educators are engaging in effective...

Today our guest is Halli Roussell a Secondary Specialist at CharacterStrong. We talk to Halli about the importance of student voice and choice. She emphasizes that when we take the time to elevate student voice in the classroom, it increases engagement over the long term. Halli provides some practical examples of how she incorporated student voice during her time as a middle school teacher, and ta...

Today our guest is Anthony Vargas - the Director of Advanced Academics and Gifted and Talented Education for the Maryland Department of Education. We talk to Anthony about creating and supporting more equitable Gifted and Talented programs and he emphasized the need to shift our thinking towards finding potential and growing talents. Anthony shares about the 3 areas that need to be changed to shif...

Today our guest is Dr. Jeremy Koselak, the Director for Professional Learning in Academy District 20 in Colorado Springs. We talk with Dr. Koselak about the importance and critical aspects of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in relation to academic and social/emotional wellness for educators and students. He explains that while PLCs have traditionally focused on academics, they have recent...

Today our guest is Chelsea Hinkle, 5th Grade School Counselor at Roosevelt Middle School in Oklahoma City Public Schools. We talk with Chelsea about Tier 1 supplements for classroom counseling lessons. She explains what Tier 1 is and how comprehensive counseling lessons can become more fun for students by incorporating Tier 1 elements. Chelsea discusses practical ways that she has involved the ent...

Today our guest is Kate Gerber, Professional School Counselor at Central Lyon Elementary School in Rock Rapids, Iowa. We talk with Kate about the impact of utilizing the first few minutes of class for morning meetings in the classroom. She emphasizes the importance of making students feel welcome and a sense of belonging as soon as they enter the classroom. At Central Lyon, Kate created the mornin...

Today our guests are Brooklyn Stevens & Kensie Daleske, School Counselor & Principal at Brookfield R3 Elementary in Brookfield, Missouri. Brooklyn and Kensie emphasize the positive impact of having weekly meetings at Brookfield and why it's worth it to make time for these check-ins. Kensie explains how prioritizing this time has established a solid foundation from the start of her time at Brookfie...

Today our guest is Meredith Lee, the Director of Professional Learning at CharacterStrong. We talk with Meredith about the key ingredients that make professional development great. She shares that PD should be engaging, effective, and lead to positive behavior changes on campus. According to Meredith, relevance, the introduction of practices that can be immediately applied, and opportunities for r...