The LiveSchool Podcast

You want to shift you’re approach to discipline. Suspensions are on the rise but they aren’t improving behavior. Restorative Practices provide schools with a way to create an environment where students feel safe, supported, and valued. In this episode, Jordan dives into how to not only switch from traditional discipline to restorative practices but also reinforce those practices. We’ll talk throug...

It might seem that the more independence and maturity your students gain as they age the easier the school would become to manage… that’s just not the case . There are a whole set of problems as your students age into young adults, mainly, that they develop  young adult problems  while their social skills are often a  work in progress . PBIS increases student engagement and allows schools to creat...

Education is extremely important...but nobody said it couldn't be fun. When students struggle, we put all sorts of plans into place to intervene and help. But sometimes we tend to take accomplishments and success for granted. No more. It's time to put the fun back in our schools and that's where House Points come in! In this episode, Jordan details the five reasons that your school sho...

New names, new classes, and new challenges come around every August for teachers. All of that change can lead to a lot of sleepless nights for educators...but the surest way to combat these late summer nightmares is to master classroom management. Because you don’t want to just  get through  the school year…you want to  thrive. In this episode, Jordan breaks down the five most important classroom...

We all want student behavior to improve. Better behavior would potentially lead to fewer distractions and result in higher levels of student achievement. Sounds great. Problem solved. Right? If only it were that easy. In order to impact student behavior you need to set goals and action plans that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. In other words, you need to set SMART...

PBIS is a complex system that takes time to implement and sustain. It involves changing the culture of your school community. It will require ongoing effort and dedication to ensure that all students benefit from its implementation. That’s why school district leaders need to think about PBIS in terms of a multi-year implementation to ensure that the program is sustained long-term and that the desi...

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to solving your student discipline issues. No matter how grand your Tier 1 System is…it’s still only designed to meet the needs of roughly 80% of your students. So how do you support the other 20%? That’s where Tier 2 Interventions come in. Tier 2 behavior interventions provide additional support to students who are not successful with Tier 1 support alone,...

We hope you are enjoying your “summer teacher era”! May your pool chair be forever lounging, your Yeti be forever chilled, and your roads be forever winding. Ah, but alas it will not last forever and your teacher-brain is awfully tough to turn off. That’s why we have put together a comprehensive list of the best ways for educators to relax, progress, and be inspired all summer long. This week’s ep...

It’s time to look at the school calendar and pencil in some fun! In this week's episode, Jordan shares 12 fun school event ideas for class incentives, student rewards, spirit weeks, theme days, and community builders. 12 ideas you and your team can put together to incentivize and celebrate your school communities. The best part is they are all quick, easy, and super budget-friendly! We have in...

Why should you consider launching a House System in your school? Well, think about the things you’d like to change in your school. You’d like to spend more time recognizing positive student behavior. You want less of your time tied up dealing with discipline. You want your students to be engaged and you’d like to find ways to make your building a happier place for teachers to teach. That may sound...

Good attendance is essential for student success. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to earn higher grades , graduate , and go on to college or other post-secondary education . They are also less likely to drop out , commit crimes , or receive ODR’s while they are in school. Even though we know this…many students still **struggle with attendance. There are many reasons for this a...

Ahh, the school year is almost over. Testing is behind us, the weather outside is great, and you, my teacher friend, are quickly running out of curriculum. It. Is. Party. Time. No, we aren’t talking about teacher happy hour. At least not in this episode. This week is all about planning classroom parties that are guaranteed to end your year on a high note. This week, Justin McElwee joins Jordan to...

A rewards store can be a major component of a school’s behavior system. Students see that the positive behaviors they show throughout the day can lead to a reward and that encourages them to continue making positive choices. But, for the staff, running a store can become a major headache as they shoulder more and more responsibility...But it doesn’t have to be that way! You can make rewarding stud...

Classroom management is partly a learned skill and partly mastered art. This is why the two best ways to improve your classroom management are repetitions in your own classroom and collaborating with your experienced colleagues. This episode is the latter. Deiera Bennett joined Jordan on the show today to talk through classroom stories and share the classroom management ideas that they used to sur...

This episode is all about behavior interventions. We are going to focus on one intervention that you can roll out in your school that allows you to leverage the resources you already have: Check-In/Check-Out. Check-in/Check-out (CICO) is an effective behavior intervention because it’s built on relationships, accountability, and data. But you may not know where to begin when it comes to making the...

Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching. That’s why our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded all year round…not just during teacher appreciation week. In this episode, we discuss 15 ways to reward teachers all year long. From simple ge...

This episode features an interview with stand-up comedian Gaspare Randazzo, who talks about why teachers make the best comedians. He shares his own experiences of being a teacher by day and comedian by night. As well as how that unique combination has helped him to become a better teacher and a better comic. Gaspare talks with Jordan about the unique challenges that come with being a teacher and h...

This episode is sure to be a hit for teachers, administrators, students, and parents alike and serves as a great 10-minute PD session on student reward events. We’ll start with a recap of a visit to Del Valle Elementary, and discuss how they successfully designed their “Level Up” event to ensure maximum engagement from all their stakeholders. Join us as we explore the importance of incorporating f...

The Flywheel Effect is now producing bite-size PD for school leaders! In our introductory episode, Jordan is climbing the PBIS Pyramid to discover how PBIS Tiers can improve student behavior in your school. We'll look at the basics of PBIS Tiers. As well as how they can be used to create positive school environments including examples from schools all around the U.S. that are enjoying the frui...

Welcome back to The Flywheel Effect! In this episode, we explore the power of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to help students succeed in school and life. Our guest today is Cathy Emerson, a school psychologist, and MTSS expert. Join us as she explains the basics of MTSS and shares examples of effective interventions like Check In/Check Out. Cathy will talk us through the three tiers of MTS...

Would you recommend teaching as a career path ? Be honest . Right now , would you convince others to follow your path? You might not . As things currently stand, we wouldn’t blame you for feeling that way either. It’s been a rough stretch. But it doesn’t have to stay that way . Our guest today is Dr. Crystal Thorpe, former Principal of The Year for the state of Indiana. She feels all the internal...

Shouldn’t school be a bit more like an adventure ? No, we don’t mean you need your students swinging on ropes over snake pits like Indiana Jones or using the force to take down the evil empire like Luke Skywalker. But we do want our students to be as engaged in their educational journey as those fictional heroes are in their own adventures. This episode is all about instilling a culture of adventu...

In this episode, we are joined by Dedeeh Newbern who is the Chief Student Support Officer for Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, Kentucky. She’s here to explore the essential role of district behavior support, social media, and SEL in creating positive learning environments. We will also dig a little deeper into restorative practices, community support, and educational partnerships that c...

Imagine a school district that doesn’t just issue edicts from on high. An organization that learns together, plans together, analyzes data together, and problem-solves together. A district like that can create an environment necessary for all schools to succeed. Kim Wood is a District Behavior Coach for Placer County Schools and she's here with us today to help you create that kind of district. Sh...

We teach with a real-world curriculum so that our students can make connections that lead to deeper learning. Why can’t we do the same for behavior? Today's guest has done just that. Jason Haniger created a Token Economy that reflects the real-world economy we live in. The result? Students at Barry School improved their behavior while developing financial literacy skills they'll use for the rest o...