The CharacterStrong Podcast

Today our guest is Barbara Gruener a seasoned consultant, mentor, author, and coach. Barbara sheds light on the significance of names in fostering respectful and compassionate relationships, particularly in school settings. We explore how using names thoughtfully can help nurture a more inclusive and caring environment for both students and staff. Barbara also introduces her latest book, which delves into the power of understanding and respect in personal relationships, offering valuable insights for educators and beyond. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Learn more about the NEW Tier 3 Solution Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website A nationally-recognized speaker, veteran counselor, and author of three Mom’s Choice Gold Award books, Barbara Gruener thrives on positively influencing character change, passionately helping people stay in the moment to create caring connections, and intentionally improving school climate and culture. Her innovative, inspirational ideas are sparked by 40 years in education growing alongside learners from every age and stage on her home campus as well as in myriad schools where she is a mentor. Barbara’s high energy growth sessions have captivated educators and encouraged them to connect by heart as they spread hope and joy in their character building. Though Barbara’s farming roots will always be in Wisconsin, she and her husband raised their now-grown family in Friendswood, Texas. She was just promoted to Grammy, most certainly her best gig yet.

Today our guest is Cindy Bourget - Middle School Counselor, Elk Mound Area School District and also a 2024 ASCA School Counselor of the Year finalist. We talk to Cindy about how she integrates CharacterStrong as a Universal Tier 1 support, helping teachers effectively use it in their homeroom settings. Cindy emphasizes that Tier 1 is about the day-to-day functioning of a school community, and she explains how CharacterStrong aligns with the ASCA Student Standards for Student Success. She also shares her approach to using conversation circles, a powerful tool to encourage movement, foster dialogue, and keep students engaged. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Learn more about the NEW Tier 3 Solution Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website Cindy Bourget is a school counselor of 10 years who believes that every student deserves a school counselor. As a first generation college graduate, she focuses on building systems that ensure all students are supported. She is the current Wisconsin School Counselor Association Data Director and a 2024 National School Counselor of the Year Finalist.

We talk with Dr. Clay Cook the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong about the brand new Tier 3 Solution. Clay shares valuable insights into how this tool is designed to provide targeted support for students with more intensive needs. He discussed the key features of the solution, how it aligns with CharacterStrong’s overall mission, and the ways it can empower educators to effectively address challenges in schools. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Learn more about the NEW Tier 3 Solution Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website

In today's episode, CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin discusses the 'Law of the Lid,' reminding us that we are all leaders with more influence than we often realize. He also offers three powerful insights for educators, providing practical reminders that can inspire and elevate our leadership in and out of the classroom. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Learn more about the NEW Tier 3 Solution Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website

Today our guest is Dr. Lillie Cox - Owner/Founder, WE Lead also the Executive Director of North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCASCD) and the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium (PTEC) We talk to Dr. Cox about how WE Lead supports women in educational leadership and how women can find their voice and develop a legacy as leaders in education. She shares about the need to have more women in leadership today and how she created WE Lead to help women in confidence & preparedness, career development, and wellness.   Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Learn more about the NEW Tier 3 Solution Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website   WE LEAD was created by Dr. Lillie Cox to provide an opportunity for women in educational leadership to find support and growth on their professional journeys. For her work with female leaders and for the creation of WE LEAD, Dr. Cox has been awarded the AASA 2021 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award. Those recognized have a commitment to the advancement and mentorship of women and minorities in positions of leadership. Dr. Cox is currently the Executive Director of North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCASCD) and the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium (PTEC). She is a former district superintendent, central office administrator, elementary, middle and high school principal and teacher in North Carolina.

In this episode, we kick off Season 7 with CharacterStrong Co-Founders John and Houston! They discuss the latest updates and exciting developments at CharacterStrong, including the recent CASEL SELect designation, new bullying prevention lessons, high school lesson updates, and a series of new videos. Plus, they introduce the brand-new Behavior Response Protocol and Attendance Toolkit. They also share how CharacterStrong is now a full MTSS solution, offering Tier 1, Tier 2, and the newly launched Tier 3 solutions, which became available on September 5th! Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Learn more about the NEW Tier 3 Solution Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website

CharacterStrong co-founder Houston Kraft and Stanford Psychologist Dr. Jamil Zaki talk about practical insights and strategies to provide hope and empathy in this new school year. They discuss hopeful skepticism and meaningful ways to support students (and adults) as we start the first few weeks of school.  Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website Dr. Jamil Zaki is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. Using tools from psychology and neuroscience, he and his colleagues examine how empathy works and how people can learn to empathize more effectively. His writing on these topics has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, and the Atlantic. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and their two daughters.

Today our guest is A.J. Howard the CEO and Co-Founder of Tracked Learning. We talk with A.J. about the importance of progress monitoring and data collection. A.J. highlights the common challenges special education teachers often face in collecting and tracking data while supporting students. He also shares how he helped develop a solution that addresses these challenges, ultimately giving teachers more time to focus on their students in the classroom Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website   A.J.'s Bio: My name is A.J. Howard and I am co-founder and a ceo of Tracked Learning. I have worked in special education for over a decade and have two masters degrees and my national board certification. I live in northeast Washington with my wife and 3 kids. We love spending as much time together and. Wing outdoors as much as we can. With high caseloads and being the only sped teacher in my building while overseeing multiple programs, I was starting to burn out quick and it transferred to my home life, something I was not okay with. I needed better quality data and to stop reinventing the wheel weekly, monthly, quarterly. I started compiling information, way to assess, meeting with special education teachers across the globe, along with other things and team up with Jeremy Korthuis to build what is now Tracked Learning. A software program designed to help streamline the special education action process and get teachers the quality data that they need to make informed decisions to best support their students. It gives others and myself the time to be intentional and effective and also the head space to be fully present with my family at home.

Today our guest is Dr. Jim Van Allen, President of The Energy Bus for Schools We talk to Dr. Van Allen about building a positive school culture. He talks about how culture isn’t one thing, it’s everything and it dictates all that schools want to accomplish. Dr. Van Allen reminds us that we need to focus on the roots of positive school culture as we work to serve students better, and talks about the relationship between school culture and data. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website   Dr. Jim Van Allan is President of The Energy Bus for Schools. He runs The Energy Bus for Schools program which gives schools the blueprint and framework to create a positive school culture. He coaches school leaders and superintendents on mindset, teamwork, communication, and culture-building. Additionally, Jim speaks to schools and districts across the country with keynotes, trainings, workshops, and student assemblies. He is the co-author of the book, The Energy Bus for Schools, with Jon Gordon. Jim is also a Professor of Communication Studies and Lead Speech Instructor with Keiser University, which is based in Florida. He teaches Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Communication. Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida and a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Florida Atlantic University. He also earned his Ph.D in Education Leadership from Keiser University. Jim studied the impact of an early version of The Energy Bus for Schools program on a model school in Ohio. Much of his research centered around the impact of sustainable professional development for schools. He lives in Palm City, Florida, with his wife and three children, Brady, Brenden, and Brinley.

Today our guest is Dr. Chris Clayton the Director of Education Services for the Educator Pipeline and Profession for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. We talk to Dr. Clayton about the importance of developing and supporting a robust educator pipeline. He highlights several of the opportunities available for building pipelines and shares insights on the initiatives already underway in Pennsylvania. Dr. Clayton also details the ways they offer year-round support to new and aspiring teachers—professionally, financially, and in the classroom. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website In addition to his work with CharacterStrong as a Presenter and Consultant, Dr. Christopher M. Clayton serves as the Director of Education Services for the Educator Pipeline and Profession for the Pennsylvania State Education Association.  In this role with PSEA, he is responsible for providing support to over 178,000 educator members on issues involving teacher certification, student achievement, pedagogical best practices and research in teaching and learning and directs the Student PSEA Aspiring Educator Program, serves as the State Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Educators Rising (high school students) Program, and coordinates PSEA’s New & Early Career Educator Platform. He earned a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy Education and an Ed. S. Degree in Education Leadership, Administration, & Policy at The University of Georgia along with a Master's Degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Regis University in Denver, CO.  He is a National Board-Certified Teacher (2008, renewed in 2018) who was named the Washington Puyallup Valley Teacher of the Year in 2011 prior to starting with PSEA where he served as a high school English and International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge teacher and coach for over ten years in Southern California and Washington state before becoming a district administrator and Director of Curriculum & Instruction in a large metro-Atlanta school district with 138 schools and over 100,000 students.  He moved to Hershey to begin his role with PSEA in 2014 and happily resides there with his wife, two daughters, son, and granddaughter.