2026 Summer Institute Materials
2026 BEST Summer Institute
General Materials & Information:
- Welcome Letter (PDF)
- Agenda (PDF)
- Schedule of the Week (PDF)
- Special Activities (webpage)
- BEST SI Menu (PDF)
- About the Presenters and Topic-Based Consultants 2026 (Google doc)
- Daily Challenges (Google doc)
- Padlet (website)
- Implementation Strategy Form (webpage)
- Monday Evening, 5:00 – 6:30 pm: Meet, Greet & Eat!, Poolside (weather permitting) or Lower Lobby & Preston’s Restaurant (in hotel)
- Tuesday Afternoon, 4:30 – 5:30 pm: Yoga, Northstar I
- Tuesday Night, 7:00 – 9:00 pm: Trivia Night, Oscar Wilde Ballroom (a lite fare menu will be available in this location from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., so come early and place your order!)
- Wednesday, All Day – Help us celebrate our 30th Anniversary! Dress like it’s 1996!
- Wednesday Afternoon, 4:30-5 pm: Drop-In Play with Howard Moody, Northstar I
- Wednesday Night, 7:30 – 10:30 pm: Karaoke/Dance Party, Oscar Wilde Ballroom
Keynotes:
Monday – Dr. Shelley Moore – Designing for Diversity: Considering Inclusive Frameworks to Plan for All
Tuesday – Cornelius Minor – Empowered Educators, Thriving Schools: Student-Centered Learning for a Changing World
General Session:
Thursday – Dr. Deonna Smith – Joy: The Secret Ingredient
Strands:
Strand A: Holistic Restorative Approaches Foundations – Presenters: Jessica Villeneuve and Camille Koosmann
Strand B: Restorative Approaches: Responding When Things Have Gone Wrong – Presenter: Jon Kidde
Strand C: High-Impact UDL Strategies and Curriculum Design – Presenter: Dr. Shelley Moore
Strand D: Cultivating Joyful & Inclusive Classrooms – Presenter: Dr. Deonna Smith
Strand E: From Prompt-Dependent to Self-Directed: Teaching Executive Function Skills Across the School Day – Presenter: Sarah Ward
Strand F: Building Compassionate, Connected Learning Communities: Play with Intention and Purpose – Presenters: Howard Moody and Maureen Burford
Strand G: Building Internal Capacity for Training and Consultation Around Trauma-Responsive Practices – Presenter: Dr. Joelle van Lent
Strand H: Designing Positive Classrooms: Practices and Systems to Support Students and Educators – Presenter: Katie Meyer
Strand I: Building Strong Foundations: Relationships, Universal Systems, and Function-based Thinking – Presenter: Jeremy Tretiak
Strand J: Building and Sustaining an Integrated System of Academic, Behavioral, and Mental Health Supports (for Project AWARE participants only) – Presenter: Susan Barrett
CANCELLED! Strand K: Installing Universal PBIS for the Success of All (for PBIS school teams ONLY)
Strand L: Refreshing, Enhancing, & Deepening Universal PBIS (for PBIS school teams ONLY) – Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers
Strand M: Installing Targeted Systems and Check-In/Check-Out (for PBIS school teams ONLY) – Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers
Strand N: Beyond CICO: Expanding your Menu of Targeted Interventions (for PBIS school teams ONLY) – Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers
CANCELLED! Strand O: Installing Intensive Systems and Building FBA Capacity for Students with Complex Needs (for PBIS school teams ONLY)
Workshops:
Workshop 1 – Leading Restorative Circles in Elementary School – Presenter: Lainie Oshlag
Workshop 2 – Building the Bridge: Implementing Effective Targeted Supports – Presenter: Lauralee Keach
Workshop 3 – From Framework to Practice: Building and Refining Your Inventory of Targeted Supports – Presenters: Sara Bailey and Caitlin Toleno
Workshop 4 – Emotions and Social Communication: How Emotions Offer Perspective Within the Dance of Communication – Presenter: Laura Bonazinga Bouyea
Workshop 5 – Connection, Belonging, and Practice: Centering LGBTQ+ Youth in Our Schools & Communities – Presenter: Eliza Davison
Workshop 6 – Beyond the Classroom: Community Schools as Engines of Connection and Care – Presenters: Peter Knox and Jess DeCarolis
Workshop 7 – Flourishing in an Ever-Changing Health Environment: Well-being for the Busy and Burned-Out – Presenter: Gillian Pieper
Workshop 8 – Fostering Curiosity: How Getting Muddy and Exploring the World Nurtures Creativity, Cognition, and Resilience – Presenter: Erik Shonstrom
Workshop 9 – Administrator Training: Rule 4500 – Restraint, Seclusion, and Exclusionary Discipline Practices – Presenter: Ashley Riendeau
Workshop 10 – What is PBIS Really? Perspectives from Two Administrators – Presenter: Rick Dustin-Eichler and Sara Raabe
Workshop 11 – The Wise View: Practical Strategies for Compassion and Connection – Presenter: Maureen Burford
Workshop 12 – Running School Teams and Meetings Restoratively – Presenter: Camille Koosmann
Workshop 13 – How Can School Teams Collect & Use Classroom Data to Shape Effective Practice? – Presenter: Katie Meyer
Workshop 14 – Utilizing PBIS to Integrate Trauma-Responsive Practices – Presenter: Kym Asam
CANCELLED! Workshop 15 – Understanding Continuous Improvement Plans – The First Step in Strengthening Meaningful and Collaborative Stakeholder Engagement
