2026 Summer Institute Workshops

Presenter: Lainie Oshlag

Description: Restorative Circles, an important element of tier one restorative practices, foster connection and safety and emphasize the importance of each voice. Throughout this workshop, participants will learn the defining features of restorative circles and their importance, watch videos of elementary school restorative circles, receive a guide for the first 12 weeks of restorative circles in elementary school, practice leading a restorative circle, begin to create a centerpiece to use with students, participate in writing a circle script to use in their spaces, and explore a compilation of circle scripts from teachers around Vermont.

Intended Audience: This workshop is intended for anyone who works in elementary schools with any level of knowledge of restorative circles, from those who’ve never led a circle and are curious what all the hype is about to those who have some circle-leading experience and want a refresh. You do not need to have your own group of students to learn how to lead restorative circles. This workshop is also designed for you to learn how to train other professionals in a train-the-trainer model.

Bio:

Lainie Oshlag, M.Ed., is a 3/4 multi-age Spanish immersion teacher at Jericho Elementary School. She has 9 years of experience leading circles in elementary school classrooms in grades K-6. Lainie offers a classroom teacher’s perspective on how to implement restorative circles into elementary school classrooms. Lainie’s First 12 Weeks of Restorative Circles Guide provides teachers with no-prep materials to get the school year started followed by a searchable digital collection of circle scripts collected and organized by Lainie from teachers across the state. Lainie has helped many educators across Vermont implement restorative circles into their classrooms and is excited to share what she has learned!

Presenter: Lauralee Keach

Description: Targeted-level supports are the bridge between universal practices and individualized interventions, and are often the least developed layer of support in school. This workshop introduces educators to the essential components of Targeted (Tier 2) supports within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. Participants will examine the purpose, structure, and impact of Targeted systems. Together, we’ll unpack how to identify students through data-based decision rules, select function-based interventions, monitor progress efficiently, and ensure interventions are implemented with fidelity.

Intended Audience: Teams or individuals from schools that have Universal systems, data, and practices in place and are interested in exploring Targeted systems, data, and practices.

Bio:

Lauralee Keach has been working with children with a range of needs, including developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, for the past 23 years. She received her initial training in behavior analysis in Maine, where she was a member of a team that established a center-based program for students with developmental disabilities and emotional and behavior disorders. Since returning to Vermont in 2003, Lauralee has worked as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst consulting to regional school districts and currently is a member of the South Burlington School District’s Interdisciplinary Team, which provides behavior, psychological, and communication consultation services to students and school teams. Lauralee’s education includes a BA in Psychology and an M.Ed in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Presenters: Sara Bailey and Caitlin Toleno

Description: This interactive, hands-on workshop is designed for teams who are ready to move beyond an introductory overview and dig deeply into how targeted supports are identified, organized, and implemented within their own settings. Participants are invited to bring their own examples of their current inventories of targeted supports and use structured protocols to review, refine, and expand them. Facilitators will also share multiple examples of Inventories of Targeted Supports to help participants visualize different approaches and formats. Through guided practice, collaboration, and peer feedback, teams will leave with a clearer, more comprehensive, and more usable inventory aligned with best practices.

Intended Audience: Appropriate for educators and administrators from K-12 schools. Participants should have a basic understanding of targeted-level supports.

Bios:

Caitlin Toleno is the Principal of Thetford Elementary School in Thetford, Vermont, with a background in social-emotional learning, PBIS, and systems-building. She focuses on creating school systems that promote belonging, growth, and success for both students and educators. Prior to becoming a Principal, Caitlin was a restorative practice specialist/dean of students and a school counselor in New York for seven years.

Sara Bailey is a school counselor with over 17 years of experience supporting elementary students’ social, emotional, and academic development. She has been a PBIS Coordinator at Thetford Elementary School since 2020. She is passionate about creating inclusive, student-centered practices and collaborating with families and educators to support the whole child. Sara enjoys sharing practical strategies that can be immediately applied in school settings.

Presenter: Laura Bonazinga Bouyea

Description: Emotional agility, as proposed by psychologist Susan David, offers a model for naming feelings, gaining perspective, and, without bottling or brooding, moving toward goals that are aligned with your values. Emotional agility is a pivotal part of social exchange, particularly as we create contexts that foster effective communication across neurotypes. Early developments in emotional signaling, language, and shared enjoyment or connection lay the foundation for effective emotional agility, and our individual differences in our communication preferences and tendencies support the development of meaningful and authentic relationships. In this workshop, participants will actively experience movement through the components of Emotional Agility exercises and experience social communication exchange by exploring preferences and tendencies, and simulate developmental and relationship-based aspects of emotional and social exchange across neurotypical and neurodivergent communication profiles, and develop play-based or language-based strategies for facilitating effective cross-neurotype communication.

Intended Audience: All are welcome!

Bio:

Laura Bonazinga Bouyea, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist and social communication specialist who is in private practice and offers various undergraduate and graduate courses through Castleton University and professional learning through other organizations. She has a pending certification in Emotional Agility and is passionate about the connection between our self and social selves.

Presenters: Eliza Davison and Amanda Rohdenburg

Description: As LGBTQ+ youth are thrust into a hostile national spotlight, the common refrain has been: What can we do to help? Join this workshop to discuss strategies for working inside of your schools and communities to create policies, procedures, and an overall culture of safety and belonging for all students.

Using the Vermont Prevention Model, participants will engage in an interactive session exploring the current challenges to serving LGBTQ+ youth, specifically LGBTQ+ youth of color and youth who hold multiple marginalized identities. We will learn and reflect on the relationships and practices that lift up our students and help change the statistics on a state and national level. We’ll talk about the ways that taking hold of our own power can decrease stress and trauma – and transform the world.

By the end of the workshop, participants will better understand the minority stress perspective and identify at least three ways in which disproportionate burdens of stress might impact the health, social, and academic outcomes of the students they serve, describe the different levels of the VT Violence Prevention Model, identify which level they hold the most impact in their role, and identify action steps they can take within their area of impact.

Intended Audience: Both teams and individuals are encouraged to attend. We welcome folks with introductory-level knowledge around supporting LGBTQ+ youth, and those who hold the skills, practices, and identities, and are already doing this work in their schools and communities.

Bios:

Eliza Davison (they/them) is the School Transformation Manager at Outright Vermont. They collaboratively develop and implement personalized educational opportunities for youth serving professionals, anchoring long-term educational partnerships with schools, districts, and organizations. They feel that queer and trans youth hold the key to a more connected and sustainable world for all people.

Amanda Rohdenburg is the Senior Director of Advocacy and Land Stewardship. As a part of the Senior Leadership team, Amanda shares in the responsibility for ensuring that our Strategic Plan, Theory of Change, and Queer Ethic and Guiding Principles are aligned in the implementation of strategies to accomplish our vision and mission. Amanda supports Outright’s Power team that puts LGBTQ+ youth front and center in reshaping the systems that affect them.

Presenters: Peter Knox and Jess DeCarolis

Description: This workshop introduces educators to the Community Schools approach, with a particular focus on its history, evolution, and implementation across predominantly rural Vermont communities. Participants will explore how Community Schools function as an integrated, cross-sector strategy that intentionally aligns education, health, mental health, family engagement, and community resources to support the whole child and the broader school community. Drawing on Vermont-based examples, the session highlights how this approach has been sustained in geographically isolated and resource-constrained contexts through collaboration, shared leadership, and relationship-centered practice.

During this workshop, participants will develop a clear understanding of what the Community Schools approach is and how it differs from traditional school models; examine how Community Schools have been implemented and sustained in rural Vermont; and understand how coordinated, community-based supports reduce non-academic burdens on educators, enabling them to focus on teaching and learning while ensuring students and families receive targeted, responsive supports aligned with local needs.

Intended Audience: PK-12 educators, school administrators, community partners, as well as interested/engaged members of state agencies and local healthcare organizations. Individuals and teams are welcome, and from any school/grade level, as well as various disciplines.

Bios:

Dr. Peter Knox is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Vermont. His primary areas of research include the Community Schools approach/framework, school climate/culture, public education policy, and family-school-community partnerships, particularly in rural contexts. Originally from Montana, he has significant experience working with and in rural, under-resourced communities using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.

Jess DeCarolis has a combined 20+ years in education and 13 years in municipal and state government – most recently serving as Division Director for eight years at the Vermont Agency of Education, where she developed and implemented the Act 67 (2021) Community Schools grant and co-founded the VT Community School Research-Practice-Policy-Partnership with colleagues from UVM.

Presenter: Gillian Pieper

Description: This workshop will offer quick ways to work out muscular stiffness and pain, breathe easier, and expel negative energy and stored-up trauma. These are all brief, science-backed touchstones to help you get back to your strong, capable body and clear-minded spirit — that person you’ve always counted on to superhero you through the complex world of the school workplace. During this workshop, participants will explore getting back to basics when it comes to personal well-being, practice the tiniest things that actually work to give you more energy rather than less, and appreciate the strengths that you bring to your job. The workshop will be interactive and engaging and will include ample resources. Come in comfy clothing and be ready to move!

Intended Audience: All are welcome.

Bio:

Gillian Pieper has been a trainer, presenter and passionate advocate in the field of Wellness and Workplace Health Promotion since 1992. She has a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and a M.Ed. in Counseling and Adult Health Education from Boston University. Since 1996, Gillian has traveled the state for the VEHI PATH (Planned Action Toward Health) program helping schools design and implement best practice employee wellness programs.  She has advanced level training as an Intrinsic Coach and employs this methodology daily. Gillian is also a certified Wellness Culture Coach and has spent many years consulting nationwide with Dr. Judd Allen. She has studied under Dr. Dee Edington, achieved advanced certification from Larry Chapman with the National Wellness Institute, and she has advanced training in Global Learning Partner’s Dialogue Education.

Presenter: Erik Shonstrom

Description: Children are primed to explore the world through their creativity and curiosity. Developing experiences feeding their inherent desire to investigate the environment offers them the opportunity to engender autonomy, agency, and a sense of independence. This session includes interactive, dynamic activities designed to help attendees wrangle their own curiosity and passions in order to create dynamic, exciting outdoor lessons that spark creativity and collaboration with students (and adults!)

Intended Audience: All are welcome.

Bio:

Erik Shonstrom is an associate professor of interdisciplinary studies at Champlain College. He is the author of three nonfictions books about learning and a memoir. He has written for the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Education Week. Erik has taught students as a wilderness instructor with Outward Bound, college professor, as well as an elementary and middle school educator. He lives in Vermont with his family and a feral, scrappy, hyena-adjacent dog.

Presenter: Ashley Riendeau

Description: This presentation will provide school leaders with a comprehensive overview of Vermont’s legal requirements, decision-making expectations, and system responsibilities related to student safety interventions and removal from instruction. The training clarifies when restraint, seclusion, and exclusionary discipline may be used, emphasizes that these practices are emergency responses, not behavior management strategies, and reinforces the administrator’s role in prevention, oversight, data review, and corrective action.

The session connects Rule 4500 to broader systems work, including MTSS, PBIS, SEL, and trauma-informed practice, positioning incidents as risk and systems indicators rather than isolated compliance events. Participants learn how to:

• Apply the imminent and substantial risk standard
• Distinguish physical escort vs. restraint and identify seclusion
• Review local incident reports for threshold, duration, training, and prevention evidence
• Identify red flags requiring follow-up or retraining
• Respond to complaints and meet investigation timelines
• Understand the relationship between Rule 4500 and exclusionary discipline, including suspension and expulsion requirements
• Use discipline and safety data to inform prevention planning and system improvement

The overall goal is to strengthen prevention, positive supports, administrator accountability, and accurate reporting to improve student safety and reduce the need for crisis interventions.

Intended Audience: School Principals and Assistant Principals; Program Directors (public and approved independent schools); Special Education Administrators/Directors of Student Support Services; Behavior or Student Support Coordinators responsible for incident review

Bio:

Ashley Riendeau, M.Ed., School Climate Program Coordinator at the Vermont Agency of Education Ashley leads statewide work related to restraint and seclusion (Rule 4500), school climate and belonging, restorative approaches, exclusionary discipline, and Harassment-Hazing-Bullying prevention. She provides technical assistance to SU/SDs across Vermont and supports implementation of trauma-informed, proactive, equitable systems, legally aligned practices, and develops guidance and resources to strengthen family-school partnerships.

Presenters: Rick Dustin-Eichler and Sara Raabe

Description: Hear from two Vermont administrators about what PBIS leadership looks like in their districts/buildings, including the missteps, barriers, and successes along their journeys. Learn how to cultivate joyful universal and targeted instruction, practices, and rituals; utilize data effectively; and build strong, sustainable systems. Consider the complicated and critical role of the leader and how you can empower the voices of staff, students, and families to create a school environment that fosters the well-being of all. Participants will:

• Examine the role of the principal as a systems-level leader in PBIS implementation, including how to navigate missteps, address barriers, and sustain long-term success.
• Identify actionable strategies to lead the development of joyful, inclusive, and effective universal and targeted PBIS practices that foster a positive school climate for all learners.
• Learn how to effectively leverage data and shared leadership to elevate the voices of staff, students, and families in creating a school culture grounded in equity and well-being.

Intended Audience: All are welcome!

Presenter: Maureen Burford

Description: Educators are seeking additional tools that help students show compassion and act with positive intentions, especially during moments of frustration or social conflict. Philosopher and educator Ellen Tadd defines compassion as “the synthesis of love and understanding.” Tadd identifies practical ways to strengthen this capacity in students, even when emotions are elevated or peer dynamics are challenging.

Drawing on Tadd’s work, the session will introduce three concrete, developmentally-grounded strategies that help students shift into what we call the Wise View — a perceptual stance that integrates emotion, clarity, and empathy. These strategies align naturally with universal practices for social, emotional, and behavioral learning and trauma-responsive approaches by strengthening students’ internal skills for emotional regulation, perspective-taking, prosocial behavior, empathy, and conflict resolution.

Participants will experience each strategy firsthand and explore how it can be incorporated into universal routines (such as morning meetings and classroom expectations) and targeted supports (such as check-ins or skill-building groups). Join me to learn concrete, easy-to-implement practices that help young people access compassion from the inside, strengthening school climate, relationships, and the capacity to “grow together.”

Intended Audience: Individuals and teams are welcome. This workshop pertains to educators working with children from age three through high school and is also appropriate for counselors and administrators.

Bio:

Maureen Burford, Executive Director of Creative Lives and a Framework Facilitator, is a veteran educator and musician with 38 years of experience working with learners from early childhood through college. In 2012, she partnered with author and philosopher Ellen Tadd, her longtime teacher, to bring Tadd’s discoveries about holistic human development into the field of education. Maureen has shared the Framework approach with thousands of children, teens, and educators-locally and nationally-in both school and out-of-school settings. She received the Lynn von Trapp Award in 2019 for excellence in preventive youth programming in Vermont. Across her career, Maureen has served on the faculties of multiple New England schools, colleges, and learning organizations. She holds an M.Ed. in Creative Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a B.A. in Music from Cornell University. Even shorter: Maureen Burford, Executive Director of Creative Lives, is a veteran educator with 38 years of experience supporting learners from early childhood through college. A longtime student of author Ellen Tadd, Maureen helped bring Tadd’s Framework for Wise Education® into schools and youth programs across the U.S. She received the Lynn von Trapp Award for excellence in preventive youth programming and holds an M.Ed. from UMass Amherst.

Presenter: Camille Koosmann

Description: Successful implementation of any relationally-based approach is hindered or helped by the degree to which the approach is practiced by the adults in the buildings or district. Too often, schools implement positive and restorative approaches with students without first focusing on the culture, climate, and practices of the staff. This workshop will offer a model for running staff meetings, PLCs, and other committees based on the restorative “Balance in the Process.” Participants will hear real examples of schools, demonstrating what it looks and feels like to be part of a restorative culture, and provide time to identify ways to make your meetings more restorative and effective.

By the end of this workshop, participants will experience how a restorative meeting is structured to create the skills, capacity, and motivation to work together as a team, include all voices, develop trust, and be effective, reflect on adaptations to make for different meetings in your milieu, and identify achievable goals to modify how your meetings are structured and learn a simple assessment tool to check your progress.

Intended Audience: This workshop is for anyone who leads team meetings, PLCs, or professional learning with adult or student teams. No prior knowledge of restorative practices is necessary to join this workshop.

Bio:

Camille Koosmann is a restorative practitioner, trainer, and coach who has been in the field of restorative practices since graduating from Champlain College in 2016. Camille has worked to apply restorative approaches in many settings, primarily working in K-12 schools throughout Vermont. Camille formerly led the Restorative Practices in Schools program for the Franklin Grand Isle Restorative Justice Center, serving as the school-wide restorative practices coordinator and coach for Bakersfield Elementary Middle School as well as providing support, training, and coaching to nine other schools in Franklin and Grand Isle counties. Currently, she is the Youth Team Development Coordinator, school trainer, and materials specialist for Starling Collaborative.

Presenter: Katie Meyer

Description: This workshop will highlight key ideas and share resources to help districts and schools collect and use data to support effective classroom PBIS. Participants will explore why it is important to collect data on classroom implementation, examine tools that can be used to monitor classroom PBIS fidelity and outcomes, and consider how these data can be used to support continuous improvement. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to (a) describe the importance of collecting data on classroom implementation, (b) identify tools for measuring use of key classroom practices and resulting student outcomes, and (c) consider strategies to empower teachers to collect and use their own implementation data to improve classroom practice over time.

Intended Audience: Classroom teachers, administrators, and those who support them (e.g., district PBIS/MTSS coaches) who want to improve their use of positive and proactive classroom practices to create positive learning spaces for all. While not required, we recommend that individuals attend as a team with someone else from their school.

Bio:

Katie Meyer, PhD is a Research Associate with the Center for Behavioral Education and Research (CBER) at the University of Connecticut. She has over a decade of experience supporting schools with implementing multi-tiered systems of support such as PBIS and RTI. She conducts research in the areas of improving outcomes for students with disabilities through MTSS and advanced-tier implementation.

Presenter: Kym Asam

Description: Educators often feel overwhelmed by what appear to be competing initiatives for integrating social, emotional, and behavioral learning (SEBL) practices into daily classroom routines. This can lead to the misconception that one approach—such as creating trauma-responsive learning environments—must replace other established frameworks like Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). In reality, PBIS offers an effective multi-tiered structure for embedding knowledge about childhood trauma into an existing system of SEB support, rather than treating trauma responsiveness as a separate or competing initiative. Both the PBIS framework and the trauma-responsive model (and their associated practices) enhance one another’s effectiveness.

Participants will learn how PBIS and trauma-responsive approaches share common goals and are grounded in similar science, explore ways to integrate trauma-responsive practices into an existing school-wide PBIS framework, understand how PBIS core components create supportive, predictable, and safe environments for all students, including those who have experienced trauma, and map specific trauma-responsive strategies across all three tiers of support with a focus on universal (Tier 1) practices that benefit all students.

Intended Audience: All are welcome!

Bio:

Kym Asam is an Implementation Coach and Trainer for Vermont PBIS. She has provided and continues to provide coaching to SD/SUs in their development and installation of a single system of delivery of services through a process of deliberately integrating mental health, families, students, and other community partners into their existing social/emotional/behavioral system. In addition, she currently provides training and project support to NFI Vermont in the areas of trauma-responsive school practices, grant writing and oversight, internship coordination, and the agency’s overarching framework. She has practiced as a licensed independent clinical social worker since 1992, and in addition to direct work with clients, provided clinical supervision to multiple staff and consultation to schools on complicated emotional/behavioral student needs. Kym has conducted numerous trainings for school personnel, both in and out of the state of Vermont, on resilience, empathic distress, and developmental trauma. She also provides field placement supervision for MSW and BSW students from multiple universities.

Presenters: Josh Souliere and Toni Marra

Description: Meaningful and collaborative stakeholder engagement is essential to building a strong Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP). This interactive workshop provides an overview of Vermont’s CIP requirements and explores how schools can deepen authentic stakeholder engagement throughout the process. Participants will leave with practical tools, a clearer understanding of requirements, and actionable strategies to establish collaborative partnerships in the development and implementation of their school’s Continuous Improvement Plan.

Intended Audience: All educators, principals, and central office staff

Bios:

Toni Marra – Toni is a member of the Education Quality Team at the Agency of Education. As a member of the team, she has the shared responsibility of providing a statewide system of support for continuous improvement by guiding the administration of comprehensive needs assessments and implementing continuous improvement plans. Toni really love working with schools and being able to help when needed. When not Toni’s not at work, she enjoys fishing, kayaking, playing cornhole, and anything that involves spending time with my family and friends.

Josh Souliere – Josh is a member of the Education Quality team at the Vermont Agency of Education. He’s been with the AOE for 20 years and has worked in the various roles within the statewide system of support framework. Primarily Josh has worked within the worlds of PBiS and School Improvement providing technical assistance and coaching with a continuous improvement lens. Outside of work he enjoys golf, music, mowing the lawn, and spending quality time with his family, friends, and animals.