Upcoming Conferences & Workshops

October 22, 2026

8:30 am - 3:00 pm

NIU Naperville

5.5 PD Hours

Attendance Options

In-person

Live Streaming

On-Demand for 30 days

If it feels like your school is constantly reacting to behavior instead of preventing it, you’re not alone, and there’s a better way forward. Strategies alone don’t transform schools, effective systems do. 

A strong social-emotional and behavioral MTSS creates the conditions where students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn, and where educators feel equipped, not overwhelmed. 

Participants will learn how to build a coherent, schoolwide system of support that is proactive, practical, and trauma-informed. 

We’ll ground the work in what we know about the prevalence and impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and explore a critical mindset shift: behavior as communication, not merely defiance.

Rather than continuing the cycle of putting out fires, educators will learn how to:

• Strengthen Tier 1 practices so fewer students need intensive support
• Respond to behavior in ways that regulate, connect, and teach
• Align supports across classrooms, teams, and systems

This session goes beyond theory. Through real-world scenarios, structured protocols, and collaborative planning, participants will leave with clear next steps to strengthen or build an MTSS that actually works in their context.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Understand how trauma and ACEs impact student behavior, engagement, and learning
• Shift from viewing behavior as defiance to understanding it as communication
• Identify and implement high-impact Tier 1 practices that improve outcomes for all students
• Apply evidence-based Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports within a trauma-informed MTSS framework
• Use collaboration protocols to strengthen team-based problem solving and collective efficacy
• Develop a clear, actionable plan to strengthen their school’s system of supports

Target Audience:

• School and District Administrators
• School Counselors and Social Workers
• MTSS Coordinators and Behavior Specialists
• General and Special Education Teachers
• Instructional Coaches and Support Staff

Ricky Robertson is an educator, author, and consultant who has worked with alternative and traditional schools, from grades preK-12 within urban, suburban, and rural communities.  He provides coaching, consultation, and multi-day professional development workshops to build systems of support for students impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma, and the educators who work with them.  Ricky is the co-author of Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach, and the author of the new book, The Other Teachers: A Guide to Psychological Safety Among Educators.

Conference Fees: 

IL ASCD/PD365 member: $269

Non-Member 1 Person: $359 (includes 1 year of membership)

Student/ Retiree:  $99 (does not include a membership) 

*Virtual attendance will require a minimum of 10 total attendees*

Email: Email a completed registration form and approved PO to [email protected]

Registration flyer - best for Purchase Orders

Online registration- Best for credit cards

Group registration- teams of five or more