HELPING STUDENTS IN A POST-PANDEMIC FALL

Educators face a range of mental, psychological, behavioral, and learning issues when schools return this fall from the pandemic's impact on children, their brains, and learning. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that from April through October 2020, the proportion of children between the ages of 5-11 visiting an emergency room because of a mental health crisis climbed 24 percent compared to that same time period in 2019. Among 12-17 year-olds, the number increased by 31 percent. A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that about two-thirds (67%) of the children they studied in ages 7-15 between November 2020 and January 2021 had clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression, and 67% also had clinically meaningful problem behaviors. That compares to only 30% with anxiety and depression symptoms and 20% with behavioral problems in a pre-pandemic study. A March 2021 report by Horace Mann found that more than half of educators (53%) reported a “significant” loss in students’ academic learning, and another 44% of educators agree there is “some” loss.

This conference will provide new research on the impact of the pandemic on student anxiety, mental health, and learning. Discover strategies to reduce anxiety and depression; reverse learning loss; reengage students; manage disruptive behaviors; improve trust and mental health; help children with ADHD and autism adjust to a new normal; and create calm, caring, connected, and trauma-sensitive schools.

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This conference will be presented as a hybrid conference. You can either attend in person in Boston or participate virtually. Click here for more details.

Click here for COVID-19 policies at the venue and for COVID-19 cancellation policies.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Calming students in an age of rising stress and anxiety

Promoting mental health in school, youth, and young adults

Ways to re-engage and help kids as they return back to school

The science of trauma and creating trauma-sensitive classrooms

Strategies for managing difficult behaviors and school situations

Creating caring, trusting, connected classrooms in challenging times

Achieving success with defiant, emotional, and disengaged students

Intervention and acceleration for "COVID Slide" in reading and math

Helping students with ADHD and autism adjust to a new normal

Science-based strategies for reducing anxiety and depression

Research on the pandemic's impact on child mental health

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Educators, Parents

Curriculum, Staff Developers

Speech-Language Pathologists

PreK-12 Teachers, Administrators

Learning Specialists, Special Educators

Psychologists, School Psychologists, Counselors

Early Childhood Educators, Professionals

Literacy, Reading, Math, STEM Teachers

Superintendents, Principals, School Heads

Adolescent Educators, Clinicians, Counselors

Social Workers, Mental Health Professionals

Guidance, Career, College Counselors

College, University Professors

Featured Speakers

Reestablishing Attention and Synchronicity in Children Exposed to Trauma

Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD

Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion

Wendy A. Suzuki, PhD

Dean, College of Arts and Science; Award-Winning Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University; Popular TEDTalk presenter with over 65 million views; Recently named "One of the Top 10 Women Changing the Way We See the World" by Good Housekeeping; Author of the Internationally best-selling book, Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion (2021), and Anxiety Is Your Superpower (2020); Co-Author, "Adapting a Neuroscience High School Curriculum to Support Inclusive Online Learning" (2023, Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Justice, Equity, and Community), "Exercise to Enhance Mental Health" (2022, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience), and Happy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program to Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better (2016)

Under Pressure: Confronting the Pandemic of Stress, Anxiety, and Mental Health Concerns in Adolescents

Lisa K. Damour, PhD

Handle With Care: Managing Difficult Situations With Dignity and Respect

Jimmy Casas, EdS

Bridging the Gap Between Innate and Learned Behaviors: A Parent's Role in Promoting Child Survival

Bianca Jones Marlin, PhD

Collaborative and Proactive Solutions: Moving From Power and Control to Collaboration and Problem Solving

Ross W. Greene, PhD

Clinical Psychologist; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech; Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Technology in Sydney, Australia; Former Faculty, Harvard Medical School; Founder/Director, Lives in the Balance; Host, “Lives in the Balance” Podcast; Executive Producer of the Documentary, The Kids We Lose, Winner of the Best Feature Documentary Award at the 2018 New Hampshire Film Festival, the 2019 Women's Film Festival in Philadelphia, and the 2019 Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival; Author, The Kids Who Aren't Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools(2026), The Explosive Child (2021, 6^th Edition), Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership With Your Child (2016), Lost and Found: Helping Behaviorally Challenging Students (and, While You're At It, All the Others) (2016), and Lost at School: Why Our Kids With Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them (2008)

Unwinding Our Anxiety in the Brain After the Pandemic

Judson A. Brewer, MD, PhD

Reaching Teens in Times of Trauma, COVID, and Uncertainty

Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, FAAP

ANXIOUS BRAINS: CREATING CALM, COPING, MINDFUL STUDENTS

Unwinding Our Anxiety in the Brain During a Pandemic

Judson A. Brewer, MD, PhD

Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion

Wendy A. Suzuki, PhD

The Science of Adolescent Mental Health: Can Mindfulness Help?

John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD

Director, MIT Integrated Learning Initiative; Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Co-Director, Clinical Research Center; Associate Director, Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Author, “Parenting Relationships as a Moderator of How Socioeconomic Status and Household Chaos Relate to Children’s Cognitive and Socioemotional Skills” (2025, Experimental Child Psychology), “Personalized Neuroimaging Reveals the Impact of Children’s Interests on Language Processing in the Brain” (2024, Imaging Neuroscience), and “Exploration is Associated with Socioeconomic Disparities in Learning and Academic Achievement in Adolescence” (2024, OSF)

Coping Skills for Kids and Teens: Strategies for Stress, Anxiety, and Anger

Janine Halloran, MA, LMHC

ADHD and Anxiety: Understanding the Relationship and Developing Practical Strategies

Roberto Olivardia, PhD

Licensed Psychologist; Lecturer on Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Clinical Associate in Psychology, McLean Hospital, who specializes in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), executive functioning issues, and learning differences; Member of Decoding Dyslexia – Massachusetts; the International OCD Foundation, International Dyslexia Association, Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association, and the American Association of Suicidology; Author, “Am I Depressed? Symptoms of Depression and ADHD, Untangled” (2025, Additude); Co-Author, The Adonis Complex (2000)

Mindful Decisions, Resilience, and Mental Wellness for Educators: Understanding the Brain Science

Donna M. Volpitta, EdD

Resilience Upon Return: Helping Kids Bounce Back From Stress and Trauma

Caren Baruch-Feldman, PhD

Clinical Psychologist; School Psychologist; Fellow and Supervisor, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy; Author, The Happiness Workbook for Kids (Forthcoming), The Resilience Workbook for Kids: Fun CBT Activities to Help You Bounce Back From Stress and Grow From Challenges (2022) and The Grit Guide for Teens: A Workbook to Help You Build Perseverance, Self-Control, and a Growth Mindset (2017)

Maximizing Mindful Learning: Reducing Anxiety and Improving Achievement

Laura S. Bakosh, PhD

Maximizing Mindful Learning: Reducing Anxiety and Improving Achievement

Janice L. Houlihan, MEd

Stress, Resilience, and Wellbeing for Teachers

Janeen Antonelli, MA

Co-Founder and Chief Culture Coach, Thriving YOUniversity; Former Teacher, Principal, and County Office Administrator with expertise in reaching and teaching at-promise youth; Consultant; Professional Learning Designer and Facilitator

Stress, Resilience, and Wellbeing for Teachers

Jessie Fuller, MA

Stress, Resilience, and Wellbeing for Teachers

Joelle Hood, EdD

Co-Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer, Thriving YOUniversity; Certified Life Coach; Consultant; Professional Learning Designer and Facilitator; Former Principal; Former Senior Consultant, Collaborative Learning Solutions; Awarded Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year; Passionately committed to empowering individuals and organizations to THRIVE

DISTRESSED BRAINS: CREATING TRAUMA-SENSITIVE CLASSROOMS

Reestablishing Attention and Synchronicity in Children Exposed to Trauma

Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD

Bridging the Gap Between Innate and Learned Behavior: A Parent's Role in Promoting Survival

Bianca Jones Marlin, PhD

Creating Caring, Trusting Schools During Challenging Times

Richard Weissbourd, EdD

How the Pandemic Contributes to Feelings of Threat and Disrupts a Child’s Ability to Connect and Feel Safe: A Polyvagal Perspective

Stephen W. Porges, PhD

Trauma, Resilience, and the Developing Brain

Frank J. Kros, MSW, JD

Leading Schools Through Trauma: A Data-Driven Approach to Helping Children Heal

Michael Gaskell, EdD

Helping the Helpers: Recognizing and Coping With Secondary Traumatic Stress for Teachers

Mays Imad, PhD

Trauma Informed Practices for Educators

Janeen Antonelli, MA

Trauma Informed Practices for Educators

Jessie Fuller, MA

Trauma Informed Practices for Educators

Joelle Hood, EdD

DISRUPTIVE BRAINS: MANAGING DIFFICULT CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS

Collaborative and Proactive Solutions: Moving From Power and Control to Collaboration and Problem Solving

Ross W. Greene, PhD

Handle With Care: Managing Difficult Situations With Dignity and Respect

Jimmy Casas, EdS

Brain Aligned Relational Discipline: Addressing Student Behavior

Lori L. Desautels, PhD

Achieve Success With Defiant, Emotional, and Disengaged Students After COVID

MaryAnn Brittingham, MS

Professional Development Consultant; Graduate Course Instructor, State University of New York at New Paltz; Co-Author, Transformative Teaching: Changing Today's Classrooms Culturally, Academically, and Emotionally (2015); Author, Motivating the Unmotivated (2008), Dealing With Difficult Parents: Powerful Strategies for Parent/Teacher Interactions (2005), and Respectful Discipline: Your Guide to Effective Classroom Management (2003)

Building Student Relationships

Craig J. Boykin, PhD

We Needed Executive Function During COVID-19 and Still Do: Implications for Assessment and Intervention

Jack A. Naglieri, PhD

Managing Overwhelming Frustration and Anxiety in the New Normal

Jed E. Baker, PhD

Relationship-Based Pedagogy in Service of Youth With Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

Justin D. Garwood, PhD

Building Connections and Community: Promoting Positive Relationships in Schools

Glenn Manning, MEd

Reducing Stress and Anxiety in Children on the Spectrum

Marcia Eckerd, PhD

DISENGAGED BRAINS: REDUCING LEARNING LOSS & RE-ENGAGING KIDS

Using Insights From Cognitive Neuroscience to Support Reading and Reduce Reading Loss

Kenneth R. Pugh, PhD

Re-Engaging Student Minds During and After COVID

Kathleen M. Kryza, MA

Master Teacher; CIO, Infinite Horizons; Co-Author, Transformative Teaching: Changing Today's Classrooms Culturally, Academically, and Emotionally (2015), Developing Growth Mindsets in the Inspiring Classroom (2011), Inspiring Elementary Learners (2008), Inspiring Middle and Secondary Learners (2007), and Differentiation for Real Classrooms (2009)

Providing Academic Support for All Students to Address Learning Loss

Kathleen Lynch, EdD

How Tutoring Works: Strategies to Raise Motivation and Accelerate Learning for Learning Loss

John T. Almarode, PhD

Professor of Education, James Madison University; Co-Editor, Teacher Educator Journal; Co-Author, The Mathematics Playbook (2024), The Teacher Clarity Playbook, Grades K-12 (2024), The Early Childhood Education Playbook (2022), How Tutoring Works: Six Steps to Grow Motivation and Accelerate Student Learning (2021), How Learning Works (2021), Clarity for Learning (2018), From Snorkelers to Scuba Divers: Making the Elementary Science Classroom a Place of Engagement and Deep Learning (2017), Visible Learning for Science (2017), and Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, Grades 6–12 (2013)

Rethinking Motivation and Mindsets: Strategies to Reengage Students

Andrew C. Watson, MEd, MA

Classroom Teacher; Founder/President of Translate the Brain, a professional development consultancy; Author, The Goldilocks Map: A Classroom Teacher’s Quest to Evaluate ‘Brain-Based’ Teaching Advice (2021), Learning Grows: The Science of Motivation for the Classroom Teacher (2019), and Learning Begins: A Teacher's Guide to the Learning Brain (2017); Blogger, Learning & the Brain Blog

DEPRESSED BRAINS: PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING

Under Pressure: Confronting the Pandemic of Stress, Anxiety, and Mental Health Concerns in Adolescents

Lisa K. Damour, PhD

Reaching Teens in Times of Trauma, COVID, and Uncertainty

Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, FAAP

Youth Stress Vulnerability During COVID: Promoting Mental Health and Protective Factors

Maya L. Rosen, PhD

When the Kids Come Back: A Return-To-School Guide for Mental Health During COVID-19

Elizabeth K. Englander, PhD

Professor of Psychology; Executive Director, Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, Bridgewater State University; Nationally Recognized Expert on Bullying and Cyberbullying; Founding Member, Social and Emotional Research Consortium; Advisory Board Member, Institute of Child Development and Digital Media; Author, Bullying and Cyberbullying: What Every Educator and Parent Needs to Know (2023, 2nd Edition) and 25 Myths About Bullying and Cyberbullying (2020)

Understanding and Addressing Mental Health in College Students: Findings and Lessons From the National Healthy Minds Network