Featured Speakers

Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society

Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH

Social Brains in Adolescence: Peers, Pressures, and a Pandemic

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, PhD, FMedSci, FBA

Belonging: The Science of Creating Connections and Bridging Divides

Geoffrey L. Cohen, PhD

Professor of Psychology, Stanford University; Professor of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Author, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides (2022); Co-Author, "A Meta-analysis of the Effect of Values Affirmation on Academic Achievement" (2021, Social Issues), "A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention in College Improves Adult Outcomes for Black Americans" (2020, Science Advances), and "Bolstering Trust and Reducing Discipline Incidents at a Diverse Middle School: How Self-Affirmation Affects Behavioral Conduct During the Transition to Adolescence" (2019, School Psychology)

The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony

Jay J. Van Bavel, PhD

Director, Social Identity and Morality Lab; Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science, Department of Psychology, New York University; Co-Author, “Inside the Funhouse Mirror Factory: How Social Media Distorts Perceptions of Norms” (2024, Current Opinion in Psychology) and The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony (2021)

How Relationships Power the Brain

Pamela Cantor, MD

The Social Brain, Language, and Learning

Patricia K. Kuhl, PhD

Co-Director, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences; Professor, Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington; The Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning; Recipient of the “William James Lifetime Achievement Award”, the “George A. Miller Prize” in Cognitive Neuroscience, the American Psychological Association’s “Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award”, and the “Karl Spencer Lashley Award” from the American Philosophical Society; Co-Author, “Brain Myelination at 7 Months of Age Predicts Later Language Development” (2022, Neuroimage), Developing Minds in the Digital Age: Towards a Science of Learning for 21st Century Education (2019), How Babies Think: The Science of Childhood (2001), and The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind (2000)

A Sense of Belonging Matters: Building Connections and Community

Terrell L. Strayhorn, PhD

The Science of Making and Keeping Friends

Marisa G. Franco, PhD

Teaching Kindness

Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD

The Challenge of Permitting and Cultivating Principled Dissent in the Social-Pressure Classroom: A How to Guide

Todd B. Kashdan, PhD

THE SCIENCE OF SOCIAL BRAINS: CREATING CONNECTIONS & COOPERATION

Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society

Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH

The Science of Making and Keeping Friends

Marisa G. Franco, PhD

How Relationships Power the Brain

Pamela Cantor, MD

The Global Crisis of Connection: Its Roots, Consequences, and Solution

Niobe Way, EdD

Intentional Neuroplasticity: The Neurobiology of Adversity and the Resiliency of Attachment

Lori L. Desautels, PhD

Societal Brain Health and Sessing Trauma: Inheritance of Olfactory Fear Memory

Clara W. Liff, PhD

How to Spark Cognition and Connections in Your Learners through Curriculum Storyboards

Bena Kallick, PhD

How to Spark Cognition and Connections in Your Learners through Curriculum Storyboards

Allison G. Zmuda, MA

THE SCIENCE OF “US”: BUILDING BELONGING, IDENTITY, & COMMUNITY

The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony

Jay J. Van Bavel, PhD

Director, Social Identity and Morality Lab; Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science, Department of Psychology, New York University; Co-Author, “Inside the Funhouse Mirror Factory: How Social Media Distorts Perceptions of Norms” (2024, Current Opinion in Psychology) and The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony (2021)

A Sense of Belonging Matters: Building Connections and Community

Terrell L. Strayhorn, PhD

Belonging: The Science of Creating Connections and Bridging Divides

Geoffrey L. Cohen, PhD

Professor of Psychology, Stanford University; Professor of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Author, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides (2022); Co-Author, "A Meta-analysis of the Effect of Values Affirmation on Academic Achievement" (2021, Social Issues), "A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention in College Improves Adult Outcomes for Black Americans" (2020, Science Advances), and "Bolstering Trust and Reducing Discipline Incidents at a Diverse Middle School: How Self-Affirmation Affects Behavioral Conduct During the Transition to Adolescence" (2019, School Psychology)

Building Belonging and Cultivating Connection so that Staff and Students Can Thrive

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

Building Belonging and Cultivating Connection so that Staff and Students Can Thrive

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

Building Belonging and Cultivating Connection so that Staff and Students Can Thrive

Liz Toruno, MEd

Lead Climate Coach, Thriving YOUniversity; Coordinator for Social Emotional Learning, Bakersfield City School District; Former Teacher, Behavioral Management Specialist, and District Administrator

Neuroeducation Meets Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: An Instructional Framework for Promoting Connectedness, Belonging, and a Culture of Success

Mariale M. Hardiman, EdD

Co-Founder and Director, Neuro-Education Initiative; Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University; Author, Brain-Targeted Teaching: A Framework for Joyful Teaching and Leading (2025) and Connecting Brain Research With Effective Teaching: The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model (2003), “The Arts, Creativity, and Learning: From Research to Practice” (2019, Mobile Brain-Body Imaging and the Neuroscience of Art, Innovation and Creativity), and “The Effects of Arts-Integrated Instruction on Memory for Science Content” (2019, Trends in Neuroscience and Education)

Neuroeducation Meets Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: An Instructional Framework for Promoting Connectedness, Belonging, and a Culture of Success

Ranjini M. JohnBull, PhD

Doing the Work: Practical Strategies to Create a Sense of Belonging in Our Schools

Caren Baruch-Feldman, PhD

Clinical Psychologist; School Psychologist; Fellow and Supervisor in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Author, 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)

Doing the Work: Practical Strategies to Create a Sense of Belonging in Our Schools

Jennifer Markarian, MA

TEACHING SOCIAL BRAINS: USING COLLABORATION & SOCIAL LEARNING

The Social Brain, Language, and Learning

Patricia K. Kuhl, PhD

Co-Director, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences; Professor, Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington; The Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning; Recipient of the “William James Lifetime Achievement Award”, the “George A. Miller Prize” in Cognitive Neuroscience, the American Psychological Association’s “Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award”, and the “Karl Spencer Lashley Award” from the American Philosophical Society; Co-Author, “Brain Myelination at 7 Months of Age Predicts Later Language Development” (2022, Neuroimage), Developing Minds in the Digital Age: Towards a Science of Learning for 21st Century Education (2019), How Babies Think: The Science of Childhood (2001), and The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind (2000)

The Challenge of Permitting and Cultivating Principled Dissent in the Social-Pressure Classroom: A How to Guide

Todd B. Kashdan, PhD

Differentiation in the Elementary Classroom: Promoting Engagement and Social Interaction

Kristina J. Doubet, PhD

Effective Collaborative and Cooperative Learning: Possibilities and Perils

Dylan A. R. Wiliam, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Educational Assessment, Institute of Education, University of London, UK; Former Dean and Head of the School of Education, King’s College London, UK; One of the World’s Leading Authorities on the Science of Learning; Author, Creating the Schools Our Children Need (2018) and Leadership for Teacher Learning: Creating a Culture Where All Teachers Improve So That All Students Succeed (2016); Co-Author, Making Room for Impact: A De-implementation Guide for Educators (2023)

Restore and Respect: How to Mediate School Conflicts and Keep Students Learning

Ondine Gross, EdM, MS

Student Learning Communities: A Springboard for Academic and Social-Emotional Development

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)

TEACHING TEEN BRAINS: PEERS, SOCIAL PRESSURES, & ISOLATION

Social Brains in Adolescence: Peers, Pressures, and a Pandemic

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, PhD, FMedSci, FBA

The Listening Project: A School- Based Method of Building Relational Intelligence

Niobe Way, EdD

Reframing Adolescence: Preparing Adults to Be the Guides Teens Deserve in Their Lives

Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, FAAP

Insights into the Teenage Social Brain: Peers, Presence, and Pro-Social Influences

Adriana Galvan, PhD

Fostering Purpose in Youth Through Persuasive Science and Profound Prosocial Experiential Exercises

Todd B. Kashdan, PhD

How the Brain Makes Sense of the Social World: Implications for Understanding the Teenage Years

Meghan L. Meyer, PhD

HELPING OTHERS: PROMOTING PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS

The Social Brain: The Neural Basis of Social Cognition, Social Connection, and Emotion

Kevin N. Ochsner, PhD

The Dynamics of Prosocial Choice

Oriel FeldmanHall, PhD

Prosocial: Using Evolutionary Science to Build Compassionate, Cooperative, and Collaborative Students

David Sloan Wilson, PhD

Designing a ProSocial Classroom

Christi C. Bergin, PhD

Cultivating Culture: Connecting Kindness, Empathy, and Gratitude to Student Learning

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

Cultivating Culture: Connecting Kindness, Empathy, and Gratitude to Student Learning

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

Cultivating Culture: Connecting Kindness, Empathy, and Gratitude to Student Learning

Liz Toruno, MEd

Lead Climate Coach, Thriving YOUniversity; Coordinator for Social Emotional Learning, Bakersfield City School District; Former Teacher, Behavioral Management Specialist, and District Administrator

CONNECTING TO OTHERS: PROMOTING EMPATHY, KINDNESS, RELATIONSHIPS & SOCIAL SKILLS

No More Meltdowns: Social Skills Training for Emotional Regulation

Jed E. Baker, PhD

Evolving With Gratitude: Nurture Relationships, Improve Well-Being, and Activate Learning

Lainie Rowell, MA

Educator; Innovative Learning Communities Consultant; Institute for Leadership Development Consultant, Orange County Department of Education; Apple Distinguished Educator; Google for Education Certified Innovator; Contributing Writer, Thrive Global and Edutopia; Author, Evolving With Gratitude: Small Practices in Learning Communities That Make a Big Difference with Kids, Peers, and the World (2022); Co-Author, Evolving Learner: Shifting From Professional Development to Professional Learning From Kids, Peers, and the World (2020); Contributor, Because of a Teacher: Stories of the Past to Inspire the Future of Education (2021)

Teaching What Matters to Teens: Activating Compassion, Kindness, and Altruism

Steve Banno, Jr., MEd

Teaching Kindness

Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD

The Empathy Edge: How to Create a More Human-Centered Classroom

Lindsay Portnoy, PhD

Cognitive Scientist; Associate Teaching Professor in the Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, Doctor of Education Program, Northeastern University; Former Teacher; Co-Founder of Immersive Science Learning Company, Killer Snails; Author, “An Opportunity for an Improved Post-Pandemic Education” (2021, Age of Awareness), Game On? Brain On! The Surprising Relationship Between Play and Gray (Matter) (2020) and Designed to Learn: Using Design Thinking to Bring Purpose and Passion to the Classroom (2019)

Mindsets, Environments, and Relationships: Helping Students Develop their Capacity for Self-Awareness, Self-Management, and Self-Acceptance

Fay E. Brown, PhD

Mindsets, Environments, and Relationships: Helping Students Develop their Capacity for Self-Awareness, Self-Management, and Self-Acceptance

Christine L. Emmons, PhD

Newsletter & Event Emails

IMPROVING SOCIAL SKILLS AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Featured Speakers

THE SCIENCE OF “US”: BUILDING BELONGING, IDENTITY, & COMMUNITY

HELPING OTHERS: PROMOTING PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS

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