Teaching Social Brains

Applying Brain Science to Improve Social Skills, Belonging, Behavior, Regulation, and Learning

February 12 - 14, 2027

Fairmont San Francisco or Virtually via Zoom

Conference Schedule Pre-Con Hotel & Travel

Program

Conference registration is open now for Learning & the Brain's annual winter conference in San Francisco, CA held at the San Francisco Fairmont February 12-14, 2027.

This conference will be run as a hybrid conference. Whether you attend in-person or remotely, recordings will be available for 45 days after the conference.

Download Brochure Register Now

IMPROVING LEARNING THROUGH BELONGING, CONNECTIONS, AND COLLABORATIONS

Relationships are essential for success in school and throughout life. Research from the American Psychological Association has found that strong relationships with teachers and peers enhance learning and have long-lasting implications for students' social, emotional, and cognitive development. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that students who feel a strong sense of school connectedness are more likely to earn higher grades, attend school regularly, engage in positive behaviors, and experience better mental health. Positive teacher-student relationships and supportive peer connections are also linked to reduced behavior problems, greater classroom engagement, stronger motivation, and increased prosocial behavior.

Yet, many students today struggle with loneliness, social isolation, and underdeveloped social skills. According to the 2024 OECD’s PISA study, 22% of US students reported feeling lonely at school, and 24% felt like an outsider or left out. A 2025 Gallup poll found 45% of parents of school-age children say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their child’s social skills development, and half of those, 22%, report the social difficulty for their child is ongoing.

This interdisciplinary conference brings together brain scientists, social psychologists, and leading educators to explore the “social brain” and why relationships matter for development, learning, behavior, and well-being. Discover evidence-based strategies to build belonging, relationships, and trust; strengthen social skills, thinking, and friendships; create prosocial classrooms; improve behavior and emotion regulation in socially challenged children; support student learning and social health; foster collaboration between science, schools, and communities; and boost reading and math skills through socioemotional learning.

Featured Speakers

Frankenstein, Humpty Dumpty, and the Science of Learning: Reconstructing the Learner

David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair

Professor Emeritus of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Recognized in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Seeing Self and Others On-Screen Does Not Negatively Impact Learning in Virtual Classrooms” (2021, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology), and “E-Textbooks at What Cost? Performance and Use of Electronic v. Print Texts” (2013, Computers and Education)

Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection

Benjamin A. Rein, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, SUNY Buffalo; Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University; Neuroscientist who studies the biology of social behavior and explains the brain to over 1.2 million people online; Recognized by the National Academies of Sciences, the Society for Neuroscience, the Pulitzer Center, and Schmidt Sciences for his contributions; Chief Science Officer. Mind Science Foundation; Head of Science Communication, ResearchHub Foundation; Author, Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection (2025)

Rethinking Social Skills: Teaching Social Thinking to All Learners

Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP

Founder and CEO, The Social Thinking Center; Member, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; Globally Recognized Thought Leader, Author, Presenter, and Social-Cognitive Therapist; Author, Why Teach Social Thinking? (2014), Thinking About You, Thinking About Me (2007) and Think Social (2006); Co-Author, Brain Hacks: Strategies to Rally Motivation and Get Things Done (Even When You Don’t Want To) (2025), Social Situation Mapping: Making Sense of the Social World (2023), You Are a Social Detective! Explaining Social Thinking to Kids (2020, 2^nd Edition), Socially Curious and Curiously Social: A Social Thinking Guidebook for Bright Teens and Young Adults (2011)

The Kids Who Aren't Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools

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)

Dealing With Feeling: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Transform Relationships, Health, and Learning

Marc A. Brackett, PhD

Founding Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; Professor, Child Study Center, Yale University; Co-Creator, The RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning, Host, “Dealing With Feelings” Podcast; Developer, How We Feel App; Author, Dealing with Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want (2025), Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive (2019); Co-Author, “Why Emotion Regulation Is the Skill Every School and District Leader Needs Now” (2026, District Management), “The Role of Educators in School-Based Social and Emotional Learning” (2025, Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice and Policy), and “Emotionally Intelligent School Leadership Predicts Educator Well-Being Before and During a Crisis” (2024, Frontiers in Psychology)

Applying the Science of Learning to Promote Successful Student Learning

Richard E. Mayer, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Charter Fellow, American Educational Research Association; Editorial Advisor, Contemporary Educational Psychology; Author, Multimedia Learning (2020, 3^rd Edition), “Thirty Years of Research on Online Learning” (2019, Applied Cognitive Psychology), and Applying the Science of Learning (2011); Co-Author, “Role of the Instructor’s Social Cues in Instructional Videos” (2026, Education Science), Handbook of Game-Based Learning (2020), Handbook of Research on Learning and Instruction (2017, 2^nd Edition), and e-Learning and the Science of Instruction (2016, 4^th Edition)

BELONGING: The Science of Creating Connections

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)

Worth and Belonging: How to Build Self-Worth to Finally Feel Like You Belong

Marisa G. Franco, MS, PhD

Psychologist; Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Maryland; Science and Technology Policy Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Contributing Writer and Expert, The New York Times, Scientific American, and Psychology Today; Author, Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment (2026), “The Trait That ‘Super Friends’ Have in Common” (2022, The Atlantic) and Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends (2022)

The Social Brains, 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; Co-Author, “Mother–Infant Social and Language Interactions at 3 Months Are Associated With Infants’ Productive Language Development in the Third Year of Life” (2024, Infant Behavior and Development), “Brain Myelination at 7 Months of Age Predicts Later Language Development” (2022, Neuroimage), “Early Language Learning and the Social Brain” (2014, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press), How Babies Think: The Science of Childhood (2001), and The Scientist in the Crib (2000)

The Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequences, and Solutions

Niobe Way, EdD

Co-Founder, Social Health Institute; Director, Science of Human Connection Laboratory; Founder, Center for Youth and Connection-by-Design Technology; Professor, Developmental Psychology Program, Department of Applied Psychology, New York University; Senior Fellow Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Co-Founder, Agapi; Principal Investigator, “The Listening with Curiosity” Project; Founder, The Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity (PACH; pach.org); Author, Rebels With a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves, and Our Culture (2024); Co-Author, “The Listening With Curiosity Project: A New Approach to SEL” (2026, Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy), The Crisis of Connection: Its Roots, Consequences, and Solution (2018) and Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection (2011) - which was the inspiration for the Oscar nominated film, Close (2022)

Evolving Social Learners: Creating a Connected, Collaborative Culture in a Digitally-Connected World

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)

The Social Brain: How Group Dynamics Can Improve Learning

Alex Richardson-Price, MA

Education Lead at InnerDrive, who specialises in translating Teaching and Learning research into clear, practical strategies for teachers; Former Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning; Co-Founder and Director, Tellucate Turors; Professional Development Expert who focuses on helping educators understand key research findings and applying it effectively to improve classroom practice.

2) CONNECTED CLASSROOMS: BUILDING BELONGING, TRUST, & RELATIONSHIPS

BELONGING: The Science of Creating Connections

Geoffrey L. Cohen, PhD

Worth and Belonging: How to Build Self-Worth to Finally Feel Like You Belong

Marisa G. Franco, MS, PhD

Cultures of Connection: Building Positive Reciprocal Relationships, Engagement, and Belonging in Secondary Schools

Denise C. Pope, PhD

Senior Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor, Challenge Success; Co-Host, “School's In” Podcast; Author, “Doing School”: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students (2001); Co-Author, “Stressed, Tired, and Yearning for Support” (2025, Kappan Online), “What Students and Teachers Do to Build Positive Reciprocal Relationships: A Study Co-Led by Youth and Adult Researchers” (2023, American Journal of Education), “A Caring Climate That Promotes Belonging and Engagement” (2022, Phi Delta Kappa), and Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids (2015)

Connected and Capable: How Predictable Routines Support Social Connection, Belonging, and Executive Function

Mitch J. Weathers, BA

CEO/President, Organized Binder; Former High School Science Teacher and Chair; Former Adjunct Professor, Dominican University of California; Advisor, TeachBoost; Advisor, The Odyssey Initiative; Author, Executive Functions for Every Classroom, Grades 3-12 (2024); Co-Author, Executive Functions for Every K-3 Classroom (2026)

Building Connected Classrooms: How Prosocial Education Can Unlock Students’ Belonging and Re-energize Teacher

Christi C. Bergin, PhD

Director, Prosocial Development and Education Research Laboratory; Research Professor Emerita, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri; Chief Scientific Officer, Prosocial Education Collaborative; Co-Founder, Network for Educator Effectiveness; Author, Designing a Prosocial Classroom: Fostering Collaboration in Students From PreK-12 With the Curriculum You Already Use (2018) and “The Handbook of Prosocial Education” (2014, Moral Education); Co-Author, “Social and Emotional Learning Programs and Students’ Prosocial Behavior: A Meta-Analysis” (2026, Review of Educational Research), “Reducing Teacher Burnout and Promoting Student Prosocial Behavior Using the Echo Telementoring Model in Middle Schools” (2026, Psychology in the Schools), Social and Emotional Development in Children Through Emerging Adults: A Guide for Professionals (2025), Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom (4th Edition, 2025), and “Positive Teacher-Student Relationships May Lead to Better Teaching” (2022, Learning and Instruction)

Before They Can Learn, They Have to Trust: The Science of Connection, Belonging, and the Adolescent Brain

Erica Battle, MA

Interim Head of School, All Saints Cathedral School; Founding Consultant and Leadership Coach, Life Changes in Progress Educational Consulting; Certified K-6 Elementary Teacher; Certified Critical Friends Group Facilitator, The National School Reform; Former Curriculum Consultant, National Elementary Honors Society; Author, The Trusted Teacher: A Reflective Guide for Impactful Relationships With Secondary Students (2024), Who Are You Beyond Your Name: A Journey of Self-Discovery (2022), and Who Are You? A Guide to Help Adolescents Navigate Through the Social and Emotional Issues of Life (2016)

Raising Attendance: Strategies to Improve Belonging, School Climate, and Adult-Student Relationships

Douglas B. Fisher, PhD

Chair, Department of Educational Leadership, San Diego State University; Classroom Teacher, Health Sciences High and Middle College; Co-Author, Microlearning in the K–12 Classroom: Short Bursts of Instruction for Breakthrough Understanding (2026), The Engagement by Design Playbook: Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive (2026), The Artificial Intelligence Playbook: Time-Saving Tools for Teachers That Make Learning More Engaging (2025, 2nd Edition), Rigor Unveiled (2025), Teaching Students to Drive Their Learning (2023), and Confronting the Crisis in Engagement (2022)

The Science of Connection: Happiness Habits That Build Belonging, Resilience, and Lifelong Well-Being

Caren Baruch-Feldman, PhD

Clinical Psychologist; School Psychologist; Fellow and Supervisor, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy; Author, Happiness Habits 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)

3) REGULATED BRAINS: IMPROVING STUDENT BEHAVIOR & EMOTION REGULATION

Dealing With Feeling: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Transform Relationships, Health, and Learning

Marc A. Brackett, PhD

The Kids Who Aren't Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools

Ross W. Greene, PhD

Social Brains, Social Impairments, and Autism

Karen J. Parker, PhD

Director, Social Neurosciences Research Program, which seeks to advance understanding of the biological basis of social functioning across a range of species; Inaugural Truong-Tan Broadcom Endowed Professor; Chair of the Major Laboratories Steering Committee; Associate Chair for Research Strategy and Oversight, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine; Professor of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University; Affiliate Scientist, California National Primate Research Center; Elected Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), and Kavli Fellow, U.S. National Academy of Sciences; Co-Author, “Characterizing Emotion Recognition and Theory of Mind Performance Profiles in Unaffected Siblings of Autistic Children” (2022, Frontiers in Psychology)

Helping Kids Become Social Detectives for Social and Academic Gains

Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP

Transform Discipline: Leveraging Prosocial Education to Build the Social Brain for Self-Control and Kindness

Christi C. Bergin, PhD

The Science of Making Friends for Socially Challenged Teens and Youth

Elizabeth A. Laugeson, PsyD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist; Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior; Director, UCLA Tarjan Center, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Founder, Director, UCLA PEERS Clinic; Program Director, Predoctoral Psychology Internship Program, Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, University of California Los Angeles; Author, The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults (2013); Co-Author, “Socialization and Social Skills Programs for Autistic People Across the Lifespan” (2026, Handbook of Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder) and Peers® for Preschoolers: Friendship Skills for Autistic and Neurodivergent Children (2025)

Child/World Problems: Rethinking Behavior, Regulation, and Learning

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

Emotion Regulation in the Digital Age: How to Foster It Organically and When AI Can Help

Nistha Dube, MS Candidate

Neuroscience & Education MS Candidate from Columbia University; Co-host, Learning & The Brain Podcast, Research Intern at Harvard Human Flourishing Program, Educational Consultant, whose mission is to empower individuals to cultivate intentionality and purpose in their everyday lives; Featured on Business Insider; TEDx and Keynote Speaker, whose long-term vision is to bring self-discovery techniques to schools so that youth are better equipped with techniques for developing self-awareness and making intentional decisions for their future; Author, Beyond the Skin (2021), "Test-focused Education Detrimental to Student Mental Health" (2017, CollegiateTimes)

Understanding the Teenage Brain: From Social Media to Emotion Control

Alex Richardson-Price, MA

4) ACADEMIC BRAINS: BOOSTING LANGUAGE, DIALOGUE, READING, & MATH SKILLS

The Social Brains, Language, and Learning

Patricia K. Kuhl, PhD

The Road Not Taken: Socioemotional Learning and Academic Rigor in Math Learning

Eric P. Bettinger, PhD

Conley DeAngelis Family Professor of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Senior Fellow, Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Director, Center for Educational Policy Analysis; Affiliate, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Laboratory; Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research; Co-Author, “The Road Not Taken: Socioemotional Learning and Academic Rigor” (2026, European Economic Review), “Student Mindsets Matter: Experimental Evidence From a Growth Mindset Intervention in Brazil” (2025, ResearchSquare), and “How Can We Inspire Nations of Learners? An Investigation of Growth Mindset and Challenge-Seeking in Two Countries” (2021, American Psychologist)

What We Say Matters: Building a Positive, Healthy School Climate

Shauna F. King, MEd, EdS

Educational Consultant, King Professional Development Services; Author; Adjunct Faculty, The Regional Training Center, La Salle University; Former School Climate Coach, The Positive Schools Center, University of Maryland School of Social Work; Author, High Impact Relationships: 37 Simple Strategies to Build Connection and Spark Learning (2025), Children Are Listening: What We Say Matters (2022), and School Smart: It's More Than Just Reading and Writing (2017)

Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers: Using Equity, Empathy and Evidence-Based Research

Nancy Frey, PhD

Curriculum Developer; Instructional Leader; Professor of Literacy, Educational Leadership, College of Education, San Diego State University; Teacher, Co-Founder, Health Sciences High and Middle College; Recipient, Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education, American Association of State Colleges and Universities; Co-Author, Belonging in School: Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn and Teachers Want to Stay ― An Illustrated Playbook (2026, Revised Edition), Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers (2025), Teaching Reading: A Playbook for Developing Skilled Readers Through Word Recognition and Language Comprehension (2022), Comprehension [Grades K-12]: The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading (2020), and This Is Balanced Literacy, Grades K-6 (2019)

The Story of the Social Brain: Using Language for Emotional Regulation, Flexible Thinking, and Social Understanding

Rochel Lieberman, PhD, CCC-SLP

Researcher; Speech-Language Pathologist, WholeStory Speech; Creator of the Story Emotion Social Therapy (SEST), a storytelling-based approach to help individuals build social emotional understanding, social interaction, and emotional intelligence skills; Recipient of the 2025 “Distinguished Clinician Award” from the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association for her groundbreaking work with SEST; Author, SEST FUNDAMENTALS Story Emotion Social Therapy: WholeStory Therapist Guide and Principal Curriculum (2026) and the Children’s book, Pearla and her Unpredictably Perfect Day (2016)

The Science and Practice of Civil Dialogue and Helping Students Disagree Well

Micah D. Gottlieb, MEd

Associate Director of Child and Adolescent Applied Psychology, American Psychological Association (APA); Former High School Principal, and Education Professional with a focus on translating psychological science into practice to support teaching, learning, and student well-being; Fomer Educational Consultant, Crimson Global Academy; Certified in Google AI Essentials, Learning Experience Design from Oregon State University, and Redesigning High Schools for Improved Instruction from the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Author, “Strengthening Student and Educator Well‑Being” (2026, APA)

Katie Kennedy, PhD

Associate Director of Child and Adolescent Applied Psychology, American Psychological Association (APA); Developmental Psychologists whose work focuses on developmnental social cognition; Researcher who has worked with Bay Area Discovery Museum and companies such as Fisher Price, Green Toys, and Mattel

5) PROSOCIAL BRAINS: FOSTERING SCIENCE & SCHOOL COLLABORATIONS

The Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequences, and Solutions

Niobe Way, EdD

Empowering Community Changers in Elementary Schools: Connecting Science, Social Engagement, and Making a Difference

Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, PhD

Director, Social Development Laboratory; Chair, Department of Education Leadership, Foundations, and Policy; Commonwealth Professor of Education, School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia; Research Advisor, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL); Author, SEL From the Start: Building Skills in K-5 (2020); Co-Author, “Belonging Contributes to Compassion: A Longitudinal Study of Middle School Students’ Prosocial Competencies” (2025, Applied Developmental Psychology) and “A Mixed Methods Study Examining How Classroom Experiences Cultivate Respect in Middle School Students” (2025, Applied Developmental Science); Co-Editor, Social and Emotional Learning in Action: Creating Systemic Change in Schools (2023)

The Symbiotic Curriculum: Where “Real Life” and School Meet

Jennifer Gonzalez, MA

Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Cult of Pedagogy; Host of the popular “Cult of Pedagogy” Podcast; National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts; Former Adjunct Instructor, Western Kentucky University; Co-Author, Hacking Education: 10 Quick Fixes for Every School (2015)

Collaboration and Collective Efficacy: Ensuring That Teachers and Students Succeed

Douglas B. Fisher, PhD

How Leaders Can Create Schools Where Every Student Belongs - Including Students With Disabilities!

Kate MacLeod, PhD

Associate Professor of Special Education, University of Maine, Farmington; Chair of Diversity and Inclusion; Co-Founder/Consultant, Inclusive Schooling; Founding Member of the Maine Coalition for Inclusive Education; Co-Author, The Way to Inclusion: How Leaders Create Schools Where Every Student Belongs (2023), From Behaving to Belonging: The Inclusive Art of Supporting Students Who Challenge Us (2022), The Paraprofessional's Handbook for Effective Support in Inclusive Classrooms (2021), and Building a Positive and Supportive Classroom (2020)

Evolving Social Learners: Creating a Connected, Collaborative Culture in a Digitally-Connected World

Lainie Rowell, MA