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2026 Summer Symposium
Type: Breakout 4 clear filter
Tuesday, June 9
 

2:00pm CDT

Becoming a Bridge Building Educator
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom B
Disrespectful behavior, classroom disruption, and disengagement are among the most pressing challenges educators face today—particularly when working with students who have behavior issues and have historically experienced discipline through a lens of control rather than care. This high-impact session equips educators with research-based, culturally responsive strategies to transform challenging behavior into opportunities for growth, learning, and leadership.


Drawing from trauma-informed practices, neuroscience, and culturally sustaining pedagogy, participants will learn how to respond to disrespect without escalating conflict, protect their authority without damaging relationships, and establish classrooms rooted in structure, consistency, and belonging. Research shows that strong teacher-student relationships, clear expectations, and emotionally responsive instruction significantly improve behavior and academic outcomes diverse students and students who have trauma (Hammond, 2015; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Gregory et al., 2016).


Attendees will explore practical tools for de-escalation, restorative responses, executive-function support, and instructional strategies that increase engagement and reduce power struggles. Educators will leave empowered to manage classrooms with confidence, teach with clarity, and create learning environments where EACH student feels seen, valued, and capable of excellence.
This session is a call to shift from punishment to purpose and from compliance to connection.
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Don Parker

Dr. Don Parker

Keynote Speaker and Professional Development Provider, DPCP Corporation
Dr. Don Parker is one of the nation’s leading experts on helping educators build trusting relationships with students who have trauma and challenging behavior. A nationally acclaimed keynote speaker, author, and professional development provider, he has inspired over 1 million ... Read More →
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom B
  Breakout 4

2:00pm CDT

Ready, Set, Grow!
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Nelson Room
Get ready to create and inspire other like-minded educators using everyday materials from the dollar store. Each table team will work with identical sets of items from Dollar Tree to design an activity for your students aligned with one of the 5 SEL competencies. Leave feeling connected and empowered from sharing and exploring innovative ideas that showcase creativity, collaboration, and budget-friendly learning.
Speakers
avatar for Karen Brunner

Karen Brunner

Founder, Behavior Consultant, BCBA, Compassionate Schools
Karen is a behavioral scientist with over 30 years of experience supporting schools as a licensed school psychologist, board certified behavior analyst and university professor. Her work grounded in a strength-based approach, helps educators respond to student misbehavior with confidence... Read More →
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Nelson Room
  Breakout 4

2:00pm CDT

Repairing the Moment: Restorative Tools for Everyday Classroom Conflict
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom B
When classroom conflict, student shutdowns, or escalations occur, educators often feel pressure to respond quickly,sometimes relying on reactive or punitive strategies that unintentionally damage relationships and psychological safety. This interactive session introduces Repairing the Moment, a restorative, SEL-aligned framework designed to help educators pause, reflect, and respond with intention when safety breaks down.


Participants will explore how everyday disruptions such as student withdrawal, peer conflict, or public escalation can become opportunities to strengthen relationships rather than fracture them. Using real classroom scenarios, educators will practice moving from reaction to repair through affective statements, decision mapping, community agreements, victim-offender dialogue, and structured restorative talk circles. Emphasis is placed on regulation before resolution, collective accountability, and repairing harm while maintaining adult authority.


Grounded in evidence-based restorative and SEL practices, this session equips educators with concrete tools they can immediately apply to build classrooms where belonging, trust, and connection lead the way.
Speakers
avatar for Eric Junco

Eric Junco

Director of Academic Cultivation & Engagement / Professor, Northern Illinois University
Dr. Eric Junco is a Director of Academic Cultivation & Engagement and Professor in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. He teaches a range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including Teaching Science Methods, Classroom Management for Elementary Educators... Read More →
avatar for Miriam Ojaghi

Miriam Ojaghi

SEL and Middle School Consultant, Dekalb Regional Office of Education
Dr. Miriam “Mimi” Ojaghi is a Professional Learning Consultant & SEL Specialist at the DeKalb County Regional Office of Education. As a veteran of over 25 years in education, Mimi has worked in a jail, taught middle school and college, served as a director of after school programming... Read More →
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom B
  Breakout 4

2:00pm CDT

Seeing What Students Experience: A Proactive Bullying Tool That Reveals the Hidden Student Reality
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom A
Bullying prevention efforts often rely on incident reports, referrals, or anonymous surveys—tools that tell us what happened, but rarely reveal how students are actually experiencing school on a daily basis. This session introduces a proactive, SEL-based bullying prevention tool designed to surface students’ academic phenomenology—their lived emotional, social, and psychological experience of learning environments—before harm escalates.
Developed by Dr. Kierra Pickens, International Psychologist and therapist, and field-tested in school settings by Devon LaRosa, this innovative tool provides educators and student services staff with intentional, actionable insight into students’ sense of safety, belonging, power, and engagement across academic spaces. Rather than waiting for behavior to signal distress, the tool allows schools to listen earlier, intervene thoughtfully, and design learning environments that reduce bullying at the root.
In this session, participants will explore how this proactive approach supports SEL, strengthens prevention efforts, and equips schools with meaningful data that connects student experience to academic outcomes—helping adults respond with clarity, compassion, and precision.

Speakers
avatar for Devon LaRosa

Devon LaRosa

Chief of High Schools, Chicago Public Schools
Devon supports high school leaders to ensure that all students receive a world-class education.  He believes in taking a student-centered approach to education that focuses on equity and rigorous academic experiences.
avatar for Kierra Pickens

Kierra Pickens

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Key Points Counseling
Dr. Kierra Pickens is a counseling private practice owner and international psychologist with over a decade of experience working in the mental health field. Dr. Pickens has a professional  background in community mental health, inpatient and residential psychiatric facility mental... Read More →
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom A
  Breakout 4

2:00pm CDT

Supporting the Learning Brain Through Co-Regulation
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Talcott
This interactive session explores how co-regulation supports brain development, emotional regulation, and learning readiness in educational environments. Participants will examine how social experiences, adult presence, and environmental supports shape students’ nervous systems, particularly during times of stress or dysregulation.


Through guided discussion and practical examples, participants will learn how educators act as external regulators and how intentional co-regulation strategies can resource safety, connection, and engagement. 
Speakers
avatar for Mallory Wassmann

Mallory Wassmann

Elementary School Social Worker, Hinckley-Big Rock CUSD #429
Mallory Wassmann is in her thirteenth year as a social worker supporting the social emotional wellness of students. Although Mallory enjoys working with kids and empowering them to be their best selves, her passion is for helping colleagues and families better understand how to foster... Read More →
avatar for Sarah Kuperus

Sarah Kuperus

District School Psychologist, Hinckley-Big Rock CUSD #429
Sarah Kuperus is in her thirteenth year as a School Psychologist. Her role includes Special Education and Section 504 evaluations, providing social emotional support for students, coordinating MTSS services district-wide, and regularly consulting with teachers, administrators, and... Read More →
Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Talcott 416 S Main St, Rockford, IL 61101
  Breakout 4
 
2026 Summer Symposium
From $128.36

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Tuesday, June 9
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