Expert Instruction: The Teach by Design Podcast

We’re continuing our Mythbuster series by taking on an assumption that sounds simple enough: “It’s just a meeting. Everyone knows how to do that.” Joining us are two experts whose work with the Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) framework offers a closer look at what it actually takes to turn team meetings into productive decision-making processes:

In this episode of our Crisis Prevention Bonus Series, we’re exploring a tricky question: How do you measure something that didn’t happen? Joining us are two experts who bring perspectives from school-based prevention, behavioral health, and disaster response:

We’re continuing our yearlong exploration of the impact of PBIS by looking at where students spend most of their school day: the classroom. Joining us are three experts who created the Promoting Positive Practices in the Classroom webinar series:

We’re kicking off a new season of Expert Instruction and our yearlong exploration of the impact of PBIS. Joining us are four regional partners from the Center on PBIS:

Guest Bios

Dr. Ambra Green

Dr. Ambra Green is an associate professor of special education within the Teacher and Administrator Preparation Department at The University of Texas at Arlington. She is a national scholar with publications and research focused on students of color with and at-risk for disabilities, issues related to inequitable school practices, behavior disorders, positive behavioral interventions and supports, and teacher use of evidence-based practices.

Dr. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen

Dr. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen is an associate professor in special education at the University of Utah. She has extensive experience conducting research...

Guest Bio - Kristin Bailey

Originally from Charleston, Kristin Bailey experienced twenty six hurricane seasons in South Carolina before moving to Denver for work in 2010. She began her work in Denver as a Colorado State Public Defender in Arapahoe County as a dedicated advocate for kid clients. In 2018, she transitioned to Denver Public Schools as part of the in-house counsel team. In this role, Kristin works to keep more kids in schools rather than pushing them into the delinquency system. She devotes every day to helping ensure schools are welcoming, inclusive, and safe environments for all students...

Over the 2025–26 season of Expert Instruction, we explored how data help schools make better decisions for students. In this year-end reflection episode, Megan Cave and Danielle Triplett look back on the conversations, lessons, and stories that shaped the season. Together, they revisit favorite moments from guests across the PBIS community and reflect on what they learned about prevention, relationships, systems, and data-based decision making.

We're coming to you LIVE from the NWPBIS Conference in Tacoma, WA to explore another PBIS myth. Joining us today are Becky Gawenit and Charisse Elliott.

We continue our exploration of Tier 3 support by focusing on an important and often misunderstood part of behavior support plans: measuring fidelity. Joining us today is Rose Iovannone.

• Rose is a research professor at the University of South Florida and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She also serves as director of the University of South Florida Interdisciplinary Center for Evaluation and Intervention, where she supports individuals with complex needs from early childhood through young adulthood. In addition to her research, Rose works closely with educators through training and professional development to support practical, real-world implementation of be...

Some of the most important systems and practices you can implement are the proactive things you do to prevent behavior from escalating. This episode is part of a special Crisis Prevention Series produced in partnership with the Center on PBIS Crisis Prevention Workgroup, where we explore how PBIS systems can support schools in preventing, preparing for, and responding to crises.

When we talk about preventing crises, we’re talking about:

We continue our exploration of Tier 3 support by focusing on the way systems make it possible to get students the level of support they really need. Joining us today are Mara Lynaugh and Jess Olson.

When targeted interventions don't improve the behavior you hope to see, what's the next step? Today's guest might tell you to check the function of that behavior. Today, we're talking with Dr. Chris Borgmeier and exploring the myth: Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is a process only meant for special education.

Chris is a Professor and the Doctoral Program Director in the College of Education at Portland State University. He is co-author of the Basic FBA to BIP training series and developed the Basic FBA to BIP e-learning series. His research focuses on using multi-tiered systems of support...

When we talk about Tier 2 support, we usually talk about the support we offer students. Today, we're talking about the ways we support the adults in our building to implement Tier 2 with fidelity...and maybe even a little enthusiasm. Back with us again are our colleagues Dr. Billie Jo Rodriguez and Noah Van Horn.

In this episode, we're sharing some of our favorite things from past lists...including one of our favorite episodes. This month, we're revisiting a conversation from 2021 with Drs. Erin Chaparro and Ginny Joseph about Tier 2 teams and the foundations of decision making at the Tier 2 level.

Dr. Chaparro is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Oregon and the Principal Investigator for the TIPS project. For more than a decade, Erin has worked with districts and schools to implement multi-tiered systems of support for literacy as well as PBIS. She is also the co-author of the...

We're continuing our year-long series exploring the way data play a crucial role in our PBIS implementation. In this episode, we’re going to put those data to use as we look to address the myth that student behavior is more significant now than ever before. Joining us are Dr. Billie Jo Rodriguez and Noah Van Horn.

All this month we’re looking at the ways we can use data to guide our decisions on how to get students the additional support they need sooner. There are some common decision rules your team can follow, but what does that look like in practice? Our guests today will share their experience.

Joining us in conversation are Dr. Lisa Friesen from North Kansas City Schools and Jamie Ferguson from Oak Park High School, both in Kansas City, MO.

In this episode, we continue the conversation around our year-long theme: Data in PBIS. Collecting data is an important step in your PBIS implementation. Using data to drive decisions is how those data truly come alive. How do you do that? Well, the Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) framework is the only scientifically-based data-based decision making practice available to schools. Joining us today to talk about the fundamentals of the TIPS framework is Dr. Erin Chaparro.

Dr. Chaparro is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Oregon and the Principal Investigator for the TIPS project. For...

This episode kicks off PBISApps’ 2025–26 school year theme: data in PBIS. Our guest today is a true PBIS pioneer: Dr. Rob Horner. Dr. Horner is an emeritus professor at the University of Oregon and a key figure in developing PBIS. He brings with him a 40-year history of research, grant management, and systems change efforts related to school reform and PBIS. He has published over 390 professional papers and directed over $200 million dollars in federal grants. Among many past national awards, in 2020 he won the Association of Positive Behavior Support Leadership Award. During our conversation, we talk about the early days...

In this episode, we’re looking back at the podcast over the past school year and sharing our favorite episodes and lessons learned. We’ve interviewed 16 guests across nine episodes. Every conversation gave us something to think about and find ways to infuse it in our work moving forward. Today, we wanted to highlight just five of those episodes and encourage you to take another listen over these summer months.

To travel back in time to any of these episodes mentioned today, check out the following links:

In a perfect world, there would be a mental health professional embedded in every school across the country. Students would have immediate access to the support they need and the resources they deserve. The reality is, there is a workforce shortage among mental health providers and community resources are overwhelmed by the need. More students need support than we can serve efficiently. If we could change that outcome, shouldn’t we?

That’s exactly what our friends and colleagues at The Ballmer Institute are trying to do! The Ballmer Institute offers an ground breaking undergraduates an opportunity to e...

As we explore what inclusive education means, we need to talk about what it means to create truly inclusive schoolwide systems, data, and practices. If schoolwide means all students have access to the same foundational features, how do you ensure “all” really means “all” in your Tier 1 PBIS implementation?

Joining us to help answer this question is Dr. Sheldon Loman from Portland State University (PSU).

Sheldon is a Professor in the Special Education Department at PSU. He has a passion for researching and teaching about inclusive practices to support students with extensive support needs. Most recently...

Join us this month with guest Dr. Nikole Hollins-Sims as we discuss how to cultivate a culture of belonging in your classroom. Using the elements of PBIS, Dr. Hollins-Sims helps us break down how students thrive at school when they feel they belong. For starters, the ABCs of student wellbeing, Agency, Belonging and Connectedness, have a tremendous influence on whether students feel like they are part of your school. When educators focus on cultivating each of these components in their classroom climate through greetings, exercises and class culture, students thrive. We also visit how your own SWIS data results...

As we explore what it means to achieve equitable solutions in PBIS implementation, we start by defining what equity looks like. So, what happens when our definitions of equity are different from each other? In this episode, learn how one coach successfully collaborates with the whole schoolwide community to create shared definitions and equitable systems that work for everyone.

Joining us is Mari Meador from the University of Washington’s School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training (SMART) Center. As an implementation coach, Mari supports schools in their implementation efforts. She has been a PBIS state facilitator, an...

Whether its students clutching their phones or endlessly scrolling YouTube shorts, there is a sense student apathy is real and rampant. In this episode, we’re out to bust the myth that students today just don’t care about school like they used to. Joining us are Marisa Cardenas-Joslyn and Aydree, from Silverado High School in Mission Viejo, CA. Our colleague and friend, Mimi McGrath Kato is also a special guest cohost today while Danielle Triplett is out of the office.

Marisa is a member of the Silverado’s PBIS team and an instructional coach supporting teachers and ad...

In this episode, we’ve tracked down some hilarious teacher stories from around the internet about the goofy things students say and do in school. From fart jokes, to the 1990s as the “old days,” to a student bringing in a live goat, this podcast will have you in stitches. The guests this month are our very own PBISApps trainer Nadia Sampson and Customer Support Manager Diertra Lomeli. Give it a listen and enjoy your winter break!

We’re back with another episode of Mythbusters where we explore some of the critiques about PBIS. Along with our guests, we’ll declare the criticisms true or busted! The myth we’ll explore today is: Rewards don’t work to improve student outcomes. Joining us in our conversation are Erica Bauer, Joya Mitchell, and Jaymz Keller Jr.

Erica is a school counselor and the Green Local School District’s PBIS coordinator.

Joya is the Student Services Director at Green Local Schools. She’s been an educator for over 20 years working in both special education and as an as...

There’s a feeling you get when you walk into a school. You get a sense for the kind of place it is when you look at the people’s faces, or the way the light that comes through the windows. It’s even in the colors and art on the walls in the hallway. This intangible thing is your school’s climate and it’s something you co-create with your schoolwide community.

In this episode of Expert Instruction, we’re joined by three educators who know how to create that positive school climate we all want to experienc...

When educators are in the classroom day after day, year after year, the focus on fresh authentic, genuine PBIS implementation gets harder. In this episode, we’re talking about how to adapt, evolve, and continuously improve your efforts over the long term. Joining us in conversation are the three co-directors of the Center on PBIS.

Dr. Brandi Simonsen is a professor of Special Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at University of Connecticut. She is also the co-principle investigator of the National Multi-Tiered System of Supports Research Network. She's an advocate for supporting educator implementation across a...

In this episode, we’re looking back at every podcast we had over the past school year and sharing our favorite episodes and lessons learned. We’ve interviewed 16 guests across nine episodes. Every conversation gave us something to think about and find ways to infuse it in our work moving forward. Today, we wanted to highlight just five of those episodes and encourage you to take another listen over these summer months.

To travel back in time to any of these episodes mentioned today, check out the following links:

Ep. 32: The Fundamentals of Schoolwide Teams

By the end of the school year, you have a lot of data at your fingertips. There are two important actions to take. The first is to share it with your schoolwide community as part of your annual PBIS evaluation. The second is to plan how you’ll build on your success next year.

In this episode, we’re talking about what it takes to evaluate PBIS implementation and use data to create an action plan at the end of the year. Joining us in our conversation are Diane LaMaster, Michele Cook, and Kim Barker.

Dian...

Have you heard this before in your teams: If we removed these students from our schoolwide data, our trends would look better. In this episode, we’re tackling the myth that some students’ behavior data skew our schoolwide data. Joining us in this conversation are Rayann Silva and Mari Meador from the University of Washington’s School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training (SMART) Center.

Rayann has done it all in education. From classroom teacher to district administrator, to state/regional school mental health training and technical assistance provider, she centers social-emotional well-being in every role she holds...

Have you heard this before in your teams: If we removed these students from our schoolwide data, our trends would look better. In this episode, we’re tackling the myth that some students’ behavior data skew our schoolwide data. Joining us in this conversation are Rayann Silva and Mari Meador from the University of Washington’s School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training (SMART) Center.

Rayann has done it all in education. From classroom teacher to district administrator, to state/regional school mental health training and technical assistance provider, she centers social-emotional well-being in every role she holds...

There are two primary questions every team should ask related to their PBIS implementation:

Because PBIS is an evidence-based framework, you know there are data to help you answer these questions. Which brings us to today’s topic: How do you choose a system to store and monitor the fidelity and outcome data you collect? Joining us today to help us answer that question are Diertra Lomeli and Seth May.

Diertra is the PBISApps Cu...

For PBIS implementation to feel authentic to your school’s culture, it’s important to ask your larger schoolwide community for their feedback about the systems and practices you’ve put in place AND to use that feedback to improve your implementation.

In this episode, Dr. Ambra Green joins us to talk about how you can implement the foundational features of PBIS to create culturally sustaining, truly inclusive spaces.

Ambra is an Associate Professor of Special Education at The University of Texas at Arlington. She is a national scholar with publications and research focused on studen...

Today, we’re bringing you another installment in our mythbuster series. In October, we tackled the myth that PBIS is only about rewards. Spoiler alert: Rewards are part of it, but there’s more to it than the myth suggests. In this episode, we’re exploring the myth: There are no consequences in PBIS. Back again to help us bust this myth is Dr. Kent McIntosh.

Kent is the Philip H. Knight Chair of Special Education at the University of Oregon and the Director at PBISApps. He is also Co-Director of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Su...

A system-level feature of your PBIS implementation involves the professional development you offer to all staff.

Many of us take advantage of conferences to receive professional development, especially related to our PBIS implementation. We love a good conference. We also know lecture-style learning alone isn’t enough to sustain the outcomes we want to achieve. We wondered what it would look like to leverage our conference experience to supplement our on-going professional learning.

We called on some conference organizers for our favorite PBIS conferences to see what they had to say about this idea. Joining us...

We’re back with the second installment of our Expert Instruction Mythbusters series. Today we’re exploring the myth: “PBIS is just about rewards and tokens.” Joining us in conversation is Dr. Kent McIntosh.

Kent is the Philip H. Knight Chair of Special Education at the University of Oregon and the Director at PBISApps. He is also Co-Director of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. His current research focuses on increasing racial equity in school discipline, and implementation and sustainability of systems for social, emotional, and behavior support in schools.

During our discussion, we explo...

Two system-level, foundational features of PBIS implementation relate to your schoolwide team — specifically who’s on it and how it operates. While research tells us team-based decision making is an effective practice, it can’t pinpoint exactly which practices contribute to that success. , That’s because what makes teams so great has a lot to do with how well they fit within the culture and context of their schoolwide community.

So what does a schoolwide PBIS team look like? How does it work? We invited our colleague Danielle Triplett to join us today to share some of her expe...

PBIS has its skeptics — folks who just aren’t so sure the framework is useful. It’s fair to question things and criticisms push us to think about how our implementation can be more inclusive. When you hear a critique or even a misperception, how do you respond?

We thought we’d help you out. Today’s episode of Expert Instruction is the first in our new series: PBIS Mythbusters.

Mythbusters was a television series where the two hosts, Adam and Jamie, would use science to test a myth and determine once and for all if it was...

Who’s ready for summer? Literally every hand in our office is up…maybe yours is, too. The end of the year is the perfect time to tie up loose ends, pack up your things, and look back on everything you accomplished. Reflection is an active process — one that keeps our work fresh and helps us improve from year to year — and it’s what we’re doing today.

In this episode, we’re looking back at every conversation we had over the past school year and sharing our favorite highlights and lessons learned. We’ve interviewed 21 guests across 10...