Professional Development
Elevate your school’s culture with expert, research-based training.
At the School Culture and Climate Initiative, we offer high-quality professional development (PD) designed to empower educators and school communities to create positive, supportive environments where students and families thrive.
Workshops are delivered by our expert partners and bridge the gap between research and real-world practice, focusing on improving school climate and integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) and character development school-wide. All sessions are customized to meet your unique needs, workshop length is flexible, and sessions can be delivered in-person or virtually.
Workshops open the door. Your school community walks through it together.
Workshop Series
Foundations of a Systemic Approach to Positive School Climate
Tools and processes for leadership teams to deepen climate improvement work and build readiness for positive climate implementation.
Building Within: Cultivating Well-Being & Emotional Resilience in Educators
Focused on developing educators' SEL skills through reflection and practical tools for daily use, with activities to share with school communities.
Foundations of a Systemic Approach to Positive School Climate
A workshop series for school and district leadership that addresses the urgent need to improve the mental health and resilience of school communities. The series involves online and synchronous instruction alongside a networking community of peers and national experts.
This series provides a unique opportunity for school and district leadership to apply basic tools and processes around climate improvement to their own school community, while also providing an onboarding ramp for deeper reflection and practice for positive school climate implementation.
What You Will Do
- Explore a framework for an integrated, systemic, and sustainable approach to positive school climate.
- Discuss examples of what this approach looks like in practice.
- Explore common challenges and solutions involved in implementing the approach.
- Craft a communication plan to apply this model locally.
Series Benefits
- Learn strategies you can start applying right away.
- Network with peers facing similar challenges.
- Gain know-how from national experts to support your school improvement efforts.
- Develop insight into how the social and emotional well-being of students and staff helps create a positive learning environment.
- Create the basic framework of a plan to improve your school climate.
Building Within: Cultivating Well-Being & Emotional Resilience in Educators
Research shows that educators who cultivate their own SEL practices enjoy more positive relationships with their students and see improved academic performance in their classrooms.
Designed specifically to help educators develop their SEL skills, this workshop series features guided personal reflections and offers tools for implementing SEL practices on a daily basis. Educators leave with a set of activities they can take back to their schools and easily share with students and colleagues.
Series Topics Include
- Understanding, accepting, and positively responding to emotions
- Cultivating the perseverance, patience, and courage needed to manage change
- Strengthening compassion and gratitude for the self and others
- Building strong, healthy classroom communities
Feedback From Participants
"I love this course. Each session, I walked away rejuvenated and refocused."— High School Teacher
"I am so happy I had the opportunity to attend this series. It was 100% worth the time! I can't wait to share what I learned with my colleagues."— Elementary School Instructional Coach
"This is a great way to pause and reflect, in order to refocus and move forward in an intentional, positive way."— Elementary School Administrator
Professional Development Offerings
Adult SEL Competencies
Strengthen the social-emotional skills of educators to lay the foundation for a thriving school community.
Bullying & Harassment Prevention
Equip your school with strategies to prevent bullying, empower upstanders, and create a safe, inclusive environment.
Culture & Climate Improvement
Tailored workshops to guide your school through sustainable climate improvement using research-based strategies.
Culturally Competent Schools
Foster inclusivity by building staff capacity to navigate cultural differences, implicit bias, and equity-driven practices.
Schoolwide & Classroom SEL
Bring SEL to life in every classroom with practical strategies for instruction, curriculum integration, and student voice.
Supporting Diverse Needs & Marginalized Youth
Create inclusive classrooms that uplift diverse learners through targeted SEL strategies and interventions.
SEL for Families
Partner with families to extend SEL beyond the classroom and support students' emotional growth at home using a strengths-based approach..
Student Mental Well-Being
Build staff awareness and skills to support student mental health, stress management, and emotional well-being.
Trauma-Responsive Classrooms
Empower educators with trauma-informed practices to create safe, supportive, healing-centered learning environments.
Understanding Behavior & Student Engagement
Discover root causes of student behavior and learn proactive strategies to foster positive engagement and collaboration.