Supporting Students with Challenging Behavior:

Turbo Charging Your MTSS Team

    presented by

LARA BUTI

January 28, 2025

8:30 am – 3:00 pm 

Medinah Shrine Center

550 Shriners Drive, Addison, IL

(also available through livestreaming)

Although the MTSS model for supporting diverse student needs is widely accepted, the teams charged with implementing MTSS often struggle due to competing demands, limited resources, and complex team dynamics. This workshop brings MTSS teams together to address both the structure and process of their teams to enable them to improve their team performance and implement MTSS with fidelity within their schools. Lara Buti, who led teams addressing students with the most complex needs as a former therapeutic school teacher, coach principal, and director of SEL, will lead groups of MTSS teams through a process that will create alignment of values and purpose and provide a structure for the MTSS meetings that will make them feel more empowered, connected, focused and productive.

In this workshop participants will:

• analyze their current practices and identify areas of improvement.
• identify the difference between MTSS strategies that address both classroom behavior and SEL (yes, they are different) and how they can work together to create engaged classroom communities.
• create MTSS plans that address both student and staff SEL needs consistent with those of CASEL.
• learn how to create psychological safety within their teams to enhance team functioning, candor and effectiveness.
• reflect on the importance of belonging on both staff and students’ engagement and identify strategies to enhance belonging on their team and in classrooms throughout their school.

Whether your school is in the early stages of building effective behavioral interventions or looking to enhance the MTSS process and practices that are currently in place, this workshop is for you! If you are looking for ways to create/enhance a healthy culture for your staff and students, this workshop is for you! Come as an individual or as part of a team to learn ways to “turbo-charge” your thinking and your practices. Time will be provided for sharing of ideas and focused school planning. We look forward to seeing you there! 

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Lara Buti has worked in special education since 1999. She spent over 20 years at North Shore Academy, a therapeutic school in Highland Park, where she was a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, principal and director of social and emotional learning. In 2021 Lara created BlueprintSEL Partners to bring all that she learned about supporting students with social and emotional challenges into educational programs by creating strong educational teams, providing targeted professional development and coaching. She currently works with schools and districts throughout the Chicagoland area to create healthy staff cultures and support the social and emotional development of children.