Making sure each child has a positive relationship with a trusted adult may be the single most important thing school leaders can do to ensure their students grow and thrive (Pianta, Hamre & Allen.) But with student mental health concerns and digital isolation on the rise, and 4 in 10 adolescents reporting feeling “persistently sad or hopeless” (CDC,) this may be a good time to ask a simple question: can we do more?

In this session, participants will learn about Mario Education’s approach to fostering student wellbeing. We will explore Mario & Me, a unique dashboard that empowers great face-to-face learning conversations through weekly check-ins and timely, research-based interventions that help students to become more reflective and self-directed learners. And we’ll discuss support systems and professional learning which can help all teachers – including those who are unsure or reluctant in their role as advisors – to forge positive relationships with each of their students.

Participants will have opportunities to share their experiences or challenges in fostering learner-focused 1:1 conversations from advisory, special-needs, extracurricular, and general education classrooms.