2025 GOCSD Innovation Summit

This session explores how embedded professional development (PD), follow-up coaching, and targeted training create systemic change in education by supporting and retaining new teachers. Participants will learn strategies to integrate ongoing mentorship and instructional coaching, ensuring teachers feel equipped and confident in their roles. By focusing on sustainable support systems, we can bridge the gap between training and practice, ultimately improving teacher retention and student outcomes. Join us to discover how investing in educators through meaningful, job-embedded PD leads to long-term success in schools.

Picture this: A high school where students thrive as mental health ambassadors, breaking stigmas and transforming their school’s culture. That's exactly what's happening at Branson High School, Missouri's leader in mental wellness classes. In this eye-opening session, dive into the journey of how they’ve turned traditional mental health support on its head by putting students in the driver's seat through partnerships with Burrell Behavioral Health and Sources of Strength. At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to communicate the benefits and barriers to such programs and create a plan to launch within their own campuses.