Our approach to customized programming:

When a school, district, or educational agency is contemplating change, our customized programming includes the integration of existing and new systems and initiatives as this is foundational to the work.

• We partner with educational settings to design, implement, and evaluate the most effective and coherent plan for moving forward.
• Our partnerships include the ideation process of identifying short and long-term intended outcomes at the district, school, classroom and student level.
• We work together to identify the current needs of the system, beginning with focusing on assets that are already in place, strengths within the system, and any potential barriers.
• Considerations are made regarding existing federal, state and local regulations, how current systems and staff are evaluated through improvement planning processes, staff evaluation policies and procedures, student mastery learning measures, and culture and climate indicators from all stakeholders.
• As part of this process, we begin connecting existing systems such as PBIS, instructional pedagogy and curriculum, and assessment practices.

We become part of your team, focused on your vision, working alongside you to create the change you envision.

What we have to offer:

Collectively, our team has over 5 decades of experience at various levels of school functioning, including in the classroom, mental health support, building administration, and district leadership.

• Our trainings for educators provide an understanding of the latest research in neuroscience and how to apply that knowledge in the classroom.
• We focus on helping educators manage the daily stressors in schools while being their authentic selves, which supports adult health and wellness.
• Schools are asking educators to take on new roles. Roles for which they may not feel prepared. We provide resources and guidance to fill this gap.

The Synergetic Education Institute supports educators on a journey to find and re-kindle the love and inspiration for teaching that initially set them on their path as an educator.

Structure and Format:

Together, we’ll shape the structure and format that best support your goals.

• Comprehensive training or individual workshops
• Groupings by positions or collaborative working groups or teams
• Focus on implementation for specific roles or system implementation across sites or districts
• In person, online or hybrid

Foundational level classes provide a core knowledge base coupled with practical, daily strategies grounded in the latest research in neuroscience, nervous system regulation, interpersonal neurobiology, and social-emotional practices. Our focus is on creating environments that encourage self-awareness to support students in discovering their own regulatory needs. This includes learning to be an  external regulator  in order to promote a sense of safety and belonging for all students. Participants will explore ways to shift daily routines to include self-reflection, which supports the re-wiring of brains and the re-patterning of nervous systems, leading to long-term growth.

Intermediate level classes build upon these foundational tenets, adding strategies for supporting individuals and groups. This includes creating layered, social-emotional behavior plans and regulatory spaces inside and outside of the classroom. Our focus will be on the training, implementation, and data collection needed to ensure the success of these plans and spaces. In addition, these components are considered from a systems perspective, including staff taking on different and complementary roles.

Advanced level classes focus on working with other educators and with students with the most intensive needs. These trainings will empower educators to support other adults in their building(s) by learning to work with them from a developmental perspective and honoring their journey in learning to do this work. Educators that play supportive roles in their building(s) will deepen their skills in becoming an external regulator and will learn to step into confusing, challenging situations and will feel equipped to work with both students and other adults.

Praise for Our Work

“Visiting your classrooms was truly an inspiring experience! You’ve done amazing work to create the most advanced trauma-informed school I have ever visited! Every student in your school is arriving each and every day knowing that they matter and that they are important.”                                     -Heather Forbes, Founder, Beyond Consequences Institute, Author, Speaker, Developmental Trauma Expert

“SEI completed a comprehensive PD course of study for 40 key teacher leaders in our district, and customized a program to meet our district needs from the ground up. Michelle Malvey is passionate about deepening the relationship among stakeholders to advance excellence in education, it was like working with a colleague who gets it, like working with one of your best teammates from within district. The wealth of experience, knowledge and leadership skills was extremely valuable to me as the program design, output and results far exceeded other ‘canned’ professional development we had been using from typical vendors.” -Diane Lauer, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent, St. Vrain School District

 “Thank you so much for this wonderful course full of real-world application!  I have learned so much! It’s literally been one of the best professional development programs I’ve taken in 10 years.”  -Meghan Trowbridge, Assistant Director/Research Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

“…the commitment to the social and emotional well-being of the students goes far beyond a single project. In three years of working with Michelle Malvey (Principal, Lincoln Elementary School) and her staff, I have been continuously impressed, not only by this commitment but by the extent to which social and emotional learning is such a central and open part of the culture of the building. I can honestly say I know of no other elementary learning community in the country with a more supportive culture for learning.” – Dr. Tim Kubik, Professional Development Educator and Author of “Unprepared for What we Learned: Six Action Research Exercises that Challenge the Ends we Imagine for Education”