Now, time for Ardell Proud, Superintendent Salo. >> Excellent as our guests and presenters are making their way to the front table. Um, as a reminder board members, I believe at our last board meeting, we had an opportunity for one of our strategic priority themes to update us on some of the district-wide work around Catalyst. So, I think it's only fitting uh that this evening we have a team from um Neil Elementary School uh under the direction of Principal Lindeman um to share data on the implementation of Catalyst throughout the school. And I think the focus this evening, one of the things that we're going to hear is not only the importance of implementing Catalyst for students, but also the positive imp- imp- impact for staff. So, thank you very much for being here tonight. We're really excited to hear from you. >> And just one thing, a heads-up to the board members, I'm not going to be recognizing anyone uh with questions until the presentation is over. So, if you have some questions, please jot them down so that we can keep our train of thought going and focus completely on our speakers. Thank you. Welcome. >> Thank you. Great. Hopefully I can run the clicker. All right, so here we go. So, hello school board, cabinet, and members of the community. I'm Lana Lindeman, the principal [snorts] of Neil Elementary. I'm joined tonight by Emily James, our assistant principal, Tammy Doherty, our MTSS behavior specialist and internal Catalyst coach, and Matt Caesar, [clears throat] a wave teacher at Neil. We're grateful for the opportunity to share an overview of the Catalyst approach and the meaningful positive impact it has had on the Neil school community. Um as we discuss programming across our district, one initiative that consistently rises to the top is the Catalyst approach. This framework has had a profound impact on our school and our community. Developed by Nancy Burns and Jackie Brinkman, the Catalyst approach is a classroom management framework designed to foster safe, supportive, and equitable learning environments. It emphasizes proactive, nonverbal communication and a relationship-driven philosophy to support both students and staff. Neal began our collaboration with the Catalyst Approach in 2023. And at that time, our support calls were increasing and teachers were seeking more effective effective strategies to strengthen classroom management and support student regulation. During our first year, we provided whole group leadership training for all licensed staff. Teachers were introduced to the 12 foundational skills and began implementing them in their classrooms. The Catalyst team also provided coaching and feedback sessions to support consistent practice. Our goal in year one was exposure and initial implementation with a focus on increasing student regulation in classrooms, ultimately decreasing support calls and increasing engagement and learning. In year two, we continued strengthening our work with the foundational skills while deepening teachers' learning through specialty skills. We expanded training to include our educational assistants and all center-based teams. Our continued focus remained clear to reduce support calls and increase both student and staff regulation leading to stronger engagement in learning. And as we enter the 25-26 school year, our goal expanded to embedding Catalyst practices across all of our school environments, not only in the classrooms, but also our hallways and the playgrounds and our cafe, ensuring a consistent supportive experience for students throughout the entire school day. >> The Catalyst Approach is designed to strengthen There we go. Yeah, speak right into it, Jamie. >> Perfect. The Catalyst Approach is designed to strengthen adult self-regulation and reduce fatigue by emphasizing proactive, intentional behavioral adjustments rather than reactive responses to students. Rather than focusing solely on managing student behavior, it supports educators in managing their own responses, strengthening relationships, increasing consistency, and creating calm, predictable learning environments. Tonight, we are excited to share a glimpse of this journey and the powerful difference it has made for both our staff and our students. The positive impact in our school has been significant. Classrooms feel more regulated and focused. Staff report feeling more confident and supported in their practice. We have seen meaningful reductions in support calls, stronger student engagement, and an overall increase in instructional time. Perhaps most importantly, there is a shared language and common approach across our building that fosters connection, consistency, and a stronger sense of community. Most notably, the greatest impact we have observed over the past several years is the overall sense of calm >> [snorts] >> that is both visible and tangible throughout our halls and our classrooms. There is a shared steadiness across our school community, a learning environment where students and staff alike feel regulated, [snorts] supported, and ready to engage. Sarah Geremko, a first-grade Catalyst certified teacher and one of our internal coaches, states, "The Catalyst foundational skills help me help me get students' attention, keep them engaged, set students up for success, and then support and maintain that Sorry. And then support and maintain that success. When I started implementing these skills with fidelity, I noticed that I was more regulated and my students were more regulated. The impact of being regulated on students learning is monumental. Quite simply, kids cannot learn if they are not regulated. >> So, our ultimate goal around the implementation of Catalyst was centered around student regulation and learning. We worked to increase student regulation and engagement, knowing that stronger classroom systems would naturally lead to a decrease in support calls. At the end of the year one, we had a total of 1,860 support calls from classroom spaces. In year two, we were able to decrease that number to 848. This was a 46% decrease in calls. Our goal of strengthening student regulation and engagement continues to show meaningful growth. During the 2024-25 school year, 75% of our students had four or fewer support calls from the classroom. And last year, that number decreased to 91% of our students requiring requiring zero to fewer than four calls for support. This 16% increase reflects a significant shift. More students are able to regulate, remain engaged, and successfully participate in learning within their classroom and the community. So, how did we do this? We put it into action. Neil staff had ongoing professional development. We provided multiple Catalyst coaching days from the Catalyst team, which include classroom observation, coaching, and actionable feedback. We utilized an internal coach who provides weekly support. Staff have opportunity to participate in live visits at fully implementing schools, and we have direct access to the Catalyst team for guidance and support. During the first training, staff are taught about the essential 12 foundational skills that are high-impact classroom-based strategies designed to help educators influence student behavior, culture, engagement, and equity in classrooms. These skills are focused around getting attention, engagement, and getting students setting students up for success. The [clears throat] get attention skills efficiently bring student focus to the teacher without raising their voice or repeated commands. They conserve teacher energy, reduce word clutter, increase instructional time, and foster a calm, predictable environment. Ultimately, they allow teachers to spend less time on discipline and more time on building relationships and supporting deep learning. Here we have two students, Betty Jane Flannery and Genesis Rivera Portillo, explain how their teacher gets their attention in their classroom. >> Girls, how does your teacher help get your attention in the classroom? >> Well, first you have this call and response. So, like if I'm the teacher, I would say, "Fourth grade." >> I'll be like the student. I'll be like, "Yes." >> So, that just gets our attention. And like after we say yes, we're supposed to be like all quiet. >> And she also has like stand spot where she smiles and then that means we're we have to be quiet and listen. >> And she's like like smile. >> And then when she smiles that means we have to like look at her and get ready for all the work. >> Yeah. >> And these two things, they help us get our work done and stay like quiet. >> And calm. >> Mhm. >> When asked how these skills have impacted teachers' instruction, Becky Berg, a third-grade teacher, shared this. "After 23 years in the classroom, I finally feel confident in my classroom management. The training I've received over the past few years has transformed my practice. For much of my career, I felt like a new teacher. Learning Catalyst skills made it all click. I have always known that building relationships with students is essential, but staying calm and giving students space to settle into the classroom and their learning has led to stronger relationships built on trust and respect." >> Next comes the engage skills. These skills move students from compliance to active participation, strengthening connections and improving instructional effectiveness. They reduce teacher fatigue, increase instructional time, and support proactive relationships and differentiation. Ultimately, they shift classroom dynamic from passive instruction to active student-centered learning. Set up for success skills are aimed at creating a predictable and equitable environment before instruction begins by establishing clear boundaries, reducing confusion and frustration, promoting equitable access, calm and ready atmosphere, foundation for student agency, and proactive discipline. Pia Mora and Finn Porter are two of our fourth graders. Here is what they have to share about their experience with to-do lists, which is one of the setup for success skills. >> Tell me about your teacher's to-do list. >> Well, it has four categories. A need category, a do category, a put category, and a then category. Um in the need category, my teacher puts what like what supplies we need for stuff or what to do. In the do category, she put she lists the instructions on on how to do what what what the activity is. In In the put section, she she tells us what to put it where to put it, like to turn it in or to put it in our desks, something like that. And after the assignment is done after the In the then not In the then category, the then she lists what to do after the assignment is done. It helps me so I know what to do and don't have to ask my teacher. [clears throat] >> Kindergarten teacher Cassie Sutherland reacted on the impact or reflected on the impact that Catalyst has had in her classroom and her instruction. She states the Catalyst approach, there we go. The Catalyst approach has impacted my instruction by teaching me ways to set up success. I use my to-do list during every lesson. My list provides a concrete format for me to give my students directions and tell them exactly what is expected for them to do. Students can reference the to-do list while they are working independently. When I use these skills, it allows me to save my energy and continue to feel calm and confident as a teacher. >> And finally, the support success skills are designed to strengthen the conditions that allow students to thrive academically and behaviorally, not by controlling students, but by shaping the environment and the adult actions around them. These skills increase student ownership, strengthen classroom culture, increase equity, and improve student academic focus. Building on those successes we've seen in the classroom, this year we expanded Catalyst implementation into the other areas of our school, including our hallways, the playground, >> [clears throat] >> and our cafe. Nancy Burns, the catalyst, and the catalyst team provided targeted training for our educational assistants who supervise recess and lunch, ensuring consistency in expectations and strategies across these spaces spaces. This has created a highly efficient and much calmer cafe for everyone. Alex York, who is a veteran EA, was very skeptical when she first engaged in learning and applying the catalyst skills in our lunch room. Here, she shares her experience. >> I've been here 20 years and this is the first time we've tried anything like this. Honestly, I didn't think it would work, but I was assured by the trainer that it would, especially if you were consistent. So, I tried it and after the first week, I couldn't believe that it really did work. It helps with not repeating myself and I love showing the visuals to the students. Makes things easier for everybody and after a while, the students knew what was required of them. Having a home base in the cafe allows me a spot to stand and see my tables and then if the students need me, they know exactly where to find me and it works out because I stay calm, the kids stay calm, and it's a win-win for everyone. >> As she stated, after learning and implementing these skills, she is a believer and was certified by the catalyst team in the cafe and the front office, meaning she implements each skill consistently 90% of the time. There you are, Jan. >> [laughter] >> I will find you. And our final teacher testimony comes from Matt Caesar, who is in his second year as a Wave teacher at Neal. I'm excited that he joins us tonight to share the impact that Catalyst has had on him and his students. >> Well, good evening. Eight [clears throat] years ago, I was working at a job that basically I didn't like. Uh for [snorts] most days, I spent in front of a computer looking at spreadsheets and databases, except for 30 minutes each day when three second graders would come into my office to get help with their math homework. We would work on some math problems, we'd tell some stories about our days, and we'd eat jelly beans. After [laughter] I left that job, I was unsure of what I wanted to do for a career, but I decided to apply for my substitute teaching license because I kept thinking about those second graders and how much I enjoyed working with them. The week after I got my license, I immediately jumped into teaching. I took jobs at all levels, but found that I really enjoyed working with the elementary schools. I won't say it was easy, and in many ways, I had no idea what I was doing. But what I did know is that I may have finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up. Along the way, I met a teacher who introduced me to what was then called Envoy and would later become Catalyst. I literally had a 10-minute crash course in the core skills. She demonstrated them for me, and I was amazed at how this teacher, like magic, could almost immediately control a classroom. I knew then that I wanted to teach elementary school, and I had to learn this teacher's magic. And that magic was the Catalyst approach. And I took advantage of every training opportunity I could. Some of the skills came easy to me. I've been told that I'm patient and soft-spoken. And as I learned more about the system, I felt natural and it sent meant and made sense. Even things that didn't that I'd done already done naturally. Others seemed counterintuitive, but I stuck with them, and I've seen the positive impact they've had on the students. I took a position as a building sub, traveling between different elementary schools, working with many different staff, and continuing to learn. It came as somewhat of a surprise to me when Jen Smith, the then principal at Neil, called me over the summer and asked if I would be her building sub and art teacher. I knew Jen and Latta were implementing Catalyst, and I was excited for the opportunity. During that year, when I wasn't teaching art, I spent time in general ed classes, as well as WAVE and RISE classrooms, watching and learning from teachers who were implementing the Catalyst skills. I participated in all the district and building trainings, and was finally feeling like I had a clue about what I was doing. The next year, I did my student teaching while covering for a teacher on maternity leave. When she decided to stay home with her newborn, I was offered to stay with the class for the remainder of the year. Between my student teaching observations, my probationary observations and Catalyst, I was observed over 20 times that year. But But I didn't mind, because being observed forced me to implement the skills. And by implementing the skills, I learned how they worked. When that year ended, I was once again contacted by Jen Smith, this time to teach WAVE a WAVE class at Neil. I have to admit I was a little nervous, but my experience with Catalyst have and having spent time in WAVE, and with the encouragement of Jen, I took the job. >> [clears throat] >> My Catalyst skills have been invaluable. They've helped me to stay calm and in control, even when my room around me seemed to be in complete chaos. That calm control has helped my students, too. We've established routines and structure, and have improved the learning environment for all my students. Now in my second full year of teaching special ed, I know this is where I belong. Not just in the classroom, but working with the amazing staff and students in this district. I felt supported and encouraged by so many, and Catalyst has made all the difference for me. Being able to stay regulated myself in a classroom full of dysregulated students has made teaching less stressful for me and for them. I look forward to being fully Catalyst certified by the end of the school year. >> Our strategic plan guides our work of continuous improvement. In theme B, student engagement and wellness, we collectively identified the desire to improve student and staff connection. I have had the privilege of serving in three elementary and two middle schools in Robbinsdale, but it was at Neill that I had the opportunity for training and implementation of Catalyst. You've heard in the testimony today the positive impact it has had on the relationships between students and staff, and I ask for your continued support to increase the number of staff trained in the Catalyst framework to expand to all K through 8 sites. In closing, we have one final group of students, Hasnat Kazemi and Josie Loose Peterson and Giana Ruiz Nunez, who share how Catalyst has affected their learning. >> Okay, you are fourth graders here at Neill. You have been here since you were in kindergarten. How has Catalyst affected your learning? >> Um [snorts] since my teacher puts up the to-do list, it's a smoother transition between activities, and I don't have to ask questions. >> One thing my teacher does to get attention is then wait. >> Oh, yeah. And my teacher um does this. >> Oh, and my third grade teacher, Ms. McCusker, used to do this waterfall, and everyone would say, >> [snorts] >> And we just switched our lunch to having lunch before recess. It's much more smooth, less transition, and more calm. >> We want to thank Nancy Burns and the Catalyst team for their training, guidance, patience, and encouragement through our journey thus far. And we are grateful to the district for supporting this program as it is truly transformed our school community. And we look forward to what the future holds as we only become stronger in our implementation. >> Thank you. Very interesting to hear and great to hear.