This panel discussion echoes the findings of recent EducationWeek Research Center surveys.  Supporting teachers requires more vigilance and a more personalized approach this school year. Our panel explores three options gaining support in school districts.

Follow our PLN on Twitter: @hohrein_jean @jon_wennstrom @brandihalverson @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Jean Hohrein is entering her 29th year in education and has been in her current district for 27 years, 22 of which had been at the high school level as a special education teacher. This coming school year, Jean will be returning to her roots at the elementary level as a special education teacher.


Jon Wennstrom is the principal of Riley Upper Elementary in Livonia Public Schools, Livonia, Michigan. This is his 28th year in education, mainly in the role of building principal. He is the past president of the Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association (MEMSPA) and is currently the Zone 6 Director for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).


Brandi Halverson is a mental health professional currently working as a School Counselor. She has 25 years of experience in education ranging from elementary to high school students. Ms. Halverson obtained her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health from San Houston State University. She plans to continue her career by pursuing her LPC and research in mental health studies.


Dr. James L. Floman is an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. He received his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, where he studied the effects of mindfulness and compassion meditation on teacher emotion regulation and prosocial behavior with Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. Dr. Floman has three core research streams: 1) The assessment of dynamic social-affective processes (i.e., developing and validating EI and well-being measurement tools); 2) EI, mindfulness, and well-being training (i.e., developing, optimizing, and scaling EI and well-being-enhancement interventions for real-world applications); and 3) Affective neuroscience (studying mental training-induced changes in ‘emotional brain’ function and structure).

Robert C. Schmidt, Ed.D, LCPC, NCC is a national speaker and consultant on building sustainable school mental health and suicide prevention programs centered on data collection, outcomes, quality of services, and student achievement. With interests embedded in research, Dr. Schmidt has published chapters in recognized books, including the award-winning book by Dr. Kathryn Seifert, How Children Become Violent (2006) and Youth Violence (2011). He has led studies on youth suicide and school mental health and was a contributor to Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Dr. Schmidt previously worked at Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus in Baltimore, Maryland, and provided coverage to the Johns Hopkins Psychiatric Children’s Center, Baltimore Adolescent Treatment Program, Outpatient Clinic, and 24-hour Baltimore Child & Adolescent Crisis.