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2022 Iowa BEST Summit

Join us in Des Moines, Iowa

October 10 -11, 2022

Iowa Events Center

730 3rd Street
Des Moines, IA 50309

CLOSED

Building statewide capacity to support mental wellness for our students and educators

Join more than 1,000 other education professionals, school mental health champions, and researchers from across the state for the 2022 Iowa BEST (Behavioral, Equitable, Social-Emotional, Trauma-Informed Health in Schools) Summit.

The Summit is your destination for practical solutions around school-based social-emotional-behavioral health. Come together to bolster mental health supports across our educational system, apply the latest research to address mental health holistically, develop innovative strategies to embed student and educator wellness into the learning environment, and strengthen system capacity for care.

This event is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education and the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health.

Who Should Attend?

PreK-12 teachers, school counselors, administrators, paraeducators, and school mental health providers
School district staff and leadership
Building leadership teams
Community partners including mental health providers, primary care physicians, Children’s Behavioral Health System Board members, and state medical association members

Policymakers
AEA personnel supporting social-emotional-behavioral health and accelerating learning
AEA personnel supporting specific subgroups (e.g., special education, preschool, English learners)
University faculty who support preservice educators

Why Should You Attend?

Take in the latest research, resources, and best practices to help activate and build mental wellness supports and capacity for your school, district, or region
Engage in deeper learning and knowledge sharing that leads to innovative solutions
Be a champion for school mental health systems change in your own school or community

Meet other colleagues and change-makers in the space
Learn and obtain CEUs (Participants can receive one Iowa Licensure Renewal Unit for attending the Summit and completing all readings and discussions)

JOIN US!

Can’t make it to this year’s summit? We have you covered!

Listen to our two keynote speakers live at 9 a.m. on both Oct. 10 and 11!

Click here for the full session schedule.

October 10, 2022

7:30 – 9 a.m. Check-In

9 – 10:15 a.m. KEYNOTE: Nurturing Resilience in Ourselves and in Our Students – Dr. Robert Brooks (Tune in to the livestream!)

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Session #1

11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch

1 – 2:15 p.m. Concurrent Session #2

2:15 – 2:30 p.m. Break

2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Concurrent Session #3

October 11, 2022

7:30 – 9 a.m. Check-In

9 – 9:15 a.m. Iowa School Mental Health Awards Presentation (Tune in to the livestream!)

9:15 – 10:15 a.m. KEYNOTE: Being the Best YOU: Building and Sustaining an Equitable Mindset – Dr. Erika McDowell (Tune in to the livestream!)

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Session #4

11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch

1 – 2:15 p.m. Concurrent Session #5

2:15 – 2:30 p.m. Break

2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Concurrent Session #6

#1 Educator Wellbeing

Teacher wellbeing addresses individual and system wellness to support the overall health of teachers, their learners, and the school community.

Outcomes: Educators will learn about the dimensions of wellness, how to strengthen these dimensions and how to transcend this knowledge and specific wellness practices that align with SEBH competencies into their classrooms with their students.

#2 Educational Leadership

This strand is focused on providing education leaders with opportunities to engage and collaborate to strengthen skills to support student and educator social and emotional wellness.

Outcomes: Leaders in Iowa schools need to establish a healthy climate and culture to support students and staff. The Summit will provide opportunities to enhance leaders skills to address social, emotional and behavioral issues in your school. Through increasing your knowledge and resources, along with strengthening the development of leadership teams to meet the current challenges.

#3 Schoolwide/Universal Practices

The purpose of this strand is to provide professionals with information on research-based Tier 1/Universal systems and practices to develop and sustain innovative strategies that create the foundations needed to meet the diverse SEBH needs of students and staff.

Outcomes: Participants leave with actionable strategies for increasing overall mental well-being at the schoolwide & universal levels. Participants will reflect and reframe universal systems and practices in ways to reduce stigma and meet the greater needs of students experiencing periods of mental illness.

#4 Interventions (Tier 2 and Tier 3)

The purpose of this strand is to provide professionals with information on research-based Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, assessment, and comprehensive service provision for addressing SEBH needs in schools.

Outcomes: Attendees will gain content knowledge on the comprehensive Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention process. Moving beyond typical classroom strategies, attendees will learn how professionals are designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to provide comprehensive, collaborative SEBH services.

Coming soon.

The 2022 Iowa School Mental Health Awards will honor individuals who have made significant contributions to cultivating a positive mental health culture within an Iowa PreK-12 school, district, college/university, or community organization. Three awards will be presented at the 2022 Iowa BEST Summit:

Iowa School Mental Health Hero

This award honors a practitioner, researcher, educator, or community partner for their defining contribution to school mental health in Iowa. This individual has demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to expanding, promoting, and strengthening mental health and wellness supports within their school, district, institution, or organization resulting in positive outcomes.

School Wellness Warrior Award

To have thriving students, we must first have thriving educators. The School Wellness Warrior Award recognizes an individual for their outstanding efforts around school employee wellness. The recipient of this award has been instrumental in furthering a school, district, or institution’s employee wellness initiatives; helping teachers, faculty, or staff reach a heightened level of well-being (e.g., physical, mental, spiritual, behavioral). A Wellness Warrior’s spirit is contagious, spreading adoption of and engagement in a healthier work and learning environment.

Mental Health Influencer of the Year Student Award

This award tributes a visionary youth leader who lends their voice and talents to advancing mental health awareness and initiatives. This student’s efforts have influenced decision-makers or policymakers to expand mental health supports within their school, district, region, or state. To qualify for this award, nominees must be enrolled in one of Iowa’s PreK-12 schools during the 2021-22 school year.

Nominate

Coming soon.

Participants can receive one Iowa Licensure Renewal Unit (ILRU) for attending the Summit and completing all readings and discussions via the online course platform through the Baker Teacher Leader Center. To receive ILRU credit:

1) Register for the 2022 Iowa BEST Summit.

2) Complete this additional registration and click “Enroll”.

Course Requirements: Attend both days of the Summit and engage with the learning materials (complete readings and discussions) via the online course platform through the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health and the Baker Teacher Leader Center. You will need to attend a presentation or workshop for each session of the Summit. Along with each session, you will be asked to share what you learned and how you will apply this learning to your practice. There will also be 2-3 brief surveys related to the quality of the education you receive.

Course Materials: All course material will be provided via the online course platform you will access after you register for the conference and the course. You will receive an email (sent to the address you used to register for the credit) inviting you to the online course platform.

If you have questions about registration, please contact Mariana Colombo at mariana-colombo@uiowa.edu.