Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s first surgeon general, delivers the keynote address during the California Multi-Tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Institute on July 14 in Anaheim. Burke Harris spoke about the role of nurturing relationships and coordinated systems in supporting children’s health, resilience and learning. 
California MTSS Executive Director Jami Parsons, left, and Rindy DeVoll of the Butte County Office of Education welcome attendees during the opening session of the California Multi-Tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Institute in Anaheim. 
Educator and leadership coach Jimmy Casas presents during the California Multi-Tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Institute in Anaheim. Casas shared strategies for strengthening school culture through relationships, trust and intentional leadership. 
Author, educator and futurist Brad Waid speaks during the California Multi-Tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Institute in Anaheim. Waid explored innovation, artificial intelligence and the future of learning. 
Attendees pose with illuminated MTSS letters during the California Multi-Tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Institute in Anaheim, where more than 2,300 educators and education professionals gathered July 14-16 to share strategies for building stronger systems of support for students.
Quick look: Educators, administrators and education professionals gathered last week for the California MTSS Professional Learning Institute in Anaheim, where keynote speaker Dr. Nadine Burke Harris encouraged attendees to recognize the transformative power of supportive relationships in helping students overcome adversity.
More than 2,300 educators, administrators and education professionals — including guests from the Cayman Islands and Japan — gathered in Anaheim for the California Multi-Tiered System of Supports Professional Learning Institute, held July 14-16. The three-day conference focused on strengthening systems that help every student succeed.
Hosted by the Orange County Department of Education in partnership with the Butte County Office of Education, the annual institute brought together educators from across California and beyond to explore practical strategies for implementing a multi-tiered system of supports, or MTSS, in schools and districts. This year’s theme, “From Innovation to Transformation: Empowering Every Learning,” emphasized turning promising ideas into sustainable practices that improve outcomes for students.
Relationships that heal
Opening the conference Monday, keynote speaker Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s former surgeon general, challenged attendees to rethink how childhood adversity affects learning and development while recognizing the critical role schools play in helping students heal and thrive.
Drawing from decades of research on adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, Burke Harris explained that chronic stress can affect children’s ability to learn, regulate emotions and maintain good health. But she also emphasized that those outcomes are not inevitable.
“Educators deliver daily doses of nurturing relationships that are an antidote to toxic stress,” Burke Harris said.
She described supportive relationships, quality sleep, physical activity, mindfulness and access to mental health care as evidence-based interventions that help regulate children’s stress responses and build resilience.
Building systems that support students
Rather than relying on isolated programs, Burke Harris encouraged educators to think about the systems that surround students every day.
“Infrastructure is love at scale,” she said, explaining that policies, school culture and coordinated support systems can make caring relationships and early intervention available to every child who needs them.
She noted that California’s statewide investment in ACEs screening and trauma-informed care has expanded access to services for children and families while reinforcing the importance of collaboration among healthcare providers, schools and community organizations.
Earlier in the opening session, Dr. Jami Parsons, OCDE’s executive director of Educational Services, reflected on the conference’s growth and the collaborative work that has shaped MTSS implementation over the past decade.
“Innovation inspires new thinking,” Parsons said. “But transformation happens when we work together to turn great ideas into sustainable practices that improve the lives of students.”
Throughout the institute, attendees participated in hundreds of learning opportunities covering topics such as artificial intelligence, mental health, restorative practices, inclusive instruction, family engagement, attendance, literacy, multilingual learner supports and system leadership — all designed to help schools build stronger, more equitable supports for students.
The institute concludes today after three days of keynote presentations, breakout sessions, an executive leadership strand and an Innovation Lab designed to equip participants with practical strategies they can implement in their own schools and districts.
In addition to Burke Harris’s keynote on resilience and childhood adversity, attendees also heard from educator and leadership coach Jimmy Casas, who focused on strengthening school culture through relationships and trust, and author, educator and futurist Brad Waid, who explored innovation, artificial intelligence and the future of learning.
The California MTSS Professional Learning Institute will return next summer at the Anaheim Convention Center. Learn more about the California MTSS framework and future professional learning opportunities by visiting the California MTSS Professional Learning Institute website.