Join our community of Secondary SEL Educators
We believe that every student deserves to feel seen, valued, and heard—and every educator deserves the support, tools, and the resources to make that happen without burning out and spending their personal time on research and planning.
Early in my career, admin asked me to create a build a student program from the ground up.
That wasn't a one-time thing, it became the soundtrack of my career, year after year. When tasked with launching a new Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program, the expectation was always the same: Build something impactful out of thin air. At this time, there was no internet to grab lesson plans, only scenarios in books that had nothing to do with our students' lives. The scenarios featured "Bobby the football star" and "Susie the head cheerleader." Meanwhile, our students didn't even have football team or a gym; they walked to the local park for PE class. These examples didn't resonate with them or address their lived experiences.
So, I started to create my own activities and lesson plans to meet the needs of our students.
In 2008, I officially founded Informed Decisions. What started as an effort to engage my students with interactive activities they could relate to, grew into a lifelong mission: developing Social-Emotional Learning and Advisory resources which were developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, through a truama-informed lens. They were grounded in research, pilot testing, and real classroom experience. Students were getting the supports that they needed, feeling seen, valued, and heard. Once I started training teachers on how to effectively facilitate SEL programs, I started to see a transformation within the schools: fewer classroom disruptions, more student engagement, higher attendance, and improved graduation rates.
Behind Informed Decisions is a dedicated team of educators, counselors, and staff passionate about lifting up secondary schools.We understand the overwhelming weight of long to-do lists, limited funding, and packed schedules. We aren't just selling lesson plans, we are a support system committed to helping teachers, counselors, and school leaders successfully guide youth in making informed decisions about their lives and futures.
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