Tensions are high in schools across the U.S. The pressure to cover curricula and meet testing benchmarks has pushed many to prioritize efficiency over care. That tradeoff leaves little space for meaningful student support, and when behavioral challenges arise, the default response is often removal—detention, suspension, or expulsion—rather than addressing root causes. As a result, 28% of suspended students are suspended again, showing that punishment doesn’t lead to rehabilitation
At the same time, teachers are burning out. Despite understanding students’ needs most deeply, they’re given little power or resources to shape their environments driving many out of the profession altogether. In 2023, 45% of U.S. K–12 public schools reported being understaffed, placing even more strain on the system.
What if schools prioritized belonging over punishment and efficiency—giving students and teachers the support they need to succeed? In collaboration with the Garland Independent School District and a Dallas-based education nonprofit, we co-created School Culture Champions—an adaptable toolkit designed to build trust, care, and accountability across the entire school ecosystem.
Putting educators and students at the center of culture change
Teachers and students are at the heart of schools, but they rarely have a say in shaping them. We set out to change that.
Across five schools, we engaged more than 30 students, teachers, and administrators to better understand their daily challenges and opportunities for connection. Again and again, we met staff who were already finding creative ways to strengthen connection—but without the structural support to sustain or scale their efforts.
On our first day, we met Mr. Parker, a teacher who played congas between class periods to help students transition and refocus. His simple routine echoed what we heard throughout the research: small, intentional shifts can have a big impact.
Inspired by these everyday acts of care, we began working with educators to co-design tools that could make connection a consistent part of the school day, not just something left to chance. Led by their ideas, energy, and expertise, that collaboration led to School Culture Champions.
Low lift, high impact interventions
School Culture Champions leverages educator expertise to introduce simple ways to weave connection into the school day—pauses for check-ins, space to process challenges, and tools that support meaningful relationships. Designed to work in concert across the school system, the tools strengthen bonds between students and teachers, among educators, and with families and community members. Grounded in relationship-building, adaptability, and shared ownership, they create daily opportunities for everyone to feel seen and valued.
Among the first tools tested was the Mood Meter, an easy system for checking in emotionally at the start of class, fostering an environment of openness and support. Culture Cards followed, designed to spark meaningful conversations and help classrooms reset after high-stress moments. Recognizing that those leading classrooms also needed support, dedicated recharge spaces were introduced—giving staff a place to decompress, process, and take a moment for themselves so they could continue to care for others
From classroom rituals to districtwide shifts
The initial pilot was a resounding success, and as enthusiasm grew, so did its reach. School Culture Champions expanded to four schools, with over 60 educators actively testing these tools with students each week. In its first year of use, exclusionary discipline (in-school and out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and alternative placements) dropped by 36%, and teachers reported a shift towards more supportive and engaged classrooms. What began as small shifts in a handful of classrooms is now informing a districtwide approach to school culture—one rooted in care, trust, and connection.
