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Rethinking Student Mental Health Support: The Power of Dual-Factor Screening
Thursday, October 9, 2025 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
Presented by Dr. Evelyn Johnson, Vice President of Research, Riverside Insights; and Jennifer Robitaille, Director of Research and Development, Riverside Insights
Sponsored by The DESSA: A Riverside Insights Solution
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Student mental health concerns and behavioral challenges are on the rise, disrupting learning and well-being in schools. How can districts proactively address these issues? By adopting a risk and resilience framework!
Students who have well-developed resilience factors are better positioned to navigate challenges and to mitigate and respond to risk factors. In this edWebinar, Dr. Evelyn Johnson and DESSA co-author Jennifer Robitaille walk viewers through:
- What a resilience framework looks like
- Why a risk and resilience framework is best for promoting student well-being
- How to develop student resilience factors with data-driven instruction and interventions, foundational classroom practices, and screening and assessment tools to help students gain skills associated with improved wellness and academic success
Viewers walk away with sample classroom strategies and practices that are perfect for building students’ resilience skills and promoting student voice at the beginning of the school year. This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-12 school leaders and district leaders.
About the Presenters
Dr. Evelyn Johnson serves as the Vice President of Research and Development at Riverside Insights. For over 25 years, Dr. Johnson has conducted research on a variety of education issues including Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS), screening and progress monitoring, self-regulated learning, and teacher observation systems. Her research has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Institute of Health, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and private foundations including the Kellogg Foundation and the Murdock Charitable Trust.
Dr. Johnson has authored/co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, three books, and several book chapters; served as a field editor for the journal Exceptional Children, and as the associate editor for the journal Assessment for Effective Intervention; and has developed national technical assistance guidance for the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and OSEP to support state education agencies with MTSS implementation.
Jennifer L. Robitaille, M.S., is a Director of Research and Development for Riverside Insights. She earned her B.A. in psychology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and her master’s degree in research psychology from Villanova University. For the past decade, Jennifer has focused her work on strength-based approaches to the measurement and promotion of social and emotional competence and resilience in children, youth, and the adults who care for them. She has provided consultation, professional development, and evaluation services to early care and education, school, and out-of-school-time settings using the strength-based assessment suite including the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers and the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) for grades K–12.
Jennifer is an author of the Educator Social-Emotional Reflection and Training (EdSERT) program, a professional development program focused on enhancing educators’ knowledge and effective use of social and emotional learning teaching practices. Her primary research interests focus on the measurement of social and emotional competence and resilience in children and youth, the promotion of educator well-being and social and emotional teaching practices, and program implementation.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Join the Mental Health and Wellness community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
The DESSA System is a comprehensive, evidence-based tool that helps schools understand and support the social, emotional, and behavioral skills students need to thrive. With clear, actionable data, educators can identify strengths and needs that impact attendance, engagement, and academic growth.
Beyond assessment, the DESSA provides a full library of Strategies and Interventions aligned to MTSS. These practical lessons empower teachers to build positive learning environments and help students strengthen skills like self-awareness, self-management, decision making, relationship skills, social awareness, and optimistic thinking. The DESSA gives schools the insight and resources they need to foster healthier, more successful students.
