The Role of ESSDACK in Resilience with Dr. Chad Higgins

. Welcome to the Resilient Schools Podcast.

We're here at the Bridging to
Resilience Conference that's

put on by SDAC and we have Dr.

Chad Higgins, who's the
Executive Director of SDAC here.

Chad, thanks so much for joining us.

Tell us a little bit about
SDAC and what you guys do.

and what you guys do.

Our Educational Service
Center is 105 in Kansas.

We are celebrating 40 years.

This year from origination and this is
just my second year, but as a former

school superintendent, not my last
job, but the one before that I had we

were members of SDAC and participated
in several different things we used.

The resources we provide are pretty broad.

We run a health insurance
consortium for member districts.

I didn't know that either.

We run

a 403B, a TSA consortium.

We partner with a
financial planning company.

And we do title fund consortium work.

We have a inspired leadership team
that does coaching and culture audits

And then we have a
professional learning team.

So we have instructional coaches
and curriculum alignment specialists

and assessment and data and
all of those kinds of things.

And then of course, specific
to this conference is the

resilience team that we have.

And they do brain science and trauma
informed work all over the country.

. So this is really just one part
of all that you guys provide.

Yes.

But it's a pretty significant part.

Three days for a conference.

That's a lot of time.

Why is this such important work?

I think there's probably no
other more important work.

I think we have got to, we've
gotta get to the root of the

challenges, the crisis going on in
schools and communities and homes.

And we've gotta start impacting change
at all of those levels, helping people

understand, sources long term effects on
individuals and on communities, schools

and it doesn't have to be this way.

That's the, I think the part that
we pull our hair out about is we,

it's not that we're trying to, this
business in resilience and trauma

informed is not a, no money in it.

We're not trying to generate business
and we're not the only ones doing it,

obviously, but we just have tremendously
committed, passionate people that

just trying to get the snowball
rolling down the hill and then really

picking up speed and momentum and...

So,

what do you see as the potential
growth areas for you here?

What do you feel like you need to do
better or next in regards to resilience

and trauma informed practices?

We added another team member this
last year, somebody I had worked

with before who we had built

in that district.

This person was the resident expert
on trauma and resilience and care and

strategies and he worked with teachers
and counselors and administrators and he

could bounce around and he'd work with
kids and he would model and we're growing

that and you know using while we have him
his expertise and train some continue to

expand the training of our current staff
and hopefully potentially add some more

but what Eric has been able to do Without
experiences that get out into districts,

our member districts have a lot of smaller
schools that can't have, full time, folks.

And so

we're working

specifically with that team, but then
other teams as well to get more ingrained

in those schools where they need the
help the most and, student behavior

and crisis and attendance and is at
the top of the list for most schools.

And we can get in and spend some
time and train those teachers

and then again, that's the same.

The analogy with the snowball is they get
used to that and they get, they recognize

how a small investment of time and
resources can make such a huge difference.

They'll continue to do that work and
then they can, put all of their other

energy and resources into the things
that will just continue to help them

support students in their communities.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think that's well said.

When you think about the efforts that
go into doing this kind of training, and

really this kind of work, if key people
leave, Eric left his district and now

works for you, how do you make sure that
the vacuum is filled when pe when key

people leave in districts or in SDAC?

Yeah, that's well said.

I think you continue to, you make that
assumption, first of all that it's,

nothing's permanent that's the model
is we can't be everywhere either those

schools can't hire full time people to
do the work, so if we can help train,

help transfer that knowledge and that
experience and that understanding

of the science and the responsivity.

Then, I hate to keep using the same
analogy, but that's the snowball.

And as far as, whenever, and again,
Eric's not, with Rebecca and Carmen

and Katie and so forth, it's such
a strong team and Ginger that

Ideally, we just keep growing, and,
Eric's experience is different than

the others experience, but they're
also very used to being in schools and

working with kids and teachers he just
has, again, I think this diversity of

experience and styles and strategies, and
we just keep growing on that until you

have a complete team, and then you just
recognize when there's some turnover,

you figure out how to fill it out.

Yeah, so what's good about a conference
like this is that you have an opportunity

to see people coming up through the
system and their experiences, what they're

learning, what they take away, how they
implement it, all that kind of stuff.

In fact, one of the people that I
interviewed a few minutes ago is named

Sarah Reed, and she's only in her
second year teaching, but was home

with her own kids for a long time and
then came into teaching a little bit

later in life, and you could see that
this is impacting her in a way that's

This is going to be with her for a long
time, like sometimes you learn things.

You're like, Oh, that was good.

All right, I'll go back to
what I was doing for her.

This is going to make some changes.

And so this gives you an opportunity to
see who's out there and what they're doing

and to see how they grow and develop.

Yeah.

I'll switch analogies and talk
about the, a spark and a grass fire.

I think that's what we hope happens
from these kinds of experiences.

After I spoke earlier this morning,
I had a couple of young teachers

come and visit with me and.

They're passionate about this work and
trying to figure out how to create this

change and there's either resistance
in some cases or just a yeah we agree

with you and we support this but then
there's not a whole lot of movement and

so I think it's empowering folks and
they recognize that it might be more

comfortable for them to find a place
that's more in line with their beliefs

but

they can't do that They want to be
where they're at and they want to

create the change there and so that's
what gets exciting is when you can

generate some initiative for change
and build a little courage with some

knowledge and with a community like
this that there's a lot of hope I think.

yeah, for sure.

It's definitely something that
I'm seeing a lot of, from a lot of

different people, that there's hope.

And that's one of the questions that
I've been asking in what's your hope

for the future in these interviews.

So what's your hope for the future, Chad?

I'm very optimistic.

I think there's a message this morning.

This our young people are amazing.

I think they're so much more
global than we were and recognize

that their thoughts, opinions,
experiences aren't everybody else's.

Like I grew up that way.

Didn't understand why.

Not everybody agreed with me,

Yeah.

and so they're going to figure it out
sooner than we did, sooner than I did,

if they haven't already figured it out.

And I think they care for each other more.

I know we talk a lot, or we hear
a lot about bullying, and I would

contend that it's not nearly as
significant as it used to be.

Now, social media is creates a
challenge, but I think you also see,

I'm excited to see kids come out to
support each other and encourage each

other and it creates community as well.

I'm not anti social media or, globalism,
but but try to harness that energy.

So I'm incredibly excited that,
we just have to keep fighting.

And fighting's not the right word.

We, just keep grinding away
and changing hearts and minds.

I shared this morning that
I'm a perfect example of that.

I've come a long ways from where I
used to be to, to where I want to go.

Yeah, absolutely.

I certainly have too.

And that's something that being able
to do these kind of interviews and

talk to people and hear their stories
up close makes it really powerful

for me to be able to see the changes,
see changes in myself and how I'm

growing and developing as well.

Chad, any final words before we wrap up?

Anything you feel needs to be said?

I don't think so.

I, this is only my second year
and to be a part of it a little

more actively was very rewarding.

I think it's going to help me grow into
a different community than I've been, I'm

in school leadership for so long and a
little reluctant, honestly, to jump into

this stuff just because it's so out of my,

Skill set and knowledge set.

And there it's Such a cool crowd.

They are just the salt of the earth.

Incredible human beings who are
selfless and service oriented.

So I'm already looking forward to next

Yeah, me too.

This has been awesome.

This is my first time coming here.

I've known Ginger for at least
a decade at this point and and

been connected in different ways.

So this is really awesome.

And I'm grateful for the opportunity
to be able to interview people here.

And this has been really cool.

So thank you for that.

And thanks for coming on the show.

Appreciate it.

thank you.

This episode was edited by Max Cooper
as part of the Davis Catalyst Center.