2026 MSAA Summer Institute

How do we move from reactive discipline to proactive culture-building in our schools?
In this powerful and thought-provoking session, internationally recognized speaker Robert Hackenson Jr. explores how schools can prevent bullying, build stronger connections, and create climates where students feel safe, seen, and supported. Using a unique blend of storytelling, research, and real-world solutions, Robert breaks down what’s really driving student conflict – and what we can do about it.
Educators will:

• Unpack the rising challenge of students lacking key soft skills like effective communication, inclusivity, and conflict resolution.
• Discover how smartphone use and unclear policies can unintentionally erode school culture
• Learn practical, immediately usable strategies to foster respect, improve behavior, and promote unity

Robert also introduces an innovative tech solution: a customizable digital wellness hub designed to connect students, staff, and parents with essential school and local resources and supports – all in one accessible platform.
This is more than a presentation – it’s a call to action for schools ready to shift from reacting to incidents to intentionally creating cultures where everyone can thrive.

As school leaders, we have all had experiences that lead us to say, "well, that's one for the book!" In this session, we will have an opportunity to reflect on situations and case studies that test our responsiveness, resilience, and patience - while also giving some time to laugh at the things that we all deal with but maybe don't get a chance to talk about. Using a framework of "the genius is the room," participants will analyze some real-life experiences of school leaders and come up with some different ideas to put in the toolbox, even if they are never or infrequently used.

Explore how one school radically increased student choice in their elementary school by adding “Passion Project Fridays”. Learn about both the “head” (scheduling, student selection forms) and the “heart” of building staff buy-in, so you’ll know how you could similarly make a school-wide club program a huge success.


Objective(s): Participants will be able to: Identify key moves that this school team leveraged and how they can be applied in your school context and draft a plan for increasing STEM engagement through expanding choice across their school community