State Sen. Sal DiDomenico opened MPY’s annual attendance summit with an address on legislative efforts to support education in Massachusetts. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
DANVERS — Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) welcomed more than 700 educators, in-person and virtually, to its annual attendance summit on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to explore how schools can address challenging behavior and help students succeed in the classroom.
The hybrid conference, “School Attendance: Teaching Skills to Reduce Challenging Behavior,” was held at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical High School. Presenters discussed how stress and difficulty managing emotions can affect students’ behavior and learning. Sessions offered approaches educators can use to help students build those skills and work more closely with staff and families.
State Senator Sal DiDomenico opened the conference with an address on legislative efforts to support education in Massachusetts. Everett Superintendent Bill Hart introduced DiDomenico and praised his work on behalf of students, families and schools.
Stuart Ablon, Ph.D., founder and director of Think:Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, introduced the core principles of Collaborative Problem Solving. The approach focuses on understanding the skills students need to meet expectations and working with them to address problems.
Ablon also announced that Think:Kids and MPY will partner on a webinar series beginning in January 2027. Details will be available at mpyinc.org.
Anna Precht, Psy.D., of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry, followed with “From Reactivity to Collaboration: Skills for Supporting Staff and Families.” She shared ways educators can strengthen relationships with families and help students communicate with trusted adults during stressful situations. Her presentation addressed how those relationships can help students manage anxiety and regulate their emotions.
Elise W. Wulff, M.Ed., senior manager at MGH Aspire, presented “Stress, Self-Awareness, and School Success: Teaching Students the Biology of Stress and Building Collaborative Regulation Strategies.” Wulff examined the causes of challenging behavior and ways educators can help students understand their stress responses, manage their reactions and participate more fully in learning.
“The conference helped solidify my belief in Self-Determination Theory and the necessity to consider autonomy in addressing behavior,” said Paul Bonfiglio, student culture leader at Wayland High School. “I need to be able to move a student across the organismic spectrum, and now I feel I’m more skilled to do that.”
For more information about the upcoming conference or other professional development opportunities, contact MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. MPY programming reaches nearly 6,000 educators per year in Massachusetts, spread across approximately 300 districts, with more than 190 webinars and over a dozen conferences and seminars.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com.
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Everett Superintendent Bill Hart introduced State Sen. Sal DiDomenico at MPY’s annual attendance summit and praised his work on behalf of students, families and schools. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
Stuart Ablon, Ph.D., founder and director of Think:Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, speaks at MPY’s annual attendance summit. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
Elise W. Wulff, M.Ed., senior manager at MGH Aspire, presented “Stress, Self-Awareness, and School Success: Teaching Students the Biology of Stress and Building Collaborative Regulation Strategies” at MPY’s annual attendance summit. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
From left, State Sen. Sal DiDomenico, MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels and Everett Superintendent Bill Hart. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
