Apr 27, 2026
Learning gaps remain a persistent challenge for K-12 schools, especially when student data lives across disconnected systems and intervention progress is hard to track.
In this recorded SmartBrief webinar, Dr. Sandy Husk, Sandy Qualls, and Kendell Hunter discuss practical ways to identify student needs earlier and match students with targeted academic support that can be monitored over time.
Watch the recording to hear strategies for strengthening MTSS, using actionable data to guide intervention decisions, and helping teams turn plans into consistent follow-through.
Three Big Ideas for Strengthening Student Interventions
MTSS helps teams move from scattered support to aligned action
A strong MTSS framework gives teams a shared process for understanding student needs across academics, behavior, attendance, and engagement. When teams work from the same information and ask the same core questions, interventions become more coordinated, and students are less likely to receive disconnected support from different sources.
“The students who need the most support rarely fit into one category. They have a variety of needs. And if we're all responding separately, the student ends up with a patchwork of support instead of one coherent plan. That's really where these interventions can become ineffective and just ultimately disconnected from the students. MTSS should force your team to slow down and ask the right questions together.”
Kendell Hunter
Director of Marketing
,
Otus
Data is most useful when it points teams toward the next step
Data should help educators understand students more fully, not simply label them as behind. When teams can see patterns, ask why a gap exists, and identify what a student needs, data becomes a tool for early action rather than delayed response. That helps teams move from “Which student needs support?” to “What support will help this student move forward?”
“My son got sick when he was ten. So we took him to the doctor, and he was given a diagnosis. But I'll tell you what he was not given. He was not given penicillin because he didn't need penicillin. He was diagnosed as type one diabetic. He needed insulin. But the thing is, they had to run enough diagnostic assessments on my son, and they had to get close enough to my son to really evaluate him and figure out his needs, and then anticipate his needs for the right dosage of insulin. And that really and truly is what we're being asked to do for students.”
Sandy Qualls
National Literacy Consultant
,
Lexia
Effective interventions need clear ownership and consistent follow-through
Evidence-based interventions only work when they are matched to a specific need, delivered consistently, and monitored over time. That requires teams to define who is responsible for each part of the process, from intervention delivery to progress monitoring to family communication. It also means making sure intervention support connects back to the classroom, so students can apply targeted skill-building within grade-level learning.
“It’s really important that the principals are empowered to take the information from the top of the organization and then design it around the culture and the professional development needed inside the school. And the empowerment with principals has got to be the same empowerment that you’re giving the teachers, the interventionists, the counselors, etcetera. I strongly believe that you have to set that culture up from the top of the organization.”
Dr. Sandy Husk
Former Interim CEO of ASCD
,
and Former Superintendent and CEO of AVID Center
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