Welcome to The Principal’s Handbook—your go-to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self-care. I’m Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Each week, we explore strategies to boost mental resilience, manage time effectively, and nurture your overall wellness.

From navigating daily challenges to building a healthier work-life balance, The Principal’s Handbook is here to support your leadership journey. Let’s reignite your passion for the job and put your well-being at the center of it all.

Barb:
Hey everyone, welcome to The Principal’s Handbook! I’m so excited to be here today with Dr. Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan and Dr. John Hannigan to talk about their new book, Behavior Academies: Targeted Interventions That Work. Welcome to the podcast!

Jessica & John:
Thanks for having us!

Barb:
Let’s start with introductions. Can you tell our listeners a little about your background in education?

John:
Sure! I started as a classroom teacher and loved it. I thought I’d do it for the next 30 years. Then one day, my principal tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I’d ever considered administration. That led me to become an instructional coach, then a vice principal, and eventually a school principal for ten years.

Jessica:
My path was a bit different. I initially planned to become a child psychiatrist and studied at UCLA. But after subbing for my mom, who’s a teacher, I completely fell in love with education. I decided to pursue school psychology so I could still follow my passion for behavior. I worked as a school psychologist, then became an administrator and eventually Director of Student Support Services at the district level, focusing on behavior.

Barb:
What sparked your passion for working specifically with student behavior?

John:
Initially, my focus was academic achievement. I was leading a school in an area with a high concentration of poverty, and we saw incredible growth by implementing RTI and working as a professional learning community. But we realized there was still a group of students we weren’t reaching—those struggling behaviorally.

We decided to apply the same principles and systems we used to boost academics to support behavior. That led to our first collaboration with Mike Mattos and Austin Buffum on Behavior Solutions. It laid the foundation for using RTI to support behavior systematically.

Jessica:
For me, I saw a significant disconnect between general ed and special ed—especially around behavior. Academics and behavior go hand in hand, and I wanted to bridge that gap. We need systems that support all kids, not just label some as the “behavior kids.” That’s what really ignited my passion.

Barb:
I love that. As a principal, I felt confident with instruction, but behavior was a challenge. I had classroom experience, but managing behavior across an entire building was a whole different ballgame.

Before we dive into your book, I have to share—I’ve used one of your earlier Behavior Academies at my school, and it was fantastic. Can you share what these academies are and why they’re such a powerful tool?

Jessica:
Absolutely. The first academy started over ten years ago when a group of boys got into a fight—during Bully Prevention Week, of all times. When I looked into their files, I saw repeated use of exclusionary practices. They clearly weren’t working. So I asked, “What else can I do?” That’s when we started brainstorming and building something new.

John:
These students lacked the skills they needed to succeed. Resorting to violence, for example, won’t help them now or in the future. The first academy focused on teaching those essential skills. Over time, we developed a range of targeted academies—like Hands-Off Academy, Upstander Academy, Emotional Regulation Academy—each one focused on specific behaviors and life skills.

Instead of using a “catch-all” like check-in/check-out for everything, we wanted to match the intervention to the need, just like we do in academics.

Jessica:
Right. Just like we’d screen and diagnose a student struggling in reading, we need to identify the behavioral skill gap and provide targeted instruction. The goal is to teach, model, and build habits—not just provide a one-time lesson.

Barb:
I appreciate that. We do PBIS and are strong with Tier 1 expectations, but many kids need those Tier 2 supports—and they need to be taught, not just disciplined.

Jessica:
Exactly. Kids today spend a lot of time on screens, and they don’t always come to school with those social skills. Kindergarteners putting their hands on others isn’t always aggression—it’s often just not knowing how to interact.

John:
That’s the beauty of these academies. We focus not only on behavioral correction but also on teaching pro-social, emotional, and academic behaviors. Every academy includes eight targeted life skills, with two replacement behaviors for each. The structure helps students build an internal toolkit they can rely on independently.

Jessica:
And that’s the key—we want students to own these skills. That’s why we use imagery and visualization, not just worksheets. Olympians and athletes have used this technique for years. It helps students rehearse scenarios mentally so when they encounter a trigger, they’ve already practiced how to respond.

Barb:
That makes so much sense. I often ask students to stop and think, but these strategies actually teach them how. How can principals implement this without adding overwhelm?

John:
We built these academies to be practical: 25 minutes or less, once or twice a week, for 6–8 weeks. That’s enough time to build a new habit. You don’t need a BCBA or advanced training. We provide cards with everything laid out—one skill per session, two replacement behaviors, ready to go.

Jessica:
And if you’re thinking, “Too many kids need this,” that’s actually a Tier 1 problem. When Tier 1 is strong, only about 4% of students need Tier 2 interventions. That’s 20 students in a school of 500—manageable.

The book also includes implementation tips, sample schedules for all grade levels, and a “Build Your Own Academy” section if you want to create something unique for your school, like a Choice Words Academy for students using inappropriate language.

Barb:
That’s amazing. I love that it’s flexible and practical. And I really appreciate that you provide everything—from the why to the how.

Any final thoughts?

John:
Just give it a try. Start small. Focus on the why, teach consistently, and celebrate when students graduate from the academy. Have them share what they’ve learned with others—it’s powerful.

Jessica:
Yes, and use it with your own kids too! These skills aren’t just for students. They’re for all of us. If someone is struggling, we can’t just tell them to calm down—we need to teach them how.

Barb:
Thank you both so much. This has been such a valuable conversation. I’m excited to use Behavior Academies in my own school. Where can people find you?

John:
You can find us at SolutionTree.com. That’s the best place to access our books, workshops, and information. We also lead two-day Behavior Solutions workshops where we dive deep into systems and now include the academies too.

Jessica:
We also have a Facebook group: Equity in School Discipline – Hannigan Group. It’s a great place to connect, share ideas, and grow with other educators.

Barb:
Perfect. I’ll link everything in the show notes. Thanks again, and thank you all for listening to this episode of The Principal’s Handbook!