15-Minute Focus: Making MTSS Work

15-Minute Focusicon

by Heather Bushelman

Publisher
National Center for Youth Issues
Publication
Oct 01, 2026
Format
Paperback/Softback
Illustrated
No
Price
$16.95
Dimensions
5.5 x 8.5 x 0.25 in
ISBN
978-1965066454
ASIN
1965066453
Pages
112
Age
Adult 18+
Category
PsychologyTeacher Resources

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🌍 World Wide Rights Available

Description

A Practical Roadmap for Implementing MTSS Across Your Entire School

Does your school have an MTSS system, or just a lot of meetings about one?

In 15-Minute Focus: Making MTSS Work, Heather Bushelman gives educators, counselors, and administrators the clarity, practical tools, and step-by-step guidance to build a behavioral and social-emotional support system that every staff member can understand, own, and sustain.

When MTSS gets introduced in a school, it rarely comes with a roadmap. Teams get formed, calendars fill up, paperwork multiplies, and somehow the school counselor ends up responsible for all of it. Meanwhile, students who need support keep falling through the cracks. The problem is not dedication. It is that no one is clear on who owns what, what the data is actually telling them, or how to make the pieces work together. This book cuts through the noise and shows you exactly how to build a system that works, and how to keep it working long after the people who built it have moved on.

You'll discover:

  • Why MTSS SEB is not one more thing, but a smarter way to connect what your school is already doing

  • How to align PBIS, SEL, Attendance, and Mental Health into one cohesive system instead of four competing initiatives

  • The distinct roles of educators, counselors, and administrators at every tier, and why clarity on those roles changes everything

  • How to use data at Tiers 1, 2, and 3 to make confident, student-centered decisions rather than guesses

  • A practical intervention matching process that takes the guesswork out of what to do next, and why behavior charts and candy rewards are never the answer

  • How to build a Tier 3 BIP that teaches rather than punishes, and how to know when a student needs it before the six-week window closes

  • How to engage families and community partners as genuine collaborators at every tier, not just in a crisis

  • Actionable tools, templates, downloadable resources, and more!

15-Minute Focus: Making MTSS Work will ask you to look honestly at how your school is currently supporting students, and whether the system you have is actually working for every adult who is supposed to carry it. When roles are clear, data drives decisions, ownership is shared, and the why behind behavior is always the first question asked, the right support reaches every student.

Author(s)

Heather Bushelman

Heather Bushelman

Heather Bushelman has worked in education for over two decades, including thirteen years as a school counselor. She currently serves as the District MTSS Coordinator for Boone County Schools, the third largest district in Kentucky, and previously served as the Kentucky Department of Education’s Coordinator for Comprehensive School Counseling. She has held various leadership roles within the Kentucky School Counselor Association, including President, advocating for school counseling at the state and national level. In 2022, she was named Kentucky School Counselor of the Year.

Heather has presented nationally at conferences in Georgia, Nevada, Florida, California, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas on topics including MTSS implementation at the school and district level, SEL within MTSS, trauma-informed practices, building comprehensive school counseling programs, and college and career readiness. Heather has also been published by the American School Counselor Association’s magazine and online newsletter.

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