# Five Strategies to Strengthen Tiered Support Across Your District - Dr. Susanne Thompson

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-characterstrong-podcast-458738/five-strategies-to-strengthen-tiered-support-across-your-district-dr-susanne-thompson
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-characterstrong-podcast-458738/five-strategies-to-strengthen-tiered-support-across-your-district-dr-susanne-thompson.md
Podcast: [The CharacterStrong Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-characterstrong-podcast-458738)
Published: 2026-05-15T07:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://characterstrong.com
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/characterstrong/S8._Ep41_-_Dr._Susanne_Thompson_mixdown.mp3?dest-id=1088075
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Duration seconds: 1134

## Resource

Today our guest is Dr. Susanne Thompson, Vice President of Business Development at SESI (Specialized Education Services, Inc.). Dr. Thompson shares five practical strategies for superintendents and building leaders who want to build stronger, more responsive tiered support systems, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable students and celebrating progress along the way. She also explains how MTSS works best when it's treated as a district-wide priority, not a department, and why celebrating incremental progress is just as important as reaching mastery, especially for the most vulnerable students. In this conversation, Dr. Susanne Thompson offers important reminders for educators and leaders: MTSS should be owned across an entire school system, not siloed in special education or guidance, the right adult response needs to show up everywhere students are. Protecting time for teachers to actually use student data is one of the highest-leverage decisions a leader can make. Investing in educator skill and confidence is the most direct path to better student outcomes. Many teachers aren't unwilling, they're undertrained. Progress deserves celebration at every point on the scale, not just at the finish line. Movement matters, especially for your most vulnerable students. Learn More About CharacterStrong: Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Request a Quote Today! Learn more about CharacterStrong Implementation Support Visit the CharacterStrong Website About Dr. Thompson: Dr. Susanne H. Thompson serves as Vice President of Business Development at SESI, where she leads growth strategy, programs, services, and market expansion. She is deeply focused on strengthening partnerships and building new relationships that extend SESI's reach—helping more students in need truly shine.…

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## Transcript

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