Irvine USD and Schoolbeat Shared How Low Lift SEL BuiltTeacher Buy In at ACSA Every Child Counts 2026
Irvine Unified School District and Schoolbeat recently presented a featured session at the ACSA Every Child Counts Symposium 2026, held January 12 to 14 in San Diego. The session welcomed 57 attendees and was a highly successful and engaging conversation about building authentic teacher buy-in for SEL.
Session Title
Building SEL Teacher Buy-In: How Irvine USD Did It
Presenters
Natalie Hamilton, Director of Mental Health and Wellness, Irvine Unified School District
Christine Allison, Customer Success Manager, Schoolbeat
Session Date and Time
January 13 at 8:30 am
During the session, Natalie Hamilton shared how Irvine USD transformed SEL from a compliance-driven initiative into a practice that educators genuinely embraced. What began as a nine-school pilot of Schoolbeat quickly shifted mindsets as teachers experienced what truly low-lift SEL looked like. Seamless integration into the school day, reduced prep time, and meaningful student engagement helped drive early success.
Within just 12 months, the pilot results led to a full rollout across nearly all elementary schools. SEL was implemented with fidelity by teachers, counselors, and students, reinforcing consistency and impact across the district.
The interactive session included games, live surveys, group discussions, and idea sharing. Attendees walked away with practical insights into how Irvine USD built authentic teacher buy-in and improved outcomes for students. The session also explored how a unified SEL platform can support the full MTSS continuum, including Tier 1 instruction, Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, daily check-ins, and universal screeners, without increasing staff workload.
The strong turnout and active participation highlighted the growing demand for practical, low-lift SEL solutions that truly work for educators.
About Schoolbeat
Schoolbeat is a unified social-emotional learning platform designed to make SEL plug and play for teachers and highly engaging for students. Built to fit seamlessly into the school day, Schoolbeat supports Tier 1 instruction while extending into Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, daily emotional check-ins, and universal screening within an MTSS framework. Schoolbeat helps districts improve school culture and climate while accessing real-time student wellness data. Districts using Schoolbeat see improved outcomes related to behavior, attendance, and overall student well-being without adding to educator workload.
Irvine Unified School District and Schoolbeat recently presented a featured session at the ACSA Every Child Counts Symposium 2026, held January 12 to 14 in San Diego. The session welcomed 57 attendees and was a highly successful and engaging conversation about building authentic teacher buy-in for SEL.
Session Title
Building SEL Teacher Buy-In: How Irvine USD Did It
Presenters
Natalie Hamilton, Director of Mental Health and Wellness, Irvine Unified School District
Christine Allison, Customer Success Manager, Schoolbeat
Session Date and Time
January 13 at 8:30 am
During the session, Natalie Hamilton shared how Irvine USD transformed SEL from a compliance-driven initiative into a practice that educators genuinely embraced. What began as a nine-school pilot of Schoolbeat quickly shifted mindsets as teachers experienced what truly low-lift SEL looked like. Seamless integration into the school day, reduced prep time, and meaningful student engagement helped drive early success.
Within just 12 months, the pilot results led to a full rollout across nearly all elementary schools. SEL was implemented with fidelity by teachers, counselors, and students, reinforcing consistency and impact across the district.
The interactive session included games, live surveys, group discussions, and idea sharing. Attendees walked away with practical insights into how Irvine USD built authentic teacher buy-in and improved outcomes for students. The session also explored how a unified SEL platform can support the full MTSS continuum, including Tier 1 instruction, Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, daily check-ins, and universal screeners, without increasing staff workload.
The strong turnout and active participation highlighted the growing demand for practical, low-lift SEL solutions that truly work for educators.
About Schoolbeat
Schoolbeat is a unified social-emotional learning platform designed to make SEL plug and play for teachers and highly engaging for students. Built to fit seamlessly into the school day, Schoolbeat supports Tier 1 instruction while extending into Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, daily emotional check-ins, and universal screening within an MTSS framework. Schoolbeat helps districts improve school culture and climate while accessing real-time student wellness data. Districts using Schoolbeat see improved outcomes related to behavior, attendance, and overall student well-being without adding to educator workload.