Reimaging School Culture & Climate

with Keynote Speaker Kenneth L. Bourne Jr.

Every meaningful conference begins with a question: What will inspire us to think differently when we return to our schools on Monday morning? At this year’s conference, centered on the theme “Gateway to Change,” attendees will leave with more than inspiration—they will leave with a powerful framework for transforming the way schools create safety, belonging, and healing for students and staff alike.

That transformation begins with our keynote speaker, Kenneth L. Bourne Jr., LSW, a social worker, author, and founder of Bourne ANEW LLC whose work sits at the intersection of healing, equity, and systemic change.

Healing Systems from the Inside Out

Bourne’s keynote, “Healing Systems from the Inside Out: Reimagining School Culture & Climate,” challenges educators to rethink how school systems communicate safety and belonging.

As he puts it:

“Schools talk climate—students feel nervous systems.”

Through a blend of storytelling, neuroscience, and reflective engagement, Bourne invites attendees to examine how school policies, environments, and relationships send powerful signals to students and staff. These signals can either activate feelings of threat or foster a sense of safety—shaping behavior, learning, connection, and well-being.

Rather than introducing another program or initiative, Bourne focuses on something deeper: system-level awareness and change.

Participants will explore his SENSE framework, a practical lens for evaluating whether schools are truly creating environments where people can thrive:

·        Safety

·        Empowerment & Collaboration

·        Nurture & Cultural Belonging

·        Shared Trust & Transparency

·        Emotional Healing & Neurobiological Resilience

By asking a simple but powerful question— “Are we making SENSE?”—educators can begin examining whether their systems truly support the communities they serve.

An Engaging and Reflective Experience

Bourne’s keynote is intentionally designed as a highly engaging experience. Through guided whole-room reflection, participants will move from surface-level reactions to deeper conversations about root causes within school systems.

The presentation is visually driven, using powerful images and quotes to create space for reflection and shared insight. Rather than dividing into breakout sessions, the entire audience will participate together, creating a collective moment of clarity and commitment as the conference concludes.

Attendees will leave not only inspired but equipped with a simple action prompt and a renewed lens for evaluating their work within schools.

A Gateway to Change

The theme “Gateway to Change” challenges school social workers and education professionals to consider how transformation happens—not only in individual students, but in the systems that shape their lives.

Bourne’s keynote embodies that challenge.

His work reminds us that real change doesn’t begin with a new initiative or a revised policy manual. It begins with understanding how our environments make people feel—and whether those environments create the conditions necessary for healing, growth, and belonging.

In Bourne’s words, “We don’t need the next program. We need systems that feel safe enough to change.”

As the conference closes, attendees will walk away with more than ideas—they will carry forward a new perspective on school culture and a clear invitation to bring the principles of safety, trust, and healing back to their communities.

Because when schools truly make SENSE, change becomes not just possible—but inevitable.

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Just a few spots remain! Join us at the conference in St. Louis.

Registration closes March 10th.

Can't join? Keep an eye out for our Virtual National Conference

registration opening this Spring!