Digging Out the Root Causes of Discipline Issues
June 01, 2025
When I entered the Peoria Public Schools in Illinois in 2015, student behavior was at the forefront of concerns. It was a significant challenge that many stakeholders grappled with. I initiated conversations with parents, teachers, staff and the community to rethink the conventional approach. Together, we shifted our focus toward a more holistic vision, integrating a comprehensive system of social-emotional learning in every classroom as part of our new strategic plan.
We began by identifying the root causes of the most prevalent disciplinary issues across our 13,100-student urban district. What we uncovered was both eye-opening and sobering. A web of barriers, such as a lack of social-emotional support, trauma, food insecurity, violence and the looming risk of homelessness, were deeply impacting our students鈥� ability to succeed.
In response, we convened critical discussions with staff, board members and other stakeholders to brainstorm innovative solutions aimed at addressing these root causes. From these conversations emerged the creation of the Wraparound Center 鈥� a beacon of hope for the students and families in Peoria鈥檚 most underserved area, zip code 61605.
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This essay is part of a series called "Winning Ideas from Winning Superintendents." To view the other essays in the series, visit the June publication page.
As a central part of the applications for the National Superintendent of the Year program that 萝卜AV视频manages annually, every state-level nominee is required to complete a series of four essays. The prompts require each superintendent to draw on the totality of their experiences over time to capture in words their leadership for learning philosophy and accomplishments, public communication skills, community involvement and professionalism.
Each of the submitted essays, running 1,000 words or less, captures the sharp thinking and meritorious actions taken by those leaders or the school systems they oversee.
In the pages that follow, we鈥檝e dubbed them 鈥渨inning ideas鈥� from 18 of the 49 state-level honorees in 2025 (Hawaii does not have a state applicant) in the National Superintendent of the Year program.
鈥� Jay P. Goldman
Full Roster of State Honorees:鈥俆he limitations of space prevent us from featuring every educator recognized in the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year program. A complete roster of each state鈥檚 award winner, along with their biographies and photos, can be found on the .
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