Implementor Spotlight - Bedford County

Bedford County School District has partnered with Tennessee TSC since 2022, becoming a leader in RTI²-A+B implementation in Tennessee. The district earned back-to-back Model of Demonstration Awards: the Groundbreakers Award for 2023-24, followed by the Change Makers Award for 2024-25.

The district leadership team works together to set and accomplish goals that align with best practices in the implementation process. The team is led by the District Coordinators, Lindsay Wiley, the district SEL and Mental Health Supervisor, and Susan Huff, the district RTI and Academic Coordinator. One of the district’s many strengths is leadership, particularly in professional development, coaching, communication, and engagement with key collaborators. They created a system for regularly reporting RTI²-A+B implementation progress to their school board, organized professional development and coordination efforts to ensure consistent implementation of universal behavioral screeners across the district, and developed a recognition system for school leaders’ outstanding work. This year, members of the district leadership team also joined the District Coordinators in supporting the facilitation of the School Implementation Fidelity Assessment(SIFA) in the schools. This means that many district leaders, not just the District Coordinators, are making time to connect with and mentor their school leaders regularly.

When setting their district leadership team’s RTI²-A+B implementation goals, some originate from district leaders, and some are recommended by the Tennessee TSC educational consultant who supports their district, especially goals that require stretching and growing in their roles. This year, they set a goal for Lindsay and Susan to co-facilitate RTI²-A+B professional development sessions for their district. Lindsay and Susan recently co-led Tier I professional learning sessions for Bedford County’s final cohort of schools alongside Tennessee TSC’s Dr. Julie Daye and Dr. Dia Davis. This marks a significant step toward their independence in leading district-wide RTI²-A+B implementation. They co-facilitated high-quality sessions clearly grounded by the essential elements of RTI²-A+B implementation. Delivering training alongside Tennessee TSC consultants shows deep systems-change expertise and how far they’ve come in their leadership journey. Congratulations, Lindsay, Susan, and your district leadership team! Your strong leadership and exceptional accomplishments are setting a wonderful example for districts across Tennessee.