2026 SAIS Annual Conference

While schools recognize that creating supportive relationships is paramount to student success, they often struggle to identify and prioritize the most effective interventions to bolster well-being. In this workshop, Nina Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Authentic Connections, will be joined by Meredith Miller, upper school coordinator of student support at The Westminster Schools, to discuss using data to inform and prioritize well-being initiatives. Nina will explore findings from surveys administered to over 250,000 students and 28,000 educators to highlight the modifiable aspects of school climate and culture that have emerged as most linked with well-being. Additionally, Meredith will share how Westminster has used data collected from students to guide programming, inform strategic priorities, and target interventions for the groups needing additional attention. Attendees will leave with an expanded knowledge of the current state of mental health across schools and methods for engaging their communities to support well-being.