Keynote Speaker Dr. Sarah Allen
Raising Brains®: Building Skills vs. Managing Behavior
What if the behavior you're trying to stop is actually showing you the skill you need to teach?
Pediatric neuropsychologist, bestselling author, and Raising Brains® creator Dr. Sarah Allen brings brain science to life with humor, relatable stories, and practical strategies educators can use immediately. Audiences leave seeing student behavior differently—and knowing what to do next.
Testimonials:
“Sarah is able to speak about current, relevant issues in schools in a fun, simple, and engaging way!”
-Mary Gaestel, Ridgefield Park BOE
“Insightful and useful! Very attention grabbing and informative!”
-Social Worker, Boonton Public Schools
Teachers don't need another list of behavior management tricks. They need a way to understand why a student is struggling and what to teach next.
Raising Brains® shifts the question from “How do I stop this behavior?” to “What skill does this student need me to build?”
Dr. Sarah helps educators understand what's happening beneath the behavior so they can respond with strategies that build executive functioning, self-regulation, independence, and the skills students need far beyond the classroom.
We're Managing Behavior. But Are We Building the Skills Behind It?
Kids talk with their behavior. The question is: Are we listening to the message—or just reacting to the delivery?
In this energetic, practical keynote, Dr. Sarah Allen takes educators inside the developing brain to show why students struggle with attention, independence, emotional regulation, task initiation, flexibility, and behavior—and what adults can actually do about it.
Using the Raising Brains® framework, educators learn to move beyond managing what they see and identify the brain-based skills students still need to develop.
This isn't another program to add to teachers' plates. It's a new lens for using the tools they already have more intentionally.
Signature Keynote
Raising Brains®: Building Skills vs. Managing Behavior
-
Look beneath classroom behavior to identify what a student's brain may be communicating.
-
Recognize whether a student needs support learning how to student, work, regulate, or notice.
-
Choose practical strategies based on the skill a student needs to develop.
-
Shift from adult-managed behavior toward skills students can eventually use on their own.
Audiences Will Learn To:
Behavior is the end of the story—not the beginning.
The Raising Brains® BBS Framework helps educators understand how the developing brain influences behavior and learning. Rather than stopping at what a student did, educators learn to get curious about what's happening underneath it, identify the missing or developing skill, and provide support that helps the brain build that skill over time.
Meet the Raising Brains® BBS Framework
Meet Dr. Sarah Allen
Dr. Sarah Allen is a pediatric neuropsychologist, bestselling author, school program consultant, and creator of the Raising Brains® framework. For more than 20 years, she has worked alongside children, families, educators, and school leaders to understand one deceptively simple question:
What does this brain need to learn?
Her work translates neuroscience into practical strategies educators can actually use—without requiring another complicated initiative or adding more to already-full plates.
Through Raising Brains®, Brainy Tales, professional development, consulting, and speaking, Dr. Sarah helps schools shift from managing behavior to intentionally building the skills students need to become capable, connected, independent adults.
And because nobody needs another painfully boring PD session, she believes learning about the brain should be practical, memorable—and actually fun.
(Full disclosure: much of Raising Brains has been built on Diet Coke, sheer willpower, and wearing far too many hats. 😊)
Book Appointment
・
Book Appointment ・
Teachers, Principals, Superintendents, Directors of Special Education…
Here’s What Educators Are Saying
Looking for Something More Specific?
Every audience is different. Dr. Sarah can customize keynotes, workshops, and professional learning around the needs of your educators, students, and community.
Executive Functioning in the Classroom
Building Self-Regulation & Emotional Skills
Understanding the Brain Behind Student Behavior
From Overwhelmed to Effective: Supporting Today's Educators
How to Student: Teaching the Skills School Requires
Brain-Based Leadership & School Culture
Brainy Tales: Building Brain Skills in K–5
Parent & Community Programs
Ready to Raise Some Brains?
Whether you're planning a national conference, district-wide professional development day, leadership event, or school-based training, let's create an experience your educators will still be talking about—and using—when they return to their classrooms.