Connecting with Your Toughest Kids: Structuring Teacher-Student Relationship Interventions with MTSS

Teacher-Student Relationships (TSRs) contribute to a wide range of positive outcomes for K-12 students. However, many practitioners struggle to build positive relationships with students with challenging behaviors. In this article, we describe how TSR interventions can be structured using an established and common framework: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This framework will help practitioners consider which TSR interventions may be most appropriate for all students, including their most behaviorally challenging. For each MTSS tier, we detail a specific classroom intervention that teachers can use immediately.