Ricky Robertson
Ricky Robertson is an educator, author, and consultant. He has had the privilege to work with students from pre-K to 12th grade who have persevered in the face of adversity and trauma. He began his career in education as a New York City public high school teacher, teaching in one of the city’s highest-performing public schools. He then went on to work as a teacher, behavior specialist, and, eventually, as an administrator in traditional and alternative schools supporting students with significant mental health and behavioral needs.
Ricky is the co-author, along with Victoria Romero and Amber Warner, of the Corwin bestselling book, Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole Staff Approach. The model that he and his co-authors developed in their book was included in the Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, & Health as an example of best practices for schools to support children and families impacted by toxic stress and trauma. Ricky continues to work with state and federal policymakers as an adviser on trauma-informed care in public health and education policy.
As a consultant and coach, Ricky works with schools, school districts, education service districts, and state departments of education across the country to develop systems of support that foster achievement, well-being, and resilience among staff and students. His work has been featured in podcasts, online media, books, magazines, national conferences, as well as a trauma-informed teaching video series developed by the National Education Association, WETA, and AdLit.
Ricky finds inspiration in the resilience of young people and the heart and hard work of educators.
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
- Trauma-Informed Practices
- Restorative Justice / Restorative Practices
- Equity & Culturally Responsive Practices
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Special Education
Workshops
Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (2 or 4 Days):
Participants will deepen their understanding of the impact of ACEs and trauma on students’ learning and behavior. Research has shown that ACEs and trauma affect a child’s brain development, cognition, behavior, and social-emotional development. By building our knowledge of the impact of ACEs, we strengthen our “why,” or the reason that we engage in this work, while gaining insights that make us more effective school professionals. School-wide systems that engage the entire staff to create a universal culture of compassion and achievement can provide students with consistent support, structure, and nurturance.
- Expand your capacity to foster resilience and success for your students and yourself.
- Learn strategies for cultivating self-awareness, growth mindset, resiliency, and self-care
- Develop multi-tiered strategies to support the behavioral, social-emotional, and academic success of all students, especially those impacted by ACEs and trauma
- Develop action plans to implement a multi-tiered trauma-informed framework in schools
What People are Saying...
“This workshop series was wonderful, relevant and hugely impactful for the population we want to better serve. Ricky and Amber make a great team. They are very knowledgeable and were able to share from a wealth of experiences they have had.”
-West Des Moines Community Schools, IA
"We selected Ricky Roberston to lead a presentation for our county-wide professional development day on social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices in the fall of 2019. Over 400 attendees responded positively to his presentation. Through personal anecdotes, humor, compassion and expertise, he delivered relevant information and provided concrete strategies to our county educators. We received such an overwhelming positive response, we asked Ricky to continue the work we started by facilitating a social-emotional learning community of practice over the course of the school year. When COVID-19 hit, we reached out to Ricky based on the need expressed by the educators in the county for support with returning to school and what that would look like and how to support socialemotional needs of students, families, teachers, etc. He pivoted seamlessly from face-to-face professional development to a virtual learning environment providing three separate and distinct webinars; one for administrators and counselors, one for educators and one for paraprofessionals. Ricky is truly an expert in this field. His sense of humor keeps it real and interactive and encourages the possibility that change can happen."
~ Teena Corker, Associate Superintendent of Education Services, Office of the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools, CA
"Ricky, Amber and Victoria delivered a three-day workshop and it was absolutely phenomenal. They were engaging and created a space where participants could dive into the material in a way that left them understanding not only how trauma effects our students but also inspired to make change. Several participants noted how it was the best professional development they have ever attended."
~ David Fendel, Coordinator of Social Emotional Learning, Contra Costa County Office of Education, CA
"Ricky Roberston has conducted a number of statewide resilience webinars for Alaska teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals. He is both very knowledgeable and engaging. All his presentations have been outstanding. We look forward to continuing our work with Ricky throughout the upcoming school year."
~ J. Kelly Tonsmeire, Founder of Alaska Staff Development Network
"Ricky Robertson first presented in Southern Oregon at our first annual Equity Summit in August 2019. Ricky was one of several high-profile speakers all of whom were well received by summit participants; but the feedback we received on Ricky's keynote and breakout sessions was especially positive. What set Ricky apart, and what participants most valued from his work with us, was Ricky's understanding of intersectionality. Ricky doesn't present singularly because he understands none of us exist singularly. Rather, Ricky stands in the intersection of what it is to be human: gender, race, sexuality, socio-economic status, language, and lived experience. And from that space, Ricky helps educators understand how the decisions we make, the words we use, and the learning opportunities we provide either build-up or tear-down the humans with whom we have the incredible responsibility of teaching, mentoring, and serving. When Ricky came back in 2020 for follow-up sessions, I introduced him using a place setting. I held up a salad plate and told the audience that sometimes when you go to professional learning the presenter only talks about salad and leads you to believe if you serve the right salad all educational issues will be solved. And then I held up the dinner plate and the silverware, and the glass and said the same about each individual item. Then I explained that Ricky doesn't deliver to us one "course"; instead, Ricky understands our job is to serve a complete and nourishing meal. Ricky understands that to leave the table full and healthy one must have all the components. And then I invited our audience to the table, assuring them Ricky had prepared a delicious and nutritious meal for us. and never once did any of us leave hungry!"
~ Mark Angle-Hobson, Education Services Coordinator
“I have talked with other teaching staff and all of us feel like we are unconsciously more interactive with our students (connecting in a real way) as a result of the training. Our amazing school staff are already very kind and patient when working with students. However, obtaining the evidence-based research that confirms the devastating and lasting effects of ACEs rekindled our passion (despite the symptoms of burn out) to connect and support our kids so they can be strong, continue to enjoy learning, and be lifetime thrivers. Getting more tools in our tool bag is like getting gold!”
~ Esther Hunter, Educator, Eagle Point School District, OR