Higher Ground a Resource Center

10/12/2026

Behind every number is something much harder to measure: a relationship. No matter what we do, it's still relationships that create the impact, whether it's improving attendance and behavior or facilitating growth and increasing the reach of the programs.

When paired with strategy and data, things become intentional and the relationships lead to consistent touch points. These things do not happen by accident - a student who finally trusts an adult enough to ask for help, a family that feels comfortable walking into a school, a teacher who sees a student differently after understanding what is happening outside the classroom, a community partner willing to show up when something is needed.

At Higher Ground, we believe data and systems are essential. They help us understand whether our work is actually making a difference.

And systems work best when relationships give them life.

That is one of the biggest lessons behind our 2025–26 Impact Report.https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64d15c3be51b6177cdd8b7b9/t/6ab01dc5d1b4d56dad5beaa6/1789926853357/Final+25-26+Impact+Report+compressed.pdf

10/07/2026

Our latest Higher Ground newsletter is out, featuring our 2025–26 Impact Report and a reflection on something this year continues to teach us: lasting change begins by helping create the conditions where they can succeed.

We’re also sharing a few things you may have missed, from Judo/Jiujitsu in Schools to our recent conversation about chronic absenteeism and Higher Ground’s path forward.

Read the newsletter and explore our 2025–26 Impact Report. - https://mailchi.mp/higherground/beyond-the-numbers-higher-grounds-202526-impact

09/19/2026

Higher Ground CEO and co-founder Jansen Azarias-Suzumoto recently joined Isabela Lisco TV on KOLD News 13’s Chalk Talk podcast for a conversation about what’s really behind chronic absenteeism. They talked about why improving attendance often requires looking far beyond whether a student simply shows up to school.

You'll hear about Higher Ground’s work alongside schools, the role executive functions play in attendance, behavior, and learning, and how Jansen and his wife’s own life experiences helped shape the work Higher Ground does today.

It’s a conversation about the intersection of students, families, schools, and the conditions that can either support or stand in the way of success.

Take a listen, and if it resonates, share this podcast to bring better understanding as to what students and families are navigating.

Roughly 44% of Tucson Unified School District students miss at least 18 days of school a year.

07/24/2026

School is about to start in a few weeks! We are looking for people in Phoenix willing to volunteer next week, July 27-31st, to help our teachers set up their classrooms between 9am - 3pm. Reach out to us if interested and share with your groups!

05/29/2026

When students disconnect from school, there is usually a deeper story.

These recent pieces show why chronic absenteeism is more than an attendance issue and why Higher Ground’s work with students, families, schools, and communities still matters.

Watch, read, and listen here. https://mailchi.mp/higherground/keeping-students-connected-when-life-pulls-them-away

05/15/2026

Amazing story by Isabela Lisco of our work at Higher Ground. Thank you for the continuing support you all give for our work with communities, families, and youth. Thank you Percy L. Julian School for the partnership we have in Phoenix.

Chronic absenteeism in Tucson Unified School District has spiked to 44% in 2025.

04/08/2026

Most student behavior isn’t defiance, instead, it’s a skill gap.

We’re asking students to:

- focus
- regulate
- transition
- manage frustration
- stay engaged

But we rarely ask:
Have they actually learned how to do those things?

So when students struggle, we respond with consequences, some sort of SEL curriculum, or one more program. But we aren’t addressing the root cause which are the underlying skills they’re missing.

This is where most systems break down.

What looks like behavior is often a gap in how students process, regulate, and function.

We break this down step-by-step inside our learning community. ⬇️
https://www.skool.com/insiderealschoolchange/about

04/03/2026

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑨𝑽𝑰𝑶𝑹 𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑰𝑺 𝑸𝑼𝑰𝑬𝑻𝑳𝒀 𝑫𝑹𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑩𝑼𝑹𝑵𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑰𝑵 𝑬𝑫𝑼𝑪𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵.

We’ve told teachers they’re responsible for everything. From complex student behaviors, to driving attendance, to improving academic outcomes, and sometimes even things outside the classroom.

Then we wonder why they’re exhausted.
Teachers aren’t burning out because they don’t care.
They’re burning out because they’re being asked to carry what the system was never designed to support.

We’re calling it burnout.
But it’s a system breaking down.
Teachers aren’t superheroes.

Our CEO, Jansen Azarias-Suzumoto, wrote about this a few years ago and still just as relevant today.

Read the full article here:
https://www.higherground.me/our-blog/superheroes-and-savior-mentality-compassion-fatigue-is-serious-in-education

03/31/2026

By the time a student is labeled disruptive or chronically absent, we’ve already missed multiple warning signs. Signs that our teachers are expected to catch and resolve with programs that are one more thing.

But these aren’t separate issues that can be addressed with separate solutions. Instead, they are the same breakdown showing up over time.

And when that breakdown isn’t addressed, it doesn’t just affect students. It shows up in culture, performance, and teachers leaving the field.

If we keep trying to fix attendance, behavior, and teacher burn out as separate problems, we won’t get anywhere. These are all signals of a system that isn’t supporting student capacity.

If this feels familiar, there’s a reason. And we break it all down in our online learning community. https://www.skool.com/insiderealschoolchange/about

03/27/2026

Educator burnout is a systems issue... but it doesn't have to be.

Arizona's latest data confirms that more than 8,600 educators left the classroom last year.

If we want retention, we must redesign support structures, not just recruit replacements.

At Higher Ground, we’ve been writing and speaking about compassion fatigue and the savior mentality long before this report.

Supporting educators and students with proven skills-based solutions have shown reduction in educator burnout & retention, student behaviors, and chronic absenteeism.

See how our online professional development community can help below. ⬇️
www.skool.com/insiderealschoolchange

Check out our blog that discusses savior mentality and compassion fatigue in education, below. ⬇️
https://www.higherground.me/our-blog/superheroes-and-savior-mentality-compassion-fatigue-is-serious-in-education