Dr. Payno-Simmons
Dr. Ruthie Payno-Simmons (formally Riddle) is the Founder, CEO, and Executive Consultant of RPS Educational Impact (https://rpsimpact.com) and an internationally recognized leader in educational equity. She previously served as the Associate Director of the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP Center). A national speaker, trainer, and executive consultant, Dr. Payno-Simmons specializes in providing professional learning and technical assistance across all educational levels. Her work focuses on empowering educators and organizations to address disparities involving minoritized students and to create environments where all students can thrive. With over 25 years of experience in pre-K-12 and early college teaching and administration, as well as technical assistance provision at all educational levels, she has led collaborations such as the Michigan PBIS Equity Pilot in partnership with the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS; www.pbis.org), aimed at addressing academic and disciplinary disparities for minoritized students.
Dr. Payno-Simmons collaborates nationally with technical assistance centers and education agencies to develop equity-centered policies and build sustainable systems of support through continuous improvement. She contributes to national workgroups, including the PBIS Equity and Belonging Workgroup and the PBIS Classroom and Disability Workgroup, where she helps create tools to support educators in implementing culturally sustaining practices. Her research focuses on curriculum, instruction, and culturally sustaining systems of support. Dr. Payno-Simmons received the Association for Positive Behavior Supports Tedd Carr Practitioner Award in 2019 and the Indiana University Purdue Indianapolis University Indianapolis Women's History Month Recognition Award in 2023. She has authored and contributed to numerous publications on centering equity in school discipline systems, fostering positive student behavior and mental health, and engaging students in discussions about race and other events.
Dr. Payno-Simmons holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and History, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teaching, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education from Michigan State University.
PUBLICATIONS by Dr. Payno-Simmons
- Lane, K. L., Baldy, T., Becker, T., Bradshaw, C., Dolan, V., Dymnicki, A., Freeman, B., Holian, L., Lemire, S., McIntosh, K., Moulton, S., Nese, R., Payno-Simmons, R., Porowski, A., & Sutherland, K. (2024). Teacher-Delivered Behavioral Interventions in Grades K–5 (WWC 2025001). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://whatworks.ed.gov/.
- Santiago-Rosario, M. R., McIntosh, K., & Payno-Simmons, R. (July 2022). Centering Equity within the PBIS Framework: Overview and Evidence of Effectiveness. Center on PBIS, University of Oregon. www.pbis.org
- Payno-Simmons, R.L. (2021). Centering equity in school discipline: the Michigan PBIS Equity Pilot, Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 65:4, 343-353, DOI: 10.1080/1045988X.2021.1937024.
- Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (July 2021). Discussing Race, Racism, and Important Current Events with Students: A Guide with Lesson Plans and Resources. University of Oregon. www.pbis.org.
- Payno-Simmons, R. (2020). 5 Questions Every Team Should Ask About Racial Disproportionality. PBIS Apps.
- Payno-Simmons, R. (2017). Supportive Practices for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in PBIS Schools: Part 1. Association for Positive Behavior Supports, 15(3), 1-3.
- Payno-Simmons, R. (2017). Supportive Practices for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in PBIS Schools: Part 1. Association for Positive Behavior Supports, 15(2), 1-3.
- Riddle, R. (2014). Cultural mismatch and silenced voices: Experiences of historically marginalized elementary students within school-wide positive behavior supports. D. Carter-Andrews, K. Cooper, D. Kirkland and C. Rosaen, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
- Damico, J.S. & Riddle, R. (2006). Exploring Freedom and “Leaving a Legacy”: Enacting New Literacies with Digital Texts in the Elementary Classroom. Language Arts.
- Damico, J.S. & Riddle, R. (2004). From answers to questions: A beginning teacher learns to teach for social justice. Language Arts, 82(1), 36-46.
A STACK OF BOOKS AND A NOTE BOOK WITH A PEN SITTING ON A BLANK PAGE SITTING ON A TABLE