On Whole Child: Personalized Tiered Supports, host Naren Balasubramaniam sits down with Erik Carlson, High School Principal, and Joshua Glick, MTSS Director, from Holton Public Schools in Michigan — marking the very first episode of the show. Together, they walk through how a small district is building a truly collaborative, K–12 approach to multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) that centers the whole child.

From breaking down silos between buildings to structuring Tier 2 teams with mental health partners, outside clinicians, and general educators, Erik and Joshua share how they’re using data, teaming structures, and shared tools to get the right supports to the right students at the right time. They also dig into the role of AI, how platforms like Cascades help unify data, and why Tier 1 instruction and adult collaboration are still at the heart of effective MTSS.

Key Moments

01:18 What Joshua enjoys most about leading MTSS

01:39 Why Erik is energized as a secondary principal

02:26 Moving MTSS from isolated efforts to collaboration

03:22 Structuring Tier 2 teams with specialists and partners

05:13 How Tier 2 meetings run across K–12

08:23 Strengthening Tier 1 with PBIS/CHAMPS

09:14 Using Chalk to map curriculum and identify gaps

10:09 Connecting academic challenges to behavior needs

11:13 How AI could automate data work for MTSS teams

13:27 Disaggregating data to identify student groups needing support

14:47 Why the MTSS Director role + Cascades has been a game changer

16:54 Why MTSS must function as “multi-team” work

Why You’ll Love This Episode

You’ll hear a practical, classroom-grounded look at MTSS from leaders who are still in the work every day. Erik and Joshua share structures, tools, and lessons learned that any district—large or small—can adapt to strengthen whole-child supports, improve Tier 1, and make collaboration less about “one more thing” and more about how the work gets done.

Connect with Our Guests

Erik Carlson
High School Principal, Holton Public Schools
District Website: https://www.holtonschools.com/

Joshua Glick
MTSS Director, Holton Public Schools
District Website: https://www.holtonschools.com/

Connect with Host & Metamorphix

Host: Naren Balasubramaniam
Founder & CEO, Metamorphix, Inc.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narenbalasubramaniam/

Metamorphix, Inc.
Website: https://www.metamorphix.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/metamorphix-inc./

About Whole Child: Personalized Tiered Supports

Whole Child: Personalized Tiered Supports is the podcast where district leaders, school teams, and practitioners share how they are personalizing MTSS to support every learner. Hosted by Naren Balasubramaniam of Metamorphix, Inc., each episode dives into real systems, stories, and strategies for delivering the right academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports at the right time—so all students can thrive.