Jayme L. Braida

Columbus Elementary School
Chariton Community School District
Chariton, Iowa
jayme.braida@chariton.k12.ia.us

In just three years as principal of Columbus Elementary School (CES), Jayme L. Braida has led focused efforts to strengthen systems of support and intervention across the school. Drawing on her background as an instructional coach, Braida has increased the impact of intervention by building clarity and continuity in the school’s MTSS program. When she began her tenure at CES, Braida observed inconsistent documentation and lack of process clarity as key contributors to both over and under-identification of students for special education referrals.  As a remedy, she built a centralized online documentation system that facilitates real-time communication between teachers, provides step-by-step guidance for both academic and behavior supports, and ensures that documentation “travels with the student,” allowing teams to immediately understand and act upon prior interventions. Overall, this improved coordination has yielded stronger shared ownership, more strategic and timely interventions, and a substantial reduction in unnecessary referrals. Within just a year, students were receiving more consistent support tailored to their needs, teacher confidence in implementation rose significantly from 14 to 77 percent, and school culture had started shifting for the better. To help build a connected and relationship-driven learning environment at CES, Braida led the successful implementation of the Capture Kids Hearts program, for which the school was recently recognized with the Rising Star Award. Braida holds an M.Ed. from Iowa State University and a B.A. from Central College.