Derek Peterson is the founder and Principal Director of the International Institute for Student Support (IISS), which has developed the Student Support Card, a comprehensive program that measures a student's “other side of the report card”. Peterson's work guides local, state, national, and international governing boards, policy makers, and program leaders to measure the impact of their efforts upon the developmental ecology of youth. Since 1994, Peterson has delivered over 2,000 presentations to audiences as large as 2,800 and as small as 25, throughout the United States and around the world. More than 310,00 copies of his books in the "Helping Kids Succeed" series are in print. Peterson works with the National School Boards Association to increase caring and connection in schools. Derek, in his work, supports youth, families, individuals, schools and communities in seeing kids in full colour. A quote that is often associated with Derek is “Hope is believing in spite of the evidence, and watching the evidence change.” And, individuals and communities who have embraced his message report that the evidence continues to change.
