Motivational interviewing is a behavioral science technique that has been successfully used across diverse school settings to improve academic and behavioral outcomes for students through brief, structured conversational sessions. Students are guided to adopt positive behaviors by exploring their own motivations and reasons for change in a way that centers the student’s individual autonomy and strengthens their intrinsic motivation to make a change. This technique can be delivered by either professionals or paraprofessionals with proper training, offering a potent behavioral change blueprint for students at risk.