Trauma Informed Education

Prof. Sandra Chafouleas is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Neag Endowed Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the Neag School of Education. She also serves as the founder and Co-Director of the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH). She has authored over 150 publications, and regularly serves as a national presenter and invited speaker. She is a fellow in both the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science, and is and Invited Member and Past-President of the Society for the Study of School Psychology. Prof. Chafouleas's work on trauma-informed education are amongst the most highly cited scholarly works in the field. Prof Chafouleas and her team's recent publication, ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Translation into Action in K12 Education Settings' highlights the challenges and future areas of enquiry in the area of trauma informed education.

Dr Michael Gaskell is the Principal of Hammarskjold Middle School in East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. Michael writes extensively on school culture, trauma, and educational leadership, he is a mentor to new principals through the New Jersey Leaders to Leaders program and regularly presents on topics relevant to today's educators. Michael has written two books, Microstrategy Magic and just published in September this year, his second book titled Leading Schools Through Trauma A Data-Driven Approach to Helping Children Heal.

Joanna Schwartz holds a Master of Education, and a Master of Counseling with a concentration in holistic studies. Joanna is the founder of Toolbox for Teachers an organization that provides workshops on the topics of mental health in schools, social and emotional learning, trauma informed education and mindfulness. Joanna's interest in providing professional development for educators comes from her experiences as a K-8 teacher in Philadelphia, her years of mindfulness practice, and experience as a child and family therapist. Joanna has written a new book, to be published in August this year 2021 called The Teacher Toolbox for a Calm and Connected Classroom: Teacher-friendly Mental Health Strategies to Help You and Your Students Thrive.

A Relationship-Based Approach to Supporting Students with Deni Mellum by Dr. Kay Ayre

Louise Michelle Bombèr is qualified as both a specialist teacher, a therapist and a Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) certified practitioner. She has worked with individual pupils, classes, whole school settings, local authorities, teachers and support staff across both the primary and secondary phases. She has provided consultations and training for education, social services and health. She has set up TouchBase™ Brighton and TouchBase™ Bristol. Louise and her team offer a range of services supporting children and young people who have experienced significant relational traumas and losses. She is the author of several best-selling books, including ‘Inside I'm Hurting', ‘Knew Me to Teach Me' and ‘Settling Troubled Pupils to Learn: Why Relationships Matter in School'.

Bearing witness to the emotional pain and challenges of students can take its toll on educators. Under pressure to support students, teachers may be forced to confront their own social and emotional challenges. The social neuroscience of education shed light on experiences and needs linked to the common humanity we share with our students. In this episode, we speak to Megan Marcus. Megan holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master's degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. While at Pepperdine, Megan studied under Dr. Louis Cozolino and served as the lead researcher for his book, The Social Neuroscience of Education.

The call for trauma-informed education is growing as the profound impact trauma has on the children's ability to learn in traditional classrooms is recognized. For children who have experienced abuse and neglect their behaviour is often highly reactive, aggressive, withdrawn or unmotivated. They struggle to learn, to make positive relationships or be influenced positively by teachers and school staff. Teachers become more and more frustrated and discouraged as they attempt to teach this vulnerable group of students. Dr. Sian Philips. Dr Phillips is an Adjunct Professor at Queens University and is currently involved in helping her local school boards develop trauma-informed classrooms and schools using Dan Hughes's model of Dyadic Developmental Practice. She is also a clinical psychologist in private practice in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She specialises in working with children in foster care and their foster and adoptive parents. Dr. Philips is the co-author of the book ‘Belonging: A relationship-based approach for trauma-informed education.

Some students find it difficult to engage in their learning. Emotional and cognitive difficulties can affect a student's motivation to learn and may make it difficult for them to participate in class-based educational activities. Music is a unique medium of engagement and creative communication. There is a growing body of research has emerged that sheds new light on intriguing links between music and a variety of cognitive functions, including temporal order learning, attention and auditory verbal memory Today we have the privilege of speaking with, Dr. Karen Salvador. Dr. Salvador is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Michigan State University's College of Music, where she teaches courses regarding music in early childhood and elementary general music as well as graduate seminars in music education psychology and research. Her research is focused on ability-responsive music instruction, and aligning culturally responsive and trauma informed pedagogies in music teaching. Dr. Salvador is joined by her PhD student, Rebecca DeWan. Rebecca earned a Master's degree in Choral Conducting and a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Southern Maine. She taught music in Maine for 13 years before beginning her doctoral work. Through her research, she is exploring anti-racist education and working to incorporate trauma-informed practices into the music classroom.

Despite trauma-informed education gaining credibility and popularity, educational leaders continue to battle systems to implement innovative and evidence-informed practices. The relentless advocacy for staff and students pushes principals to grow – both professionally and personally. So how do leaders sustain this work? In the third and final episode of this three-part series on trauma-informed leadership, we speak with Elizabeth Verstappen. Elizabeth was previously the principal of the Sadadeen State Primary School in Alice Springs, Australia. In this episode, Elizabeth shares how trauma-informed practices have influenced her beliefs and practice in education, and how leaders looking to embark on implementing trauma pedagogy can traverse the challenges they may face.

The implementation of trauma-informed practices in schools requires leaders to attend to the safety and wellbeing of their staff, just as much as they attend to these needs in their students. So how can trauma-informed practices help with caring for teachers, and maintaining group cohesion amongst staff? In the second episode of this three-part series on trauma-informed leadership, we speak with Elizabeth Verstappen. Elizabeth was previously the principal of the Sadadeen State Primary School in Alice Springs, Australia. In this episode, Elizabeth discusses practices that help teachers build skills in relational pedagogy, and support both the personal and professional growth of her staff.

Implementation of trauma-informed practices in schools requires a whole of school approach, endorsed and reinforced by leaders at the school. In part one of this three-part series on trauma-informed education leadership, we speak with Elizabeth Verstappen - former principal of Sadadeen Primary School in Australia. The school has implemented the Trauma-Informed Behaviour Support program over a four-year period and has been the pilot site for the evaluation of the program.

Sports and physical education often provide students experiences of success and efficacy that they may be lacking in other areas of their educational experience. How can physical education capitalize on trauma-informed practices? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Douglas Ellison. He is an assistant professor of Physical Education in the School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies at Kent University. Dr. Ellison discusses the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model of trauma-informed practice in physical education.

Helping students feel safe is a hall mark of trauma informed education. For some children, feeling safe in relationships is difficult. Well intentioned teachers often fall short in the skills required to communicate and reinforce a sense of trust amongst these students. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Kim Golding about her new book, 'Working with Relational Trauma in Schools'.

In this final episode of a 5-part series, Dr. Ayre and Dr. Krishnamoorthy return to discuss tools and strategies to support teachers with challenges presented by COVID-19, and the return of children back to school.

In this 5-part series, Dr. Ayre and Dr. Krishnamoorthy return to discuss tools and strategies to support teachers with challenges presented by COVID-19, and the return of children back to school.

In this 5-part series, Dr. Ayre and Dr. Krishnamoorthy return to discuss tools and strategies to support teachers with challenges presented by COVID-19, and the return of children back to school.

In this 5-part series, Dr. Ayre and Dr. Krishnamoorthy return to discuss tools and strategies to support teachers with challenges presented by COVID-19, and the return of children back to school.

In this 5-part series, Dr. Ayre and Dr. Krishnamoorthy return to discuss tools and strategies to support teachers with challenges presented by COVID-19, and the return of children back to school.

Educational leadership can be complex and challenging. So what does a trauma informed approach have to offer? Listen in to our 8 part leadership coaching series on trauma informed leadership. In this episode we discuss: Time. Our allocations of periods of time reflect our values. Our sequencing of events, construction of moments, and constructions of actions allows us to scaffold and draw a connecting thread through learning occasions to create a unity. To learn more, visit www.tipbs.com

Educational leadership can be complex and challenging. So what does a trauma informed approach have to offer? Listen in to our 8 part leadership coaching series on trauma informed leadership. In this episode we discuss: Language. As a culture shaper, language helps us to direct attention and action. However, the words and structures that make up language not only convey an explicit surface meaning, but also impart a set of deeper associations and connections that implicitly shape thought and in uence behavior. This is the hidden power of language: Its ability to subtly convey messages that shape our thinking, sense of self, and group affinity. To learn more, visit www.tipbs.com Trauma Informed Leadership: Expectations by Trauma Informed Education with Dr. Kay Ayre is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

In this research review podcast, we review the journal article “Trauma Informed School Programming: Applications for Educators and Mental Health Professional Partnerships”. The article is written by Brenda Morton and Anna Beradi from the George Fox University. You can find the full reference to the article in our show notes. The article examines the challenges and conceptual shifts required by educators to ensure effective and sustainable implementation of trauma-informed school partnerships. For the reference to the journal article discussed, check out the show notes at www.tipbs.com

Teaching methods are now personalised and student-focused, using an array of activities and modalities.Classrooms should now be flexible learning spaces, which enable multiple users to work concurrently with multiple purposes. So how do you incorporate the specific needs of an trauma informed approach into the design of a school? That’s the question the Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organization Positive Tomorrows asked itself when it was daydreaming about a new building that could meet the many needs of its students. Positive Tomorrows has been educating homeless kids and providing social services to families since 1989. Today we speak with Gary Armbruster and Amy Brewer.To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

Educational leadership can be complex and challenging. So what does a trauma informed approach have to offer? Listen in to our 8 part leadership coaching series on trauma informed leadership. In this episode we discuss: Expectations. Expectations are a set of beliefs surrounding future outcomes and anticipated results. As a trauma informed leader, expectations operate as ‘action theories’ that influence our own efforts in relation to the achievement of desired goals for our work and outcomes with respect to our teaching. In this way, expectations not only set our course, but also act as an internal compass that keeps us moving toward our goal. To learn more, visit www.tipbs.com

Relationships change the brain. The good news from the science and research on brain development is that while our earliest interpersonal experiences may have created unhelpful patterns, new patterns are formed as children develop into adults. Today we speak with Bonnie Badenoch. Bonnie is a master therapist, supervisor, teacher and author who has spent the last 15 years integrating the discoveries of neuroscience into practice. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

Building trauma-sensitive schools involves changes to school policy, practice, and culture and requires ongoing efforts to ensure that all students—including students affected by trauma—are experiencing social, emotional, and educational success. As school and district leaders, you play a crucial role in bringing about change. Developing and sharing a vision of trauma sensitivity and the process for achieving it will help to overcome challenges by charting a course of action and maintaining focus and commitment among staff. Learn more about the risks of not adopting a trauma informed approach and strategies to change school cultures. To learn more, visit www.tipbs.com

Today we speak with Dr. Jaime Mendoza-Williams, the head of student wellness at Mindright – a nonprofit that provides personalized mental health coaching over text message to teens. Developed by Ashley Edwards and Alina Liao, MindRight provides programs aimed at empowering youth of colour to heal from trauma and systemic oppression, including poverty, violence, racism, and discrimination. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

What are the principles of trauma informed practice and what do they look like in practice in schools? Listen to Dr. Ayre and Dr. Krishnamoorthy discuss practical strategies for how to communicate, teach and accomodate for the needs of traumatised students in a safe and inclusive school environment. To learn more, visit www.tipbs.com

For many of us advocating for trauma informed practices, we may find ourselves isolated in schools that are stressed, under-resourced and punitive. In these systems, compassionate and thoughtful strategies to help students is met with strong opposition and cynicism. So what can be done to change such schools? In this episode, we speak with psychiatrist, Dr. Sandra Bloom. In addition to her faculty position at the School of Public Health at Drexel, she is President of CommunityWorks, an organizational consulting firm committed to the development of nonviolent environments. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com

In this Key Concepts episode, we are looking at the concept of sensitisation, its implications for how students cope with adversity, and how it might inform our efforts to support them. To learn more about the trauma informed positive behaviour support program, please visit www.tipbs.com

Sports and exercise can be a powerful tool of engagement and teaching,. But it can also be a stressful experience for students who struggle at school. Learn about the science of trauma informed physical education with Megan Bartlett. Megan has spent most of her career working in, designing, and advocating for programs that use sports to promote youth development and positively impact communities. She speaks regularly on the power of sport to create social change and help kids heal and is co-author of the book Re-Designing Youth Sports: Change the Game. Megan serves on Nike's Global Training Advisory Group and is working Dr. Bruce Perry and the Child Trauma Academy to create the Neurosequential Model in Sport-—a fully trauma informed sport intervention model. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

With research on trauma informed practice growing in leaps and bounds, we run the risk of losing sight of the harrowingly emotional experience of the students we are trying to help. So how do we stay empathic and remind ourselves of the needs of these children? Today we speak with Nathanael Matanick. Nathanael is the director and producer of ths short film, ReMOVED. The short film powerfully portrays the emotional journey of a nine-year old girl who is taken from her abusive birth home and placed in the tumultuous foster care system. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

We explain a key concept of trauma informed practice in schools - the concept of adaptation. To learn more about the trauma informed positive behaviour support program, please visit www.tipbs.com

With the increasing awareness of the benefits of sensory strategies in the classroom, how can we use these strategies in a coherent and meaningful way to get the most impact? Today we speak with Kimberley Hodges.Kimberly has dedicated her career to working with students identified as having severe emotional behavior disorders. She has worked in the private residential and public-school settings as a behavior specialist, classroom teacher and instructional lead teacher. Kimberly received her Master’s in Special Education from Georgia State University and her Specialist in Education from University of Missouri with a concentration in Mental Health in Schools. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

Do your students trust you as their teacher? The impact of abuse and neglect in childhood is far reaching. Most devastatingly, these experiences disrupt a child’s capacity build attachments and relationships with those around them – including their teachers. While many think that simply talking to a student, or spending time with them, is enough to build trust - this is often insufficient. The restoration of epistemic trust requires several other educational strategies – strategies that changes how educators relate to the student, and how the student perceives the educator. Listen in to learn about some of these strategies. tipbs.com

Increasing awareness of trauma-informed practice reinforces the significance of the relational pedagogy. That is, developing authentic relationships with young people as a way of restoring their capacity for connection and learning. So what does this relational pedagogy look like in practice? The article we are reviewing today is titled ‘Relational ways of being an educator: trauma informed practice supporting disenfranchised young people’, written by Ann Morgan and colleagues. For the reference to the journal article discussed, check out the show notes at www.tipbs.com

In this episode, we interview Danna Thomas from The Happy Teacher Revolution. Danna is the founder of the Happy Teacher Revolution network - aimed at organizing support groups for teachers in the field of mental health and wellness to increase teacher happiness, retention, and professional sustainability. With teachers are asked to give so much in terms of time, money, and emotional capacity, the Happy Teacher Revolution network aims to support teachers to strike a balance between excellent teaching and personal sustainability.

Supporting students with complex and challenging difficulties can be a difficult task - one that requires educators to collaborate with other educators and professionals. So how can we help these students? Learn about the four step framework for practical strategies for delivering effective support with these students. tipbs.com

Childhood trauma interferes with a students capacity to understand, accept and follow instructions. So how can we help these students?Learn about the four step framework for practical strategies for delivering effective instructions with these students. tipbs.com

We live in the age of the brain. With so much written about the impact of childhood trauma on the brain, how do educators put this science to use in the classroom? Today we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Becky Bailey about her ground-breaking Conscious Discipline program. Dr. Becky Bailey is an award-winning author, renowned educator and internationally recognized expert in childhood education and developmental psychology. She is the creator of Conscious Discipline which has impacted an estimated 15.8 million children while inspiring and training more than 3 million educators and caregivers.To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

Childhood trauma interferes with a students capacity to control their emotions. So how can we help these students?Learn about the four step framework for practical strategies for building the school readiness of these students. tipbs.com

Mary Gordon is founder of the Roots of Empathy program in Toronto, Canada. In 2000, she established this international program Roots of Empathy, which now offers programs in elementary schools in around the world. Roots of Empathy is recognized as one of the top evidence-based social and emotional learning programs. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

In this coaching call, we speak about 'Peter' - a case study about a 11 yr old boy with a prejudicial past, having difficulties at school. The call follows a structured process utilised in the Trauma Informed PBS program to work collaboratively with teachers to generate ideas for interventions and strategies. If you would like to book in for a coaching call for yourself, visit www.tipbs.com and register your details.

The basic needs of children go unmet, they fuel challenging behaviours and hinder learning. These needs include being safe from abuse and neglect, having adequate and suitable accommodation, good and regular nutrition, hydration, sleep, hygiene, exercise and recreation. Learn about the four step framework for practical strategies for building the school readiness of these students. Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdWXT9MaldU

We speak with Dr. Susan Craig. Susan is a lifelong student of early trauma and its effects on children’s learning. Her teaching experience, as well as years of on- site training and technical assistance to school districts throughout the country, provides the context for her advocacy for trauma-sensitive educational reform. Her books Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom (2008) and Trauma-Sensitive Schools: Learning Communities Transforming Children’s Lives (2015) are best sellers among teachers and administrators who use them to guide their efforts to make schools more accessible to children with challenging behaviours. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

We speak with Laura Sikes from the Turnaround for Children program. Set-up in New York in the wake of the events of September 11 in 2001, Turnaround for Children is a program that aims to support schools by providing tools and services to accelerate healthy student development and academic achievement in schools serving high concentrations of children impacted by adversity.Set up by Dr. Pamela Cantor, Turnaround for Children promote clear and actionable steps that can be used by school leaders and practitioners to cultivate safe and supportive environments strengthen relationships and develop essential skills and mindsets. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

For most students, trust in their teachers comes naturally. But for some, like children who have been abused and neglected, trusting teachers is harder. Negative experiences of failure and punishment make these student weary of teachers and their intentions.So how do you build trust with students? Learn the four step framework for practical strategies to connect with challenging students. Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpwunivGo7Y

Despite the burgeoning knowledge about the impact of trauma on learning, the perceptions and lived educational experiences of youth with trauma living has remained unchartered territory in the research literature. Such understandings, can be useful in understanding how to address the challenges faced by traumatized students in the classroom. The article we are reviewing today is titled ‘Student Perspectives on how Trauma experiences manifest in the Classroom: Engaging Court-Involved Youth in the Development of a Trauma Informed Teaching Curriculum’, written by Shantell West and her colleagues at the Wayne State University in Detroit. For the reference to this journal article discussed, check out the show notes at www.tipbs.com

As teachers, we are often at the mercy of the leadership we work under. We are often required to adopt practices and approaches that we may not fully trust or believe in. Despite the promises of every program or approach, the autonomy and judgement of the teachers - the people who know their students the best - is curtailed and distrusted. But what if there was an approach to leadership and practice that was both evidence based, while still allowing the teachers to act on their expertise and skills? Today we speak to James Moffett, principal of the Derby Hills Elementary in Kansas. James embarked on transforming the disciplinary and educational practices of the school to incorporate the research on Adverse Childhood Experiences by focusing on education the whole child, and not just for their academics. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

What is the real impact of a educational leader on a school? Trauma informed practices offer principals a framework to think about about both the needs of the student, as well as those of the teachers and broader community. When implemented with diligence, courage and collaboration, a trauma informed approach to leadership can transform schools to being inclusive and compassionate communities of practice. But is there evidence of such methods actually working? Today we speak with Jessica Griffin, the principal of Logan Avenue Elementary in Emporia, Kansas. Jessica has taught at the primary level and served as an instructional coach. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com

Being a principal can be a challenging and demanding role in schools. Balancing the needs of students, with those of the staff and the school community can be a difficult task. With so many competing needs, adopting a trauma informed approach can seem like a enormous task, particularly when teachers and the school community are tired and weary of new approaches. So why would educational leaders want to adopt trauma informed practice in their schools? We speak to Jim Sporleder, author of the book, Trauma Informed Practice: An Implementation Guide for Administrators and School Personnel. As the principal of Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, Jim and his staff’s pioneering work was documented in the movie Paper Tigers. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

Although much has been written about the impact of such psychiatric difficulties on learning, teachers often have little guidance on effective strategies to support students with mood, anxiety and other mental health concerns. So what can be done to help these students? In this episode, we speak with Jessica Minahan, author of the book, The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students. Jessica is a licensed and board certified behavior analyst, special educator and a consultant to school’s internationally. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.