Every day, millions of students in the United States go to school weighed down by interpersonal traumas, community traumas, and the traumatic effects of historical and contemporary race-based oppression. A wide range of adverse childhood events--including physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse; chronic bullying; community or domestic…

This "Rating a Teacher Observation Tool" identifies five simple questions and provides an easy-to-use scorecard to help policymakers decide whether an observation framework is likely to produce fair and accurate results. The five questions are: (1) Do the criteria and tools cover the classroom performance areas most connected to student outcomes?…

Addresses the importance and advantages of building a classroom community in which the physical, emotional, and cognitive needs of the learners are considered. Recommends three student-centered activities that enable children to become members of the classroom community by sharing their personal experiences with one another and practicing…