Schools provide spaces for academic knowledge while also addressing children's social and emotional developmental needs. Because of the holistic development occurring within the education system, it is important to have an awareness of students' experiences and challenges both inside and outside of the classroom. Students with refugee backgrounds…

This study examined the perceived preparedness of educators working in Title 1 schools to address the mental health needs of students. Data were gathered from educators (defined as teachers and other school personnel; N = 299) employed by eight Title 1 public schools within one district in Florida, most of whom were K-5 teachers (n = 199).…

Traumatic experiences have the potential to influence neurological development which can change the way a person behaves, learns, and builds relationships. While the footprint of trauma has always been prevalent, the mental health of America's children has rapidly declined and has been described as a crisis. PreK-12 classroom teachers are working…

Over the past decade, schools have increasingly adopted trauma-informed practices (TIP) due to research confirming the negative impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma on children and youth. This study explored how trauma-informed training affects teachers' experiences of meaningful work. The study is based on the theoretical…

Understanding how to create trauma-informed learning environments which can contribute to learner empowerment is the focus of this phase of an ongoing education design research project. As embedding opportunities for social-emotional learning (SEL) competency development has proven to help all students develop a sense of belonging within their…

The purpose of this research was to conduct a generic qualitative study to report how school counselors in Title I schools in the United States described their experiences implementing trauma-informed practices. This study sought to provide prevention and intervention practices provided to students who have experienced trauma as school counselors…

New science demonstrates how students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders experience trauma at higher rates than their peers. When providing writing instruction to these students, it is imperative that the approaches used be viewed through a trauma-informed lens. This article describes steps teachers can take to view writing…

These are the appendixes for the full report, "Exploring Implementation of Trauma-Engaged Practices in Alaska Schools." The report was developed to provide a better understanding of implementation of trauma-engaged practices in Alaska's schools. Using existing administrative and survey data gathered by the Alaska Department of Education…

We evaluated the psychometric properties of the Trauma Informed Practice Scales -- School Counseling Programs Version scores using item response theory with a sample of 270 school counselors. Participants ranged in age from 24 to 69 years (M = 42.82, SD = 9.96). Participants identified as female (81.5%), male (14.1%) or unreported (4.4%,).…

To help schools address the negative impacts of childhood trauma, Alaska released "Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma-Engaged Practice in Alaska" (Transforming Schools Framework) in 2019, as well as a suite of Trauma-Engaged Schools resources to support implementation of the framework. However, little was known about the extent…

K-8 teachers struggle to implement trauma-informed instructional strategies (TII) in their classrooms. A lack of TII can affect student learning, attendance, disciplinary referrals, and suspension rates and is related to adverse social-emotional and behavioral outcomes. Grounded in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network framework for…

The reasons for committing to active shooter drills and exercises are based on psychological survival and decision-making research, along with experiences and lessons learned. However, in the realm of education, the origins and research-based purposes of active shooter drills are mostly unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve the use of trauma-informed practices for educators in K-12 contexts within the United States, particularly when facilitating conversations about consciousness-shifting current events (CSCEs) with students. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of focus groups…

This study investigates the role of educational leadership in supporting student mental health and promoting equity within schools. It examines three leadership models, transformational, trauma-informed, and equity-focused leadership, and their effectiveness in fostering inclusive school environments. By synthesizing recent empirical studies, this…

The objective of this study is to examine a diverse group of educators and their background knowledge on the overlap of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and traumatic stress as well as their access to developmentally appropriate trainings and interventions for modified traumainformed care. The current research asks (1) do general education teachers…