Education Commons^™

A Trauma Responsive Approach To Fostering Resilience, Addressing Equity Issues And Improving Student Wellness And Academic Success, Mark Harrington, Joe Thompson, Catherine Stone, Kim Witeck

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

. The REO (re-entry option) Program was created in response to an overwhelming need to address severe disciplinary referral patterns and the disproportionate impact on students of color. It is rare that the underlying issue that may have precipitated the undesirable behavior is considered, and even rarer that a referral to clinical staff is the response. In the REO program is an intervention designed to be initiated by a teacher who recognizes or experiences a student in pre-crisis or a student a student who believes they need to a safe place to self-regulate to prevent escalating behavior. The student is …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Trauma-Informed Instructional Practices In One Northeast Tennessee School District, Alecia Burleson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions of classroom-level educators regarding the application of trauma-informed instructional practices. This was achieved by evaluating educators' understanding of the influence of trauma on students, their level of familiarity with trauma-informed instructional practices, and their assessments of the effectiveness of these practices. Trauma refers to an individual's response to a single traumatic incident, a succession of traumatic events, or extended exposure to a traumatic event (SAMHSA, 2014). As awareness of the prevalence of childhood trauma has increased, it is acknowledged as a serious public health issue (Lang et al., …

The Knowledge And Utilization Of Trauma-Informed Care By Educational And Mental Health Professionals Who Serve Children In A Texas City, Mashelle Ancell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand the knowledge and utilization of trauma-informed care by professionals serving children within schools, social service agencies, or child therapy in a middle-sized Texas city. Previous studies acknowledged the prevalence of trauma and the need for systemic trauma-informed care in communities. The theoretical framework used to guide this study was attachment theory due to the emphasis on securely attached relationships, which is consistent with trauma-informed care. Data collection methods included an online open-ended questionnaire and semistructured personal interviews. Data analysis was completed using reflexive thematic analysis to develop themes from participant …

Trauma-Informed Gatherings: What Does It Mean And What Does It Take?, Chelsea Williams, Jamie Bain

The Journal of Extension

As community members continue to experience racial trauma at both individual and community levels, our Extension team responded by adapting an anti-racism leadership training program to be more trauma-informed. Our team designed a tool using Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s trauma-informed principles to support public health practitioners to facilitate trauma-informed meetings. This tool can be a starting point for Extension professionals to create more trauma-informed gathering spaces in all areas of their work.

The Importance Of Mental Health In A Post Pandemic Society: The Impact On College Minority Students, Jerry Wallace

Tapestry: Journal of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Education

The mental health of collegiate students, specifically minorities increased during the pandemic. The death for all minorities increased as well as financial burdens and mental health trauma. Black students were already faced with being a part of a general demographic with higher death rates, challenges with a variety of diseases, and financial concerns. The pandemic further exposed and increased those challenges which in turn created more mental health concerns. Collegiate institutions were faced with student enrollment concerns and students were determined to seek resources in a variety areas to support the added trauma. This article will explore the impacts of …

The Experiences Of Elementary General Education Teachers Working With Students With Mental Health Deficits: A Phenomenological Study, Jordan Cole Swineford-Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of general education elementary teachers attempting to meet the mental health needs of students in their care. Ten teachers from an Eastern Virginia school district were selected to participate in this study. Individuals with experience working with distressed students were selected through purposive criterion and snowball sampling. The theories guiding this study were Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs and trauma theory (Caruth, 1995). Data from survey/questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups were collected and analyzed per transcendental phenomenology procedures to identify emerging themes from the data. The following four …

Covid-19 Crisis: Shifting Educational Leadership Toward A New Normal - A Case Study, Emily C. R. Ellwood

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of educational leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has often pointed to the role of educational leadership and its relationship to the quality and well-being of a school’s culture and climate. Recently the coronavirus has created a crisis on a magnitude the world has never seen that has globally altered human interactions and created an educational new normal. Literature is quickly seeking to examine the impact on education, and while much of its effect is yet to be seen, this study advances the understanding of crisis leadership, distinct from crisis management, during the …

A Trauma Responsive Approach To Fostering Resilience, Addressing Equity Issues And Improving Student Wellness And Academic Success, Mark Harrington, Joe Thompson, Kimberly Witeck

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

We’ll start with our school’s motto, “Family, Love, Respect,” which is posted in nearly every hallway, office and gathering place in our school. We attempt to provide each student with a strong sense of each. Although ours is an alternative high school, filled with stories of trauma, neglect and despair, our students are resilient! With that in mind we have created a number of programs to encourage resilience, provide a healthy path forward, decrease student discipline, and foster student success. All of these programs, and the stories we share detailing what our students have overcome show just how resilient young …

Write The Book! How To Share Research And Promising Practices To Support Underserved Students, Douglas Rife

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The needs of our students have grown exponentially in the last two years. Educators, community services and care givers are at a loss to support all of the academic, physical and emotional challenges our students are facing. Learn tips and processes for writing a book to share your research, experience and solutions to ensure the happiness and success of ALL students.

Equitable Funding For Trauma Informed Social Policy: A Critical Analysis Of The 2019-2020 Pennsylvania Department Of Education School Safety And Security Grant Program, Heather Bickley

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study is a critical analysis of the funding distribution of the 2019-2020 Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) School Safety and Security Grant (SSSG) to identify if there is evidence of inequity in the grant's funding distribution. It used a theoretical framework that includes a transformative paradigm with trauma informed social policy as a theoretical lens, with the conceptual lenses education debt and distributive justice, applied to a concurrent mixed methods design. The research followed a QuantCrit methodology, and the features of a critical policy analysis were used to present the findings.

The quantitative tests found several significant …

From A Boy To A Leader, Alejandro Zayas

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The following autoethnographic dissertation examines my personal experiences of trauma, abuse, and violence. Drawing on journals, memories, and artifacts from my life, I use self-reflection to illustrate the impacts of trauma on my childhood and adulthood. My traumatic experiences of sexual abuse, childhood violence, and emotional abuse are situated within broader sociocultural contexts of masculinity, Hispanic culture, and social norms. This study illuminates possibilities for healing and transformation for myself and others with shared traumatic backgrounds. It calls for trauma-informed education, masculinity, and resiliency. Evocatively sharing my traumatic life events provides an accessible window into often silenced experiences, bearing witness …

Navigating Acculturative Stress: A Guide For Supporting Newcomer Students In California Esl Classrooms, Daniela Lopera Ruiz

Master's Projects and Capstones

Acculturation has been widely studied as a post-migration phenomenon that individuals face when coming in contact with their new recipient culture and environment. The different experiences, tasks, and requirements that newcomers must endure upon arrival may lead to their suffering prolonged periods of discomfort. This moderate, intermediate, or acute feeling of uneasiness is defined as acculturative stress. In it, the continued exposure to stressors such as adjusting to a new culture, rules, behavioral patterns, a second language, finding housing, and obtaining an education and employment can lead to trauma. This field project has been designed to provide educators and allies …

K-5 Elementary Alternative Program: A Case Study, William E. Scheuer Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how the K-5 elementary alternative program All Students Can Thrive (ASCT) used student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. There is a lack of research on K-5 elementary alternative programs, such as ASCT, and specifically those that integrate student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. Literature does not contain universally accepted interventions that are effective in the elementary alternative setting to help students return to the mainstream classroom setting better prepared to display appropriate behaviors when a student is removed from a mainstream classroom setting due to disruptive behaviors. …

How Liaisons Leverage Self-Regulated Learning During Transitions To Online Learning At A Mid-Western Urban School District: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Traci C. Eshelman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to discover how homelessness liaisons leverage self-regulated learning to buffer learners’ risk and adversity during transitions to online learning for students experiencing homelessness (SEHs) at a Midwestern urban school district. The theory guiding this study was Zimmerman’s social cognitive theory of self-regulated learning, a protective factor for SEHs. After collecting data using a questionnaire, conducting individual interviews, and a focus group, the study used bracketing or epoché to analyze data collected on 11 homelessness liaisons regarding how they fostered self-regulation in their students during the transition to online learning COVID-19 Closures caused. …

An Act Of Hospitality: From Clinical To Trauma-Informed Academic Support, Melinda M. Dewsbury

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Higher education environments tend to sustain interpretations of student success that place the responsibility on students alone. This perspective, often described as deficit thinking, shapes educational responses into remedial ones. In this view, students who struggle do so because of poor study skills or habits. Academic support, then, fills the students with what they lack. This approach assumes that all students access learning in the same way, and that all students are equally able to make good academic choices. However, research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) finds that many students bring with them a history of trauma, which changes the …

Promoting Trauma Informed Professional Learning And Practices For Staff And Student Success, Rachel E. Anderson

Culminating Experience Projects

Educating students is incredibly important life’s work. When done successfully, it requires teachers and staff members to not only find independently successful strategies for each student to learn academics at their own personal highest caliber, but it also requires us to form authentic and caring relationships with each and every student inside our building. Offering students an emotionally safe environment where they know they are valued and supported is oftentimes undervalued in this nation of high stakes testing as the determinant of sole success. However, in order to “get to” the academics, we need to begin by pouring into our …

The Effects Of Previous Traumatic Experiences On Learning Outcomes: Perceptions Of Black Men Who Are Attending Community College, Willie Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic underachievement among Black students, particularly Black male students, is a troubling trend that has long attracted scholarly attention. The prevailing consensus is that the shortcomings of some Black male students in academic achievement may be attributable to traumatic experiences arising from environments of violent, inner-city poverty that disproportionately affect Black men. Traumatic experiences have been shown to negatively affect Black men’s self-perception, emotions, self-image, and social and cognitive skills, with consequences in the form of measured shortfalls in retention and graduation rates. My qualitative, phenomenological study sought to explore how previous traumatic experiences of Black men affected their academic …

Exploring How Latinx Gender And Sexually Diverse Youth In The Rio Grande Valley Experience And Confront Homophobia: A Qualitative Study Of Alumni Community Leaders/Advocates, Heraclio Flores Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Framed by queer theory, this qualitative study seeks to better understand the unique experiences of homophobia that occur amongst Latinx gender and sexually diverse youth (GDSY) in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). Latinx GSDY in the Rio Grande Valley are less likely to be in schools that adopt affirming policies and are therefore more likely to experience homophobia. It is also likely that their social, emotional, physical, and academic wellbeing are impacted negatively. The study collected written journal responses from nine Latinx gender and sexually diverse alumni of RGV schools (including the researcher) that presently serve as community leaders …

Another Empty Seat: Educators’ Experiences With Trauma And Grief After A Student’S Death, Lori G. Berryman

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This phenomenological study utilizes narrative inquiry to analyze four teachers’ perceptions of their lives, occupations, and institutional expectations following a student’s death. Through participant interviews and personal reflections, the researcher observes the effects of a student’s death through a Contemporary Trauma Theory framework. Through this lens, trauma-narratives are a powerful tool in helping those affected by loss reframe the events and understand them in a clearer context. Participants indicated that there is an increase of concern for the parents of the deceased, feelings of guilt and regret, and retraumatization due to the lasting presence of the deceased student. Perceptions of …

Teaching Students About Trauma, Stress, And Brain Regulation, Kathy J. Van Horn

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

All students are impacted by stress and can improve learning through understanding the brain and brain regulation. For students who have experienced trauma this information is critical to their success. This presentation will provide guidelines, ideas, and strategies for teaching students key trauma-informed principles including strategies for physical, emotional, and cortical regulation. These principles and strategies can be taught to students individually or through group and classroom settings. Practical ideas and examples will be given along with feedback and lessons learned from the students we have taught.

Challenging The Norm: Raising The Bar For Educators Of Foster Youth, Valerie A. Storey, Fletcher Roschanda

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

An increasing number of foster youth find themselves representing a vast majority of the most academically vulnerable population. The trauma and neglect experienced by foster youth is but one of many factors influencing educational achievement. The role of educators in foster youth educational attainment is critical. It requires teachers and school leaders to understand the complexities of trauma; to positively develop comprehensive knowledge of trauma-informed practices; and the ability to create a learning environment where foster youth feel supported in their educational journey.

Teacher Perceptions Of Shifts Within The School Culture After Implementation Of A Trauma-Informed Program, Jennifer Green

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the educators’ perceptions of shifts within the culture of Jefferson Elementary School after the implementation of a trauma-informed approach. This study focuses on examining changes to the school culture after implementing trauma-informed practices. As educators continue to feel the pressure of increased academic expectations alongside the social and emotional demands that arise from childhood trauma, increased support through trauma-informed practices becomes necessary for the wellbeing of everyone. However, there are challenges in the implementation of these practices which can impact the culture of the school.

The researcher used the qualitative method of …

The Influence Music Education Programs Have On Identity Development, Cultural Awareness, And Trauma Related To African American Youth That Live In Urban Settings, Michele Colbert

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Research continues to document results that suggest a positive relationship between music education programs and student academic achievement. However, there are an insignificant number of studies that look at the influence music education programs have on variables such as identity development and self-concept regarding its impact on African American youth that live in economically disadvantaged communities. Seeking to ascertain the manner by which an urban multicultural choral program influences identity development, promotes cultural awareness, and combats levels of stress in youth of color, I utilized a basic interpretive qualitative study design, drawing on elements of phenomenology. In an effort to …

Traumatic Life Experiences And Their Impact On Factors Pertinent To Leadership Effectiveness In School Principals, Derrick D. Hardaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many schools across the nation are not making adequate achievement or growth goals from year-to-year. This leads to high principal turnover rates and instability in the learning environment which profoundly impacts student achievement. Currently, most efforts in schools are aimed at raising student achievement, implementing equitable practices, and limiting barriers. While these are critical actions for closing the achievement gap, the principal’s role in this process is vitally important. Therefore, this quantitative study explored how trauma affects factors that are pertinent to leader success in school principals. To determine the impact trauma has on leadership qualities, this study examined the …

Student Self-Harm: The Impact On An Elementary School Principal's Leadership, Jason Daniel Rose

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Research on self-harm and children tends to focus on adolescent children (12 years of age and above). There is limited available information about self-harm in children ages 11 years and younger. This study utilized autoethnography as the methodology to provide a rich description of the professional experiences and practices of an elementary school principal who worked with self-harming primary-aged students. Based on an autoethnographical analysis, this study proposes future research and makes recommendations for school leaders implementing trauma-informed practices, educators working with self-harming students, and districts committed to proactive support.

The Many Facets Of Trauma - High Need Index School Principals' Perspectives Of Trauma-Informed Care., Nicole Michelle Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study attempts to add to the literature by shedding light on the best practices for fostering and applying effective trauma-informed care (TIC) in schools and the educational practices and policies through human experience elements. Creating trauma-sensitive, safe, and supportive schools requires a new discernment among principals. It also requires holistic changes to transform school, culture, build supporting infrastructure, and alter curriculum content and intervention (McInerney & McKlindon, 2014). TIC refers to treating the whole person mentally, socially, emotionally, and physically. This study interview 14 principals' perspectives in a large urban school district to discover what practices, procedures, …

Preparing North Carolina Principals For Trauma-Sensitive Leadership, Tawannah G. Allen, Anthony Jackson, Dustin Namath Johnson, Derrick D. Jordan

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Childhood trauma is an all-too common factor in the lives of students and their families. Schools and communities across America are more likely to serve families that have experienced trauma (Anderson, 2016). Although trauma or toxic episodes can impact families across the economic spectrum, children living in poverty, in socially isolated areas, and in economically distressed communities are often disproportionately affected. Statistics offered by the National Resiliency Institute (2018) are as equally dismal, in that 72% of children and youth will experience a traumatic episode caused by abuse, neglect, the loss of their homes to hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, incarceration, parental …

Review Of The Vulnerable Heart Of Literacy: Centering Trauma As Powerful Pedagogy., Zipporah Galimore

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

In The Vulnerable Heart of Literacy: Centering Trauma as Powerful Pedagogy (2019), Elizabeth Dutro provides educators with heart-felt, inquiry-based strategies for using trauma as pedagogy in literacy classrooms. This book describes how to situate both educators and children to provide testimony and be critical witnesses in an effort to allow life knowledge, empathy, and wisdom be brought to classroom learning experiences. Dutro uses classroom vignettes and student work samples to illustrate how the concept of trauma as pedagogy can be applied across genres. Experiences and examples of literacy instruction in children's work from several elementary classrooms, from second grade through …

Escapando Las Trampas: Teacher Preparation For Mexicanas, Larissa Perez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Developing Maestras face and overcome linguistic, academic and cultural forms of gatekeeping while trying to navigate through our current education system. For this Capstone Project, the impact that gatekeeping has on developing Maestras and how it affects their academic and professional aspirations was investigated. This is an important issue for developing Maestras, the University of Gringolandia as well as for the education system of Nepantla county. The success of developing Maestras Mexicanas closes the racial gap and directly impacts the student success rate within Nepantla county. The literature and data results analysis indicate that the gatekeeping practices that keep Mexicanas …

Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Academic Achievement Of School-Aged Learners, Paul Carlson

Graduate Teacher Education

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are part of ongoing discussions among educators identifying at-risk students in need of additional support for academic success. This paper explored the cross-sections of academic achievement and ACEs within academic settings. This study featured a literature review with qualitative and quantitative studies on ACEs and their relationship to chronic absenteeism, retention, dropout rates, behavioral problems, and academic achievement in the United States of America (USA). In addition, studies on trauma, resilience, and mental health are used to further explain academic achievement in relation to ACEs. The focus question of this study is: How do adverse childhood …