Evaluating Trauma-Informed Educational Practices With Trauma-Exposed, Female Students

Youth who have experienced psychological trauma, such as court-involved youth, encounter unique challenges and barriers to their academic success (Burley & Halpern, 2001; Courtney et al., 2001; Courtney, Terao & Bost, 2004; Pecora et al., 2005). For court-involved students, many of whom come from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds (Brandt, 2006; Lawrence & Hesse, 2010; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013b), a school’s response to student behavior can further complicate these challenges (Cole et al., 2005). Unfortunately, little research exists on the educational well-being of female students in this population (Crenshaw, Ocen, & Nanda, 2015) and trauma-informed educational practices have not been extensively tested. In response, this three-paper. study examined the use of a trauma-informed teaching intervention in a school that exclusively serves court-involved, female students. First, I qualitatively explored the perceptions and experiences of students at both a trauma-informed school (N=42) and a non-trauma-informed comparison school (N=34). Next, I quantitatively assessed the associations between the intervention and 109 students’ trauma symptoms and self-esteem over the first three years of implementation of the trauma-informed intervention. Finally, I used mixed methods to examine 71 students’ use and perceptions of the Monarch Room (MR), the school’s trauma-informed alternative to suspension/expulsion practices. Findings illustrate more positive student experiences in the trauma-informed school environment, decreased trauma symptoms across three years of intervention implementation, increases in student use of the MR, positive student perceptions of the MR, and suggestions for MR improvement. Implications for policy and practice are addressed, along with considerations for future research

What’s a threat on social media? How Black and Latino Chicago young men define and navigate threats online

Youth living in violent urban neighborhoods increasingly post messages online from urban street corners. The decline of the digital divide and the proliferation of social media platforms connect youth to peer communities who may share experiences with neighborhood stress and trauma. Social media can also be used for targeted retribution when threats and insults are directed at individuals or groups. Recent research suggests that gang-involved youth may use social media to brag, post fight videos, insult, and threaten—a phenomenon termed Internet banging. In this article, we leverage “code of the digital street” to understand how and in what ways social media facilitates urban-based youth violence. We utilize qualitative interviews from 33 Black and Latino young men who frequent violence prevention programs and live in violent neighborhoods in Chicago. Emerging themes describe how and why online threats are conceptualized on social media. Implications for violence prevention and criminal investigations are discussed

Teaching through Collective Trauma in the Era of COVID-19: Trauma-informed Practices for Middle Level Learners

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on education and the ways in which teachers engage their students. Given the individual and collective traumatic nature and impact of this global health crisis, we provide specific strategies for addressing the needs of young adolescents while teaching remotely. Specifically, we posit that middle level educators should embed trauma-informed practices, focused on restoring safety and modeling adaptive behaviors, into their remote instructional practices. Recognizing that the COVID-19 crisis has a collective traumatic impact, affecting the lives and wellbeing of students and teachers alike, we also discuss the importance of self-care, providing strategies and resources for teaching professionals. Finally, we provide some guiding thoughts on how teachers might approach moving forward upon returning to face-to-face learning in the physical classroom

Teacher Candidates’ Emerging Perspectives on Trauma Informed Teaching

A transdisciplinary team of candidates with teacher and social work educators describe their perspectives of trauma-informed teaching and intentions to use evidence-based practices in classrooms. We studied classroom management from a trauma-informed perspective in the first course in the program, then reflected back on these through a professional learning community created to intentionally focus on trauma informed teaching. We highlight findings around candidates’ perspectives and specific actions they attended to in order to incorporate those practices

Classroom Management through Teacher Candidates’ Lenses: Transforming Learning Communities Through a Community of Practice

To better prepare teacher candidates for classroom management through attention to learning communities that affirm and support diverse students, including those effected by trauma, four instructors redesigned a required, undergraduate course. This study describes findings from three teacher candidate co-authors who were enrolled in that course. One semester after completing a course on classroom management and building community, candidates were asked to review their course products and other artifacts to consider what they learned and build upon their prior knowledge. Candidates used stimulated recall to respond to prompts on community building and relationships, gender and racial inclusivity, trauma sensitive practices, and the school to prison pipeline. Their perspectives contribute to understandings about how candidates engage in sense-making regarding classroom communities and classroom management