Abstract
Twenty-five percent of U.S. schoolchildren attend a rural school. Yet, rural school issues are typically subsumed by debates focused on urban problems and the misguided notion of ample resources available for their remediation. These assumptions belie the reality of the spatial mismatch that exists for rural schools, especially around mental health supports. Adverse childhood experiences and trauma disproportionately affect rural schoolchildren, putting them at greater risk of academic underachievement and other negative throughout the lifespan. Trauma-informed approaches in rural schools may mitigate the effects of childhood adversity and help close achievement gaps for rural students. Rural schools and students have needs and challenges distinct from those of urban and suburban schools, but only 2% of peer-reviewed publications address trauma-informed approaches or social-emotional learning in rural schools. More research is needed to help our 13 million rural schoolchildren develop the resilience necessary to overcome adversity and achieve healthy outcomes.
Highlights
Twenty-five percent of U.S schoolchildren attend a rural school
Such a transformational moment is taking place in rural schools in the early decades of the 21st century, spearheaded by information gleaned from a landmark study around childhood adversity (Felitti & Anda, 1997) and urged forward by an increasing body of evidence that correlates childhood adversity with undesirable aftereffects throughout the lifespan (e.g., Anda et al, 2006; Blodgett & Lanigan, 2018; Campbell et al, 2016; Felitti et al, 1998; Freeman, 2014).According to Noell and Gansle (2009), “the most profound systemic changes in American education have been initiated based wholly or in part on strong assertions regarding equity and human dignity” (p. 79)
Schafft (2016) decries the “peripheralization of the rural” (p. 138) while noting attempts to shoehorn rural schools into urban-centric federal policy: These programs are geared toward helping rural schools overcome structural disadvantages in meeting federal policy goals and achievement outcome guidelines established for all public schools. They do not, in and of themselves, constitute a coherent vision or set of rural school-specific policies. (Schafft, 2016, p. 138) Placism—discrimination based on the region in which someone lives —threatens the educational opportunities for rural students when legislative mandates presume a uniformity of resources that belies the realities of rural schools and their communities (Jimerson, 2005)
Summary
As the impact of trauma on student success has become increasingly evident, a movement toward bringing trauma-informed approaches into schools has emerged (Chafouleas et al, 2016; Forman et al, 2009; Overstreet & Chafouleas, 2016). The Four R’s inform the six underlying principles of a trauma-informed approach: (a) safety; (b) trustworthiness and transparency; (c) peer support; (d) collaboration and mutuality; (e) empowerment, voice, and choice; and (f) cultural, historical, and gender issues Recognizing that these conceptual and cultural changes within an organization require a paradigm shift at multiple levels, the SAMHSA framework was developed for implementation across ten domains common to most organizations, including schools and school districts As schools strive to adopt trauma- informed practices, consideration should be given to program components that may be expected to provide support for students across geospatial contexts (Search Institute, 2019). I described trauma-informed approaches in schools, including the components of positive youth development, social-emotional learning, developmental assets, and developmental relationships. I will present a trauma-informed program designed by and for a rural community in support of positive student outcomes
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