Trauma sensitive schools: A comprehensive guide for the assessment planning and implementation of trauma informed frameworks

Abstract

Due to advances in neuroscience over the past twenty years, the developmental impact of traumatic experiences on the developing brain have been well documented. These bodies of work and subsequent interventions, known as Trauma-Informed Practices, have been made accessible to educators, mental health practitioners and other professionals to inform their various practices. Throughout the educational system, despite the known incidence and prevalence of ACEs among children and families, these trauma-informed practices have not been widely disseminated among school-based professionals. As these professionals confront the deleterious effects of trauma on child learning and behavior, traditional classroom management techniques do not meet the needs of the student-teacher learning partnership and may intensify the existing impact of trauma on the developing child. Through the implementation of trauma-informed practice (TIP) frameworks the restoration of student dignity and the investment in relationally focused school cultures, schools can be better equipped to support students who may have been impacted by trauma and mitigate the detrimental effects of trauma on development and academic functioning. This compilation of research is a guide to understanding how schools are positioned as one of the first organizations to intersect with trauma symptoms, comprehending the importance of implementing trauma informed practice, and creating networks of trauma informed practices in school settings.