Three pioneers in transforming the cultures of public schools from one of punishment to compassion for children suffering from adverse experiences spoke at a panel in education today at the California Summit on ACEs. Godwin Higa, principal of elementary school Cherokee Point in San Diego, where most of his students came from the lower-income stratum, realized that teachers needed to understand the whole child.
To create a trauma-informed school, Higa first found grants. He said there are lots of them. Then, he started instituting policy changes by engaging teachers and the community to create a risk-free environment and a paradigm shift from the practice of punishment to compassionate treatment of students. The school has become a national model of the trauma-informed approach to education and provides support to families as well as students through community partnerships and training programs.
Fania Davis (Angela’s sister) described a healing approach – using circles of people -- informed by her work with indigenous peoples in Africa. After working for years as a civil rights lawyer, burning out and then working in Africa, she started the Restorative Justice for Oakland’s Youth in 2005 to introduce the healing processes she had experienced abroad. A pilot program at a middle school proved so successful, that now 30 schools in the Oakland school district have adopted restorative justice as a process with “amazing outcomes.”
Joyce Dorado, founder of UCSF HEARTS, asked how we could address ACEs on a systemic level. Her organization collaborates with the SFUSD and uses a variety of strategies for establishing safety, fostering supportive relationships, and promoting resilience by building on the student’s strengths. They have trained 1,500 SF school district personnel in trauma-informed practices, and adds Dorado, “We need to change our cultures.”
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