From the Idaho Education News -
Trauma-informed teaching changes culture in Caldwell
By Andrew Reed 01/31/2018
CALDWELL — Abuse. Bullying. Divorce. Neglect.
Some students bring these experiences to school from home, which they can’t get out of their brain and truly focus on their learning.
Angela Layne is no stranger to working with students who have experienced trauma. The Lewis and Clark Elementary counselor is changing the way students’ express feelings at school.
She introduced trauma-informed practices to Lewis and Clark Elementary staff and students five years ago. This involves understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of all types of trauma within kids.
“I want to build resiliency in the students by continuing to support and grow the positive culture and climate in the staff,” Layne said, a counselor at Lewis and Clark Elementary. “Trauma-informed is what’s right for students.”
Discipline issues have dropped at the school since using trauma-informed practices. Discipline handled by an administrator decreased 17 percent and teachers are handling more situations in the classroom.
“This is fantastic,” said Leigh Peebles, the principal at Lewis and Clark Elementary. “Kids can’t just set traumatic incidents aside. We need to create a safe emotional environment before we can even talk about academics.”
In the fall of 2016, 19 percent of kindergartners scored at grade level. At the end of the school year, 90 percent of those same children scored at grade level.
One hundred percent of Lewis and Clark Elementary students qualify for free and reduced lunch and 14.7 percent of the students are English language learners.
Read the full article here: Trauma-informed teaching changes culture in Caldwell
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