Blog

PSAs designed to help grow awareness of the impacts of developmental or 'childhood' trauma. All the narratives are about real kids (with pseudonyms) who are trauma-impacted. These are not "combined" or imaginary narratives, nor caricatures.

A school in San Diego uses a “facility dog” to offer children a kind of healing that humans sometimes cannot provide. It used to take Mary Skrabucha five minutes to walk across the campus of The O’Farrell Charter School in San Diego. Now it takes her twenty, because with Sejera — a golden retriever  — by her side, kids and teachers are constantly stopping to say hello. Sejera isn’t your average friendly retriever. She’s a trained “facility dog” who works with Skrabucha in Family Support...

Connect with challenging youth by Dr. Larry Brendtro I have been very fortunate to have connected with some excellent mentors over the years and Dr. Brendtro is one of my all time favorites. If you work with kids that are challenging you need to know the work of Dr. Brendtro!! Although he is no longer affiliated with Reclaiming Youth International... do check out the work : by Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern., Reclaiming Youth At Risk; Our Hope for the future. Here is a sample of some of...

The Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative has made this excellent 11 minute video available for sharing widely. All children need safe and supportive environments in order to learn. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study demonstrates that nearly every school has students who have been exposed to overwhelming experiences, such as witnessing violence at home, being direct targets of abuse, homelessness or having a parent with substance abuse or mental health issues. Trauma-sensitive...

Los Angeles schools shouldn't only be places where students go to learn; they should also be community centers , after-school gathering spots and hubs for social services. That principle is better known nationally as the "community schools" model — and it's about to get the endorsement of a newly-formed, powerhouse coalition of labor unions, faith-based groups and social justice organizations who see it as a new organizing principle for the Los Angeles Unified School District. The coalition,...

The first anti-bullying project took place more than 30 years ago in Scandinavia. Since then, projects have cropped up around the world, mostly taking a similar overall approach: raising awareness of bullying and getting students to engage in activities that highlight its negative effects. By 2004, enough anti-bullying projects had been introduced in enough places to review their overall impact, including some meta-analyses of their results. Unfortunately, the evidence about their success...

Applications for the 2017 Trauma Learning Communities are due by 5:00 PM EST on December 23, 2016: 2017 Trauma-Sensitive School Learning Community for schools and districts 2017 National Trauma-Informed Care Learning Community for behavioral health, social service, community and large system organizations. By joining one of these learning communities you will connect with trauma experts and other organizations through a series of coaching calls and webinars, two in-person summits, access to...

National experts on sexual harassment in K-12 schools have teamed up to create a new educational video about gender equality, intended to inform students that they have a legal right to attend a school where nobody is harassed because of their gender. The timing couldn’t be better, said Esther Warkov, cofounder of the nonprofit group Stop Sexual Assault in Schools , which produced the free video for use by schools, clubs and parent groups. President-elect Donald Trump, who boasted in a 2005...

It is time for us to integrate and act on... what we currently know about how our young can flourish in our schools. We can begin to create places where children thrive and grow into their potential. We know the growth needs of all humans. 4 Universal Growth Needs- Circle of Courage Model • Belonging- Am I important to somebody here? • Mastery- Am I good at something here? • Independence- Can I influence my world here? • Generosity- How can I share my gifts to help others here? 1.

Recently, the topic of corporal punishment in schools has come up again. This time, the topic has bubbled up thanks to a letter sent on November 22 by U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. . In his letter, Secretary King urged state officials to end the use of corporal punishment, like spanking, in schools. While King’s letter may be recent, this discussion is not. Almost 15 years ago, our Board of Directors adopted a resolution calling for the banning of corporal punishment in schools.

At most schools, governed by a traditional disciplinary approach, the offender would land in the principal’s office, likely followed by a few days of detention: an hour after school, empty classroom, utter silence. At Robert W. Coleman Elementary School in Baltimore, kids are instead referred to the Mindful Moment Room, an oasis of colorful tapestries and beanbag chairs, oil diffusers and herbal tea, where they practice deep-breathing exercises, meditate and talk about what happened. It’s...

Sandra M. Chafouleas, a professor in the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education, reflects on the film "Resilience" and how it can help encourage new and veteran educators to use a "whole-child" lens to support students and their families.