Blog

By Mary Ann Wolf and Elizabeth DeKonty, Photo: Pexels, EdNC, February 7, 2022 As we continue our focus on the whole child and student mental health, it is important for us to consider how a child’s experiences affect their brain and their behavior. When I think back to teaching two decades ago, the research about Adverse Childhood Experiences had not yet come out. I remember some of the behavioral challenges, in particular, about my students; and I often wonder about how I may have been able...

By Anton C. Bizzell, Photo: Unsplash, Psychology Today, January 26, 2022 The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on individuals and groups around the world, from frontline health care professionals to service workers to the elderly to entire families decimated by the virus. However, there is a large, traumatized cohort that requires more attention : our youth. How do we help young people cope with the upheaval in their lives due to the coronavirus , on top of the many other traumas...

By John Fensterwald, Photo: Allison Shelley/Eduimages, EdSource, January 31, 2022 I n coming weeks, California will embark on a massive undertaking to convert several thousand schools in low-income neighborhoods into centers of community life and providers of vital services for families as well as students. Known as community schools, they will be established over the next seven years. New York and Maryland are among states that are investing in community schools, but California’s $3 billion...

By Jessica Nunez, Photo: Diego Cervo/iStock, California Health Report, January 11, 2022 For the past two years, student life has been different. The university I attend, UCLA, transitioned to virtual learning, which meant students couldn’t see a single professor or classmate in person. For students from low-income families, like me, this change was extremely challenging. More than 70 percent of students attended school remotely during the first year of the pandemic, statistics show . This...

When Grace Berbig was 7 years old, her mom was diagnosed with leukemia, a cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues. Being so young, Grace didn’t know what cancer was or why her mother was suddenly living in the hospital. But she did know this: that while her mom was in the hospital, she would always be assured that her family was thinking of her, supporting her and loving her every step of her journey. Nearly every day, Grace and her two younger sisters would hand-make cards and fill them...

By Carolyn Jones, Photo: Alison Yin/EdSource, EdSource, January 25, 2022 N early everyone has experienced a degree of anxiety or depression due to the pandemic. But for young Black people also confronting persistent racism and ever-widening inequities, the current moment has led to an acute crisis in mental health. The suicide rate among Black youth, which for years trailed that of Asian and white students, has doubled since 2014 is now twice the statewide average, far exceeding all other...

By Adam Gabbat, Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters, The Guardian, January 24, 2022 Conservative groups across the US, often linked to deep-pocketed rightwing donors, are carrying out a campaign to ban books from school libraries, often focused on works that address race, LGBTQ issues or marginalized communities. Literature has already been removed from schools in Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. Librarians and teachers warn the trend is on the increase, as groups backed by...

By Matt Barnum, Kalyn Belsha, and Thomas Wilburn, Photo: Scott Keller/The Daily Times via AP, Chalkbeat, January 24, 2022 High school graduation rates dipped in at least 20 states after the first full school year disrupted by the pandemic, suggesting the coronavirus may have ended nearly two decades of nationwide progress toward getting more students diplomas. The drops came despite at least some states and educators loosening standards to help struggling students. The results, according to...

Spring registration is now open for Trauma-Informed Education & Supporting Marginalized Students courses! NYC teachers may earn A+ credits.

The Attachment & Trauma Network is honored to announce the participation of the U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona in our 5th annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference. Sec. Cardona will address attendees during our general session on Tuesday, Feb 22 in Houston, TX. Sec. Cardona and leaders in the trauma-informed education community will have a live (via satellite) conversation about the importance of trauma-informed strategies and practices in schools and the ways in...

By Emily Henderson, Photo: Unsplash, Medical News, January 19, 2021 Researchers know that experiencing a high number of adverse events in childhood correlates with worse health outcomes in adulthood. These studies have led to an emphasis on trauma-informed practice in schools and workplaces in an attempt to mitigate the harm of early adversity. At the other end of the spectrum, focusing on wellness, Darcia Narvaez, emerita professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame, has helped...

By David Tow, EdSource, January 17, 2021 D uring a recent class, my freshmen and I were discussing the best ways to engage with the complex world of high school. We talked about how to juggle multiple deadlines, contact their busy and unavailable teachers and balance appealing extracurricular activities with coursework and the omnipresent complication of Covid-19. This discussion was part of an ongoing conversation about effective study skills and traits. Most of my 13- and 14-year-old...