Blog

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...

Please join us for our new series Education Upended: Talking Out of Turn . This monthly series will feature a conversation facilitated by Lara Kain, PACEsConnection Education Consultant, with special guests on education related current events and hot topics. We will use a trauma-informed and PACEs science aware lens to examine what is going on K-12 education, what needs changing, and strategies being used in the field to disrupt harmful policies and make positive changes in the system.

By Valerie Strauss, Photo: iStock, The Washington Post, January 6, 2022 The recent announcement by former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg that he was donating $750 million to help expand charter schools in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas sparked another round of discussion in parts of the education world about the best way to improve public schools. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed , Bloomberg declared that “American public education is broken” and that charter schools — which are publicly funded but...

Are you ready to transform your school to become a trauma-informed and healing-centered environment? Join us for the PACEsConnection virtual Trauma-Informed School Leadership Institute. This institute is specifically tailored for school leaders and leadership teams who want to understand the HOW of trauma-informed schools. Speakers will include current and former building leaders engaged in the work as well as other national experts supporting schools through this transformation process.

Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN) is excited to announce the addition of a screening of the Mott Haven Documentary at the 5th annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference on Thursday, Feb 24, 2022. The screening will include a conversation with JC Hall, LMSW, EXAT a Hip Hop artist and clinical social worker who runs the Hip Hop Therapy Studio program at Mott Haven Community High School, a “second-chance” transfer school in the South Bronx. In 2013, Hall assembled a professional...