Blog

I know I say this often, you REALLY dont want to miss this week's episode of 'A Better Normal- Education Upended', it is going to be fantastic! Join us Thursday 10/8 as we welcome our special guests from the Partnership for Resilience to discuss their new report, done in partnership with the Harvard Education Redesign Lab , " Rebuilding for a New Normal: A Study of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trauma-Responsive Schools and Key Recommendations for Communities (Lombard, IL:...

The Attachment & Trauma Network is excited to announce that REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for our 2021 Virtual Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools Conference. The Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference is designed primarily for educators to learn the strategies and implementation of trauma-informed practices in education. Parents and other people working closely with traumatized children will find many of the workshops helpful. All who are concerned about helping to address the needs of...

By Carolyn Jones, September 29, 2020, Lake County Record Bee. Schools can serve as a hub for an entire community after a disaster, experts say For some students, the fire is only the beginning. The nightmares, the grief and an all-consuming dread can persist for months or even years. That’s what teachers and school employees have observed among students in California’s fire-ravaged areas, especially Sonoma and Butte counties, where deadly wildfires have struck repeatedly in recent years.

I am often asked if I know of resources to educate youth about ACEs, I am excited to share with you that our next Better Normal-Education Upended will focus on just that! Join us Thursday 10/1 as we welcome our special guest Samantha Wettje from the 16 Strong Project . 16 Strong is dedicated to empowering resilience to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through educational workshops, school partnerships, and community outreach. 16 Strong strives to continue conversations that help young...

By Paul Gorski, Educational Leadership, October 2020 "I have a story for you," Shari said as she jogged toward me. I had spent the day with her high school's administrative team discussing an equity assessment they hoped to conduct. A major challenge at this school, as in many schools, was the leadership team's habit of embracing shiny new program after shiny new program rather than addressing deep institutional problems. Their latest shiny new program was trauma-informed education. That...

Morning meetings are a good place to start, but what you really need is a toolkit of strategies to meet your students’ social and emotional needs all day long. By Tom Berger September 23, 2020 “Maslow before Bloom”—we hear it all the time. The idea that educators should meet students’ basic needs for safety and belonging before turning to challenging academic tasks is one that guides the work of many schools. In this era of high-stakes testing and inflexible curricula, that’s not as easy to...

By J. Brian Charles, The Trace, September 24, 2020 On a screen full of faces, the lone black square rang alarm bells for the Philadelphia teacher. The boy on the other side hadn’t turned on his camera and his microphone was muted. According to the rules for remote learning at John B. Stetson Charter School , the student was supposed to keep his laptop camera on during class. The teacher alerted Edwin Desamour, the dean at the middle school. A few days later, during a meeting with the student...

The 16 Strong Project is dedicated to empowering resilience to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through educational workshops, school partnerships, and community outreach. 16 Strong strives to continue conversations that help young people recognize and navigate the challenges they are facing as a result of ACEs. We believe that with strong support systems, healthy coping mechanisms and a positive mindset, the negative impacts of ACEs can be mitigated.

By JOHN FENSTERWALD , September 22nd, 2020, on Ed Source State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced an “Education to End Hate” initiative Monday that he and others presented as an alternative to President Donald Trump’s call for “patriotic education” and as an antidote to acts of hate and hate speech that have risen during his presidency. A $1 million foundation donation kick started the effort. It will include resources and training grants for teachers to teach...

By Chalkbeat staff Once again, a justice system declined to bring charges against police officers in the killing of a Black American. Once again, demonstrators took to the streets to protest. Once again, a sense of hopelessness hung over communities. And once again, as one Tennessee educator told us on Thursday, school staff must still “get up and teach and act as if none of yesterday happened.” Throughout this tumultuous year, Chalkbeat has sought to lift up the voices of students and...

The Hope and Justice category was created under the guidance of educators, youth and young adults and community-based partners. While Directing Change will continue to offer it’s core film-focused contest and curriculums, the Hope and Justice category will accept and award submissions on a monthly basis and in multiple art forms. The Hope & Justice category is an opportunity for young people living through history to express their feelings, take action, and to inspire others through art.