Tagged With "Public Education"
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Access Denied: The Fight for Public Education [revealnews.org]
The idea behind public education is simple: A community pays into a system that aims to create a bright future for the next generation. Years pass, and those kids grow up. They pay into the same system, yielding the same dividends. Repeat. But things aren’t always that simple. As this week’s episode explains, the policies that shape public education can be subject to influences – ideological and financial. We begin with a profile of President Donald Trump’s Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos.
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An Epic Battle for Public Education: A Front Line View
As one single example of one key complexity (there are many others), children in our Public School classrooms have massive rates of trauma, described by a U.S. Department of Justice report as an “epidemic” and by past Surgeon Generals as “national crisis.”
The Center for Disease Control(CDC) says it is critical to understan
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An Evidence-Based Indictment of Inaction
If schools are to be guided by data, the data says more than 2 of 3 children experience at least one ACE: children of all incomes, all colors, all social levels, all educational levels. It is all of us. Is your school trauma-informed?
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An Evidence-Based Indictment of Inaction
If schools are to be guided by data, the data says that 2 of 3 children experience at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE): children of all incomes, all colors, all social levels, all educational levels. It is all of us. Is your school trauma-informed?
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An open letter to Governor Wolf:
Childhood Trauma: "The elephant in the [class] room".. . and it doesn't "just go away" Dear Governor Wolf and Education Secretary designee Rivera : I write regarding injured, marginalized children in our schools, to ask that you include them explicitly in a broad, “Healthy State” paradigm in your new administration. Read more at: WHYY NewsWorks http://lucidwitness.com/…/childhood-trauma-versus-public-e…/...
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Peek Inside a Classroom: Danny
When you look inside a classroom, there are some things you can not see . . .
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Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
Wiry, active, savvy. Jasmine. There were not many good days. . . only random moments of calm in a violent storm, erupting on a ‘hair trigger’
When you look inside a classroom there are some things you can not see….
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PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL, EDUCATION COMMITEE: STANDARDIZED TESTING HEARING: TESTIMONY NOTES
"We won’t have a successful education paradigm, or even accurately interpret academic success, while ignoring trauma’s overwhelming presence." ...
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Poetry in Motion: Drama Lit Team Preps for Spring Slams By Elisa Knoell Learn4Life Student
Imagine the power of putting a handful of kids together in a class to tell their stories in their own words—and earn credits in the process. This school year, Learn4Life’s Innovation High School (IHS) San Diego – Lakeside is offering a spoken word poetry course titled “Dramatic Literature”. The course engages youth in classic works of literature and empowers teens to take charge of their own futures and unearth their potential. Annabelle Reyes, a Drama Lit student, told how beneficial the...
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Danny goes to school
Danny goes to school. The story of one child, hoping to be safe. http://lucidwitness.com/2014/0...anny-goes-to-school/
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Do Children have a Right to be Safe ?
A comparison survey of government and departmental(legal vs. healthcare, vs. education) treatment of child safety given prevalence of childhood trauma. http://lucidwitness.com/2014/0...-right-to-be-safe-2/
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Educators to Trump school safety commission: Don’t repeal Obama discipline guidelines [edsource.org]
As the federal commission on school safety headed by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos ramps up its schedule of public forums, an unusually broad array of individuals and organizations has sent a letter imploring DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to retain federal guidelines issued by the Obama administration to combat racial disparities in school discipline. The letter is significant both for its strong defense of students’ civil rights and because the more than 80 signatories...
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Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Yes, money matters in Education. Money is absolutely necessary, but money is Not sufficient. A key variable has been missing from the discussions about a new Education Paradigm: Childhood Trauma. Childhood trauma is broad in scope...
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How to Help a Child Struggling With Anxiety [npr.org]
By Cory Turner, National Public Radio, October 29, 2019 Childhood anxiety is one of the most important mental health challenges of our time. One in five children will experience some kind of clinical-level anxiety by the time they reach adolescence, according to Danny Pine, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health and one of the world's top anxiety researchers. Pine says that for most kids, these feelings of worry won't last, but for some, they will —...
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How Vaping Nicotine Can Affect a Teenage Brain [npr.org]
By Jon Hamilton, National Public Radio, October 10, 2019 The link between vaping and severe lung problems is getting a lot of attention. But scientists say they're also worried about vaping's effect on teenage brains. "Unfortunately, the brain problems and challenges may be things that we see later on down the road," says Nii Addy, associate professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular physiology at Yale School of Medicine. [ Please click here to read more .]
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Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Developmental trauma changes the architecture of the physical brain, ability to learn and social behavior. It impacts two out of three children, but I didn’t even know what it was…
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LucidWitness: Increasing Public-Awareness of Developmental Trauma
LucidWitness blogposts are designed for social media to help grow awareness of developmental trauma among your network(s).
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Echo Conference Spotlight: Restorative Justice
This year’s conference has something for everyone! Opening the conference, Echo’s Co-Executive Directors will be joined by some very special guests, including Anne Hudson-Price, an attorney from Public Counsel. Anne will be speaking about the legal action taken by Public Counsel to bring trauma-informed services to Compton School District. “You have to address trauma in order to do anything about the achievement gap,” she says in this article . In addition to featuring the Public Counsel,...
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
This is awesome information, Daun!! I especially like the part where you explain why teachers cannot become trauma-informed on their own. I'm reposting for ATN. Melissa
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Congratulations on an impressively well-organized and comprehensive presentation of a large mass of useful information! This might make a good DVD for widespread distribution.
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Outstanding article Daun, and great timing with school around the corner.
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Dr. Felitti, Thank you so much for your kind words and your suggestion. I am very honored and the DVD idea is quite intriguing! Daun Kauffman
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Thanks so much Jim! I appreciate all your support. Take care of those beautiful grandchildren :-)
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Re: LucidWitness: Increasing Public-Awareness of Developmental Trauma
This index is phenomenal Daun! Thank you for your continued commitment to and passion for creating trauma-informed schools and being part of the solution in spite of, or perhaps because of, the very hard work you do every day!
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Re: LucidWitness: Increasing Public-Awareness of Developmental Trauma
Wow! Thanks so much Leslie!
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Re: Do Children have a Right to be Safe ?
Dear Dawn, Thank you for this thoughtful, comprehensive and amazing compilation of information about safety. You have done a masterful job of uncovering how our various systems define safety and make excellent suggestions. You are to be commended! I do agree with your point that it is critical to keep the child at the center of our understanding of safety - however, I also think it's important to acknowledge that environmental safety (such as creating safe buildings and developing safe...
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Re: Echo Conference Spotlight: Restorative Justice
Thank you so much, Louise! I'm planning on sharing this with a number of other people in San Diego who are passionate about bringing RJ to our schools in San Diego in increasingly impactful ways! Blessings on your work! :-)
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
In response I'd like to share this article about a program I work with: http://www.theatlantic.com/nat...-nonviolence/277893/ Not spoken in this article - is this dramatic change - a 90% reduction in violence and police calls - came from training only the adults in the building. We changed how the adults interact with the kids and got these results! We've since returned to train the students also. Roger Kluck
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Sorry, having trouble with the link Mr. Kluck. Daun
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
OK, got the link to work. Thank you for sharing. Results seem impressive ! Would you fill in some blanks on total student population before/after ? number of "engagement coaches" ? class size before/after ? have you gotten same results at other schools ? Did you get the same results in 2013/2014 school year ? Are you still there for 2014/2015 year ? Did you share results/get response from SDP ? Daun
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Thank you Daun for this insider's summary regarding the elephant in the room named TRAUMA. I have made the comment that really the public school is the largest social service agency we've got but nobody but me views it that way (I guess that sounds like a bleeding heart liberal). The remedies seem overwhelming, but your emphasis on an environment of safety instilled by training the adults make sense. As a mental health professional who has had some experience working in public schools, I...
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Thank you Wendy ! I couldn't agree more regarding both teacher training and schools(and teachers in classroom) providing social services. My post on "Do children have the right to be safe ?" contains a section on the U. S. Educational System shortfalls (vs. legal and healthcare systems). In spite of seemingly being the most broad, most frequented, most convenient (neighborhood), and probably most crucial system to receive children in efficient 'brain states. Acknowlegement of, and response...
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Wendy, also see my comment at the end of RWJF blog on Culture of Health http://lucidwitness.com/2014/0...a-culture-of-health/
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Greetings All - I am jumping in as I have what may be a somewhat unique perspective on the topic of funding (or fueling) the work we are generally engaged in from within various roles. As a central office admin for 10 years I knew that content literacy (ie, reading, math, science, etc) was important. From a resiliency and asset management perspective, I also knew that learners impacted by trauma/neglect/ACE's were at a distinct disadvantage with peers who did not contend with such adversity.
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Re: WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT ? TEST DATA OR LIFE DATA ?
I think the elephant in the room is profit$. The testing environment for teachers and students is not grounded in evidence-based research. The points that Daun brings out has a depth of research behind it. I was in a school yesterday that has been labeled by the state as a school of improvement. They have a fifty page document in which they have to complete for the state to show how they are going to raise student test scores. The principal was in tears, the teachers I talked to were in...
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Re: An Epic Battle for Public Education: A Front Line View
Powerful...in Canada...certainly British Columbia...a similar movement is at work in the political sphere it would seem. Wrote about the lack of regulation and the support of operating like a "business" in private schools in BC. For those interested see http://www.amazon.com/Teaching...ssroom/dp/0994082029
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What's Missing ?
What's Missing ? "Education Reform" is primarily a systemic concept, oblivious to children, and treading on justice issues. http:// lucidwitness.com/2014/09/25/wha ts-missing-3/
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WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT ? TEST DATA OR LIFE DATA ?
What's more important ? Test data or life data ? http://lucidwitness.com/2015/0...data-or-life-data-2/ ...
Ask the Community
How Can We Make South Florida Schools Trauma Informed?
Let's Make South Florida Schools Trauma Informed by Endorsing TIS Leaders! This is Natalia Garceau from Broward County, FL. Last February, in Washington, DC, l met so many wonderful, caring educators from all over the United States and abroad at the first ATN Conference for Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools. Sadly, I was the only person from South Florida, and I was not sent to DC by my school district. I came there on my own to learn newest strategies of how to help traumatized children...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Thanks for this post Sandy and Daun! To say it is urgent we transform our schools and communities is by far the key priority facing educators and public health officials today! There remains minimal benefit from common core and standardized testing if we cannot help children (and staff) learn emotion regulation and so so post haste! I couldn't agree more with your post. As a team member who has co-authored and worked with Sandy Bloom, Sarah Yanosy and a few others on some of Sanctuary's most...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Considering the recent suicide by hanging of a 13 year old boy in Staten Island, Danny Fitzpatrick, I believe we must intensify the above. We must discuss that sometimes teachers, coaches, school administrators are the ones causing trauma in children and they are not remotely safe people to "listen" to or protect a child. We have to take a hard, honest look at Bullying in schools, which continues to rise, and ask the question: hate is a learned behaviour...so who is teaching bullying? We...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Jennifer, the issue needs to be explicitly, directly addressed. I agree. I'm not sure if "carrot" or "stick" is best, maybe combination... Thanks for sharing, and for your passion!
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Hi Daun, I think combo of carrot and stick, but as we've discovered, carrot won't work until stick is brandished. As soon as we attach serious consequences to emotional abuse, adults who bully kids, then everyone will get educated fast. When we wanted to stop people smoking and harming others with second hand smoke, we quickly implemented laws that fined people and threatened jail. Everyone is now well educated about the harms of smoking and second-hand smoke. If suicide was the second...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Hey Jennifer, I have the same request for advice with politicians. In the case of developmental trauma at our city and our state levels, the first goal is simply "awareness". Even with me as an example, I had to dig around and dig around to eventually put pieces together to begin to grasp the portion of the concept that I know have. Maybe I should expand that slightly to be "accurate" awareness. At any rate, folks should not have to dig around that hard to get informed. After "awareness"...