Childhood trauma is a widespread issue. According to Child Trends, nearly half of children in the United States and in Pennsylvania have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, or ACE, which often leads to traumatic stress. Research is clear that traumatic stress in children can negatively impact cognitive, academic and behavioral outcomes.

Yet schools are not equipped to address these problems. A recent ACLU report notes that 90 percent of U.S. public schools do not meet the minimum standards for providing adequate mental health staff (school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses)/ The report recommends school districts expand trauma-informed services and trainings.

Research for Action’s new brief, Trauma-Informed Schools in Pennsylvania: Aligning Expansion with High-Quality Implementation, provides a pathway towards that goal. In it we highlight how “trauma-informed schools” work and provide recommendations for how to expand this approach to education.

What, exactly, is “trauma-informed school”?

To read the full article by Mark Duffy and Rachel Comly, click here.