A curated collection of over 75 lesson plans, writing prompts, short films and graphs relating to racism and racial justice. By Nicole Daniels , Michael Gonchar and Natalie Proulx March 4, 2021 The summer of 2020 was not the first time that urgent conversations about race and racism were happening in homes, classrooms and workplaces. But the energy of the Black Lives Matter protests, believed by many to be the largest in U.S. history , was unparalleled. Though the demands and chants may have...

From San Mateo County Office of Education Facebook page : Our Wellness Wednesdays series is now meeting on Thursdays from 3:30-4:30pm starting January 21, 2021. Take advantage of this opportunity to focus on your well-being and experience our shared humanity through mindfulness practices, simple creative exercises, and restorative listening circles. Register at https://bit.ly/3bsbOaz

Gail Cornwall Nov 18 For years, education research focused on time-on-task as a measure of effective instruction, says Scott Gest , a professor at the University of Virginia. Through that lens, friends in elementary school appeared to be a negative, an impediment to focus and a catalyst for disruption. Even when the value of strong social ties gained recognition, friendships stood to the side conceptually, as developmentally important but not germane to academics. Yet recent research has...

3 trauma-informed practices for your classroom By Anita Chari & Angelica Singh November 4, 2020 As our collective anxieties grow in the face of an uncertain presidential election result, many of us in the United States are wondering: What will we do when we enter our classrooms in these days after the election? Let’s name the situation for what it is: Many of our students are experiencing this period as a traumatic time. Amid the triple upheavals of the pandemic, the movements against...

Paul Gorski October 2020 | Volume 78 | Number 2 Trauma-Sensitive Schools Pages 14-19 To fully support students, schools must attend to the trauma that occurs within their own institutional cultures. "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...

Expansion of School-Based Health Services in California: An Opportunity for More Trauma-Informed Care for Children , is a paper that describes a new opportunity for California to leverage federal funding to provide physical, mental, and behavioral health services in schools to Medicaid-enrolled students experiencing trauma and violence. It explains a newly approved Medicaid State Plan Amendment (SPA) that allows school districts – known as local education agencies (LEAs) – to access more...

In this guest post, librarian Alexandria Brown discusses the issues with labeling books as “diverse” and other ways we can build and promote a more equitable library collection. Every so often, the question of whether or not to add a spine label designating “diverse” books makes the rounds. Many condemn the practice, but lots of library staff persist in labeling. Like most diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues in librarianship, many of my colleagues are still operating within a white...

Thank you for your interest in Magical Bridge Kindness Kits! Magical Bridge Foundation knows that when people of all ages, abilities, and disabilities come together and play on the playground something special happens. We want to bring a little of that magic into your home. In partnership with Changing Perspectives , we are thrilled to provide parents and caregivers with free opportunities for teaching kindness and empathy through short and sweet activities that can be done with common...

Suzanne Bouffard Aug 4 If this were a normal summer, Katy Phinney and her colleagues would be organizing their Pre-K classrooms for the new school year, choosing classroom themes and wall décor. Instead, Phinney is worried about what Pre-K will look like if and when students return to classrooms. “My biggest concern is teachers needing to balance the importance of safety procedures with creating a welcoming and loving environment for our students,” says Phinney, the Pre-K program director in...

By Clare Lombardo Aug 1 In any ordinary school year, school nurses are busy. This year, that's an understatement. "Our role has expanded tenfold," says Eileen Gavin, who co-leads a team of nurses for Middletown Township Public Schools in New Jersey. She and school nurses across the country face an unenviable and unprecedented task: caring for students and staff during a global pandemic. "We were at the front line of COVID-19 before the stay at home orders were put into place," says Gloria...

Playworks believes in a trauma-sensitive approach Educators should focus on providing a trauma-sensitive approach to the reopening of school. Students are all having different experiences right now. For some students, the shutdown of schools due to COVID has provided them with a welcome reprieve from toxic situations or stressors. For others, it has created an increased chance that they’re experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences or new stressors. “A trauma-sensitive school is one in which...

Brandon Stratford July 28, 2020 Regardless of whether students return to school in person or via distance learning , education leaders and policymakers across the country must equip schools to address the social, emotional, and behavioral effects of the ongoing pandemic. To address these issues, many policymakers are turning to school-based mental health services as a key strategy for supporting student wellness. Although mental health services are a critical, often underfunded element of...