Please join me in Overland Park, Kansas for two powerful days of discovery, April 25-26, 2018 and learn what is means to build bridges to resilience. I am excited to be a keynote speaker for the Bridging to Resilience National Conference put on by ESSDACK. Attendees will learn powerful strategies for resilience that go beyond just being trauma informed. ESSDACK does good work to solve the problems of poverty and trauma. In all my years of research and travel, I believe that ESSDACK has what...

I read this story when the Bush Administration had enacted the No Child Left Behind Policy in the early 2000's. I feel this story is more relevant today than it was in the early days of No Child Left Behind. A very successful owner of a top wholesale grocery plant, was invited to address a large group of educators on how to set high expectations to produce high quality outcomes. The businessman started out by sharing how his company trained and held their supervisors accountable to make sure...

I had a conversation with an elementary principal from Florida while I was in WA DC last week that has been haunting me. This amazing principal and her staff came together to become a trauma informed school. Why? Because they saw their students’ pain and wanted to create a nurturing, safe, and loving school culture.... Days before coming to the Trauma Sensitive School Conference, she and her staff were notified by the State of Florida Education Office that the entire staff was going to be...

  I came home yesterday and found this email and attached video on my computer.  My heart is still racing and I am very emotional.  I am humbled, and I recognize that this gift is priceless, and one that I will carry with me for the...

When I first started this journey, I used the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE Study) as my reference point for advocating that we include an option for students struggling with abstract concepts. The ACE Study is focused on how stress and trauma in...

Now that reality has hit and more parents are beginning to ask questions, there is a sense of urgency, students and parents don't know where to turn, hope is quickly fading away....time has run out. If you are one of the 4,000 parents whose child has...

First, my heart goes out to every student who was denied his or her high school diploma. These students are victims that our state superintendent and legislators have abandoned, rejected, and chose not to protect them from injustice. 4,200 students...

I write this post with a swell of emotion, disbelief, brokenness, and shock. I question myself, what else could I have done to create public awareness? It just hit me tonight that the long battle to advocate and protect our most vulnerable students...

The state of Washington passed legislation to give letter grades to schools, so communities could see which schools in state were failing. Just another way of riding the dead horse and packaging it differently to our public, but ending up in the same...

When I have a vehicle running poorly, I take it to an auto mechanic to fix the problem. If I have plumbing problems I call the plumber to use his skills and knowledge to help resolve my plumbing issue. Recently I had a tooth that needed a root canal,...

This letter is from a community leader urging support for Representative Maureen Walsh of the  Washington State Legislature as she is working on an amendment to level the playing field before allowing a student to be denied their HS Diploma....

The education reform movement that is currently sweeping across our nation has reached heights of insane madness. As I have been reading and following this movement, it is disturbing to me that the ACE Study is rarely mentioned. Children of trauma...

I am moved emotionally each time I have exchanged email with this incredible family. I have tried to be a support for them and the horrible consequences of "High Stakes" testing. Each time I reach out to them, they reach back and touch my life in a...

We have come to a very dangerous crossroad in our state, and perhaps in other states across the nation. We have non-educators writing educational policy in isolation. They have built a fortress and their attack on education has been reflected in the...

As I have shared in my other posts, this is an amazing parent. Look how she is reaching out to me and supporting my efforts in fighting against the very position she and her daughter are currently experiencing. As educators we have a responsibility to...

This is the second letter from an amazing mother that demonstrates how high stakes testing has victimized her gifted daughter. Both mother and daughter have a significant ACE score, but they are an inspiration of resilience and determination. I...

I came across this poem from a student who left a traditional high school.  We are so quick to judge and label those who don't meet our expected values and expectations. Since I have become the principal of Lincoln High School, my students have...

I was told by a Washington State Senator that he was unwilling to move his position on new state graduation requirements. For students to receive their diploma in 2013, they are required to pass the state math exam. He told me anything less would be a...

Dr. Richerzhagen gave me permission to post his letter that went out to 25 Legislators with only three responses. Theodore Richerzhagen III, Ph.D. I am deeply concerned that this year some 14,000 plus students will be stigmatized and have their future...

Here's a story that broke my heart, and made me determined to fight for the 14,000+ students who are at risk of being forced to drop out of school, because they are not likely to be able to pass the math requirement, a test that focuses solely on...

  “High stakes” testing seems to be the accepted philosophy of our Washington State legislators and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Our citizens are unaware that the current approach of testing high school...

Senator Litzow (SB5328) and House Representative Cathy Dahlquist (HB1476) are leading the charge to hold Washington state schools accountable and closing the achievement gap.  Accountability is the "buzz" word that...

Written By……Teri Barila Walla Walla County Community Network Coordinator/Children’s Resilience Initiative  In a perfect world, children would enter school ready to learn.  With well established social-emotional...

My Personal Story I love this school, it is a part of me. The challenges that I have faced at Lincoln Alternative have been offset enormously because of the assistance of my teachers and the ‘love’ that has been shown to me by just about...

Mr. Chair and members of the Senate Committee on Early Learning, I am Cindy Meyer, member of the Board of Directors of Walla Walla Public Schools.I am here representing the Walla Walla Board of Directors and am submitting a letter from them. We...

February 6, 2013 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 Dear Representative, The Walla Walla Public Schools Board of Directors would like to share our Mission Statement with you. “Walla Walla Public Schools, in partnership with the community, is committed to...

SB 5477 Offers a Second Option to "Forced Dropout" On Friday, February 8, 2013, Senator Roach introduced SB 5477 to the state senate to provide an option for the 16,000 students in Washington State that have met all graduation requirements, have...

When you’re working with students that have high ACE scores, not every story is successful. You’re going to experience pain, just as you’re going to experience joy. Stacy (not her real name) came to Lincoln High when she was a...

This is another essay from our school. I'm posting this for Natalie Allen, one of our teachers. - Jim Sporleder, Principal, Lincoln High School, Walla Walla, WA.    By Natalie Allen Teacher, Lincoln High School Dakota Johnson started at...

How do we create an environment that allows students with high toxic stress the same opportunity to learn and grow as students that aren’t experiencing difficult times in their lives? This challenge required us to look at our interaction with...