Anyone have exemplar trauma-informed models of student Codes of Conduct? State models?
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The only "curriculum" I have been able to locate is The Rainbow Days curriculum. Let me know if you find anything else! I'm extremely interested as well.
The attached paper is from Philadelphia's Education Law Center, and offers example of trauma-informed education settings, as well as links to resources. Hopefully, you'll find it holds something new and useful for you.
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Check this one out from Woodland Hills School District, near Pittsburgh:
This is going to be a bit of a long winded answer. I'm the director of program for a Seattle based non profit, Sound Discipline, that supports schools to transition to a trauma informed approach. I think transition is one of the key words. It involves moving away from our traditional ways of interacting with each other - specifically moving toward a system of restorative practices instead of practices that try to teach by hurting and practices that try to teach by rewarding. Those both have a big foot print in most school systems.
We integrate discipline data review (to look for patterns instead of "problem students"), a strong SEL curriculum that uses class meetings as a practice platform (Positive Discipline - the curriculum is available at positive discipline.com) and strong trauma-informed professional development for all staff (certificated and non certificated) to bring about a gradual cultural change. We have learned many things including:
- It is messy hard work that requires strong partnerships and leadership.
- It works to reduce equity gaps and improve academic outcomes.
- It improves school climate and empowers both adults and students
It also requires a re-think of how adults work in schools. As an example, at one of our schools the team re-thought their usual : be respectful, be safe, be responsible theme and shifted to something quite different. "I am safe, I am aware, I am connected." It applies to adults and students.
When you think about those two frames you get a sense of the shift from an adult centered school, to a school where the priority is connection/community and personal responsibility. To me that is at the heart of what we do in trauma informed schools. With that in mind, what should a "code of conduct" look like?
What if it were framed around the concepts of being safe/aware/ and connected?
What if it weren't a list of "if you do this, you get this" but instead a set of what safe/aware/connected looks like and a menu of repair options?
We do model school tours should anyone be interested.
One other comment:
The article posted by Cheryl Todd is a great overview - and I think it also misses some fundamental pieces. (I'm a family doc by training- so this might be my public health perspective coming through.)
We arenât just talking about students exposed to trauma, but about school communities and the community around the school. When we just focus on the students exposed to trauma we miss:
- The adults exposed to their own and secondary trauma
- The other students whose social skills will be/ must be a critical part of the healing process
- The social inequities that perpetuate the problem outside of school
- The epidemic of family violence that we are in the middle of.
And we risk trying to âlabelâ kids or explain away behavior. It becomes a mental health issue instead of a community health issue. And I think that the community aspect of this challenge is critically important both from the stand point of prevention and healing.