TRAUMA INFORMED SCHOOLS
A Book In Progress
WASSW
FALL CONFERENCE
Corrine Anderson-Ketchmark, MSW
Presenter
This presentation will cover:
A Systems Change focus to Build Adult
Capacity for Improving Student Learning
using Trauma Informed practices
1. Why Trauma Informed Schools are
needed (ACES – Brain Development)
2. The Barriers – mission, policies, funding
& many unaddressed Challenges
3. Paradigm shift & Sustainability
4. Trauma Informed Schools (Examples of
Successful TIS)
5. Cost $ – Benefit
6. The Role of School Social Work
(Leadership, skill, and passion)
Trauma Informed
Schools (TIS)
WHY TRAUMA INFORMED SCHOOLS ARE NEEDED ?
WHY NOW?
What we know
(video clip)
• About ACES and Brain
Development
• About barriers to learning
• About what students need to be
able to learn
• About what school personnel need
to be effective
WHEN SCHOOLS ARE NOT TRAUMA
INFORMED
TO MANY STUDENTS
Truant
Discipline referrals
Suspended/Expelled
Low academic performance,
Mental health issues
ACEs in WASHINGTON
Populati
on
Average
· Slowed language
& reading
· Lateralization
· Diminished IQ
· Poor decision
making skills
· Attention
problems
· ADD
· ADHD
· Aggressive
behavior
· Social isolation
among peers
· Poor
understanding of
social cues =
conflict
Significant risk of early use/abuse of:
Alcohol, tobacco, illicit & prescription drugs
Predictable patterns of brain
development, traits and behaviors
EARLY TRAUMA & STRESS
Fast Track to Poverty
· Special
education
· School failure
· Dropping Out
· Low-wage jobs
· Unemployment
· Public
Assistance
· Prison
·
·
·
·
Suspension
Expulsion
Delinquency
Dropping Out
· Chronic Health
problems
·
· Debilitating
mental health
Barriers and Challenges
School Mission - to teach
academics and prepare for the
world of work
School Policies – Top Down
Multiple pressures
•Resistance to change
•Climate & Culture
•Testing – Assessments
•Teaching Practices
•Expectations that all
students learn the same
•Discipline
(Zero Tolerance vs
Restorative Practices
•Attendance/Truancy
•Social – Emotional learning
•Parental Expectations
• A more diverse student
population –
• More exposure to an adult
world
• Social Media influence
• Other Barriers &
Challenges?
Unaddressed Challenges
1. Limited Support for strategies, policies
and practices that prevent and eliminate
trauma or re-traumatize in schools
2. Funding restrictions that impede trauma
informed care
3. Limited support for Prevention & Early
Intervention
4. Workforce issues: Qualified and trained
staff in Trauma – informed strategies and
practices (NCCP)
What is needed – How to Get There?
A Paradigm Shift and Strategies for Sustainability
A change process that is top down BOTTOM
UP to build adult capacity
• Long term change process
• Administrative Commitment
•Staff Involvement
• Time, Resources, Assessment of Trauma Informed
Environment (common view vs trauma informed handout)
•Ongoing Training to understand and respond to
trauma exposure
•outcome measures
• Parental and Student Involvement
• Community Involvement
(Refer to change process check list)
WHAT IS NEEDED? A SENSE OF URGENCY!
Policies that support:
1.
Integration of Prevention & Early
Intervention in existing system
2.
Prevent & eliminate practices that cause
trauma or re-traumatize
3.
Best practices & evidence based practices in
trauma informed care integrated into existing
system
4.
Funding
5.
Allocated Time for Planning & Training
6.
Workforce competency – Training programs
that are ongoing and measures progress of
skill (
Trauma Informed strategies seek to (Harris & Fallot, 2001):
– Do no further harm
– Create and sustain zones of safety for children,
youth and families who may have experienced
trauma
– Promote understanding, coping, resilience,
strengths-based programming, growth and healing
NCCP – www.nccp.org
– Can Schools do these strategies?
– Will Schools do these strategies?
What is needed?
Four Core Principles (NCTSN)
SAFETY
CHOICE
COLLABORATION
EMPOWERMENT
These principles are found in The Heart of
Learning and Teaching – Compassionate
Schools (OSPI)
Trauma Informed
Schools Planning
Who needs to be included in
the planning process?
Who needs to be involved in
the implementation plan?
Who receives training?
Who assesses/measures
progress?
What is missing?
EXAMPLES OF WHAT WORKS
Trauma Informed School
Environments need to include:
•The Sanctuary Model (Bloom)
• Parallel process – climate – culture, staff
and students
• Why Talk Therapy is not Enough!
• Not all students with trauma exposure
need mental health intervention (
Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction – Trauma
Sensitive Practices Resource list)
All students benefit from a
trauma informed learning
environments
Oakland Unified School District
(OUSD)
•Student exposed to high crime,
violence, poverty and Drop out rates
• Superintendent’s vision – adults
needed to be in right relationship with
each other and the students (building
adult capacity)
•School reform effort supported by a
grant from Collaborative for Academic
Social & Emotional Learning (CASEL)
OUSD Social Emotional Learning & Leadership
Development
• SEL to become a part of the “cultural
fabric throughout the entire school
district, no longer 30 minutes lessons, it
would weave through adult relationships,
student –teacher relationships, curricula,
and the evaluation process”
•In its second year of a five year planning
and implementation process ( Pre K-Adult SEL
Standards, Proposed New Board Policy – SEL,
Current Board SEL Policy)
•Developing an alternative measurement
system in lieu of state testing.
OUSD – SEL Learning and
Leadership Development
•It is too early to determine if
SEL improves academics but
OUSD is focusing on the
human dimension of
education – going beyond test
scores that is more lasting and
useful for everyone involved
•See full story on ACES Too High web site
Walla Walla’s Children’s Resilience Initiative (Teri Barila & Mark Brown 2007
– current)
Lincoln High School – trauma informed approaches (2010):
• Significant changes in behavior, attendance, overall school
performance (2012 – current).
•Decreased suspensions 85%
•School district took no further steps to integrate trauma – informed
practices – is waiting for documentation on specific strategies
•2013 Partial Community Gates Grant for
Lincoln High School’s ACE’s & Resilience
program ( drawing is by a Lincoln High
School student)
•Currently with growing community support
and prodding from the school board, Walla
Walla SD is expanding TI practices into Head
Start and three elementary schools (see full
story ACES Too High web site)
$ COST - BENEFIT
COST:
• Minimal additional funding and staffing
• High cost of time – planning, training,
implementing for integration of Trauma Informed
practices
BENEFITS:
• Admin. Lead with staff involvement
• Reduced discipline referrals
• Reduced truancy
• Increased academic engagement
• Increased positive interactions
• Decreased staff burn – out
OUSD and Lincoln High School have similar Cost Benefits
• OUSD –– District Admin lead with Staff
Involvement
Both schools - Costs
Minimal funding
• Grant from CASEL ($300 k)
Time expended
• Extensive planning, training and
implementation ( 5 years)
Both School’s Benefits
Decrease in:
Discipline referrals &
Suspensions
Truancy
Dropout
Negative interactions
Staff burn-out
INCREASE IN ACADEMIC
ENGAGEMENT
• Lincoln High School – Admin lead with
Staff Involvement –
• Existing resources & Partial Gates Grant
(% of $130 k)
• Training, program planning and
implementation (ongoing)
What will help Schools to engage a Change
Process to become Trauma Informed
Costs – Benefits
What we know
Why schools need to be trauma
informed
What stands in the way?
Why are schools not trauma
informed? How long will it take?
SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK ROLE IN
TRAUMA INFORMED SCHOOLS
The Many Roles of School Social
Workers
•Social Justice Advocacy
• Policy Practice
•Change Agents
•Eco - Systems
•Person – in – Environment
• Organizers of Coalitions & Collaborations
• Clinical Skills
The Role of School Social Workers in Trauma Informed Schools
• School Social Workers can lead by influence
and persuasion of what we know about why
trauma informed schools are needed.
• Create a catalyst by organizing coalitions and
collaborations within the school and in the
community.
•Join with existing initiatives such as
Washington State ACES Public – Private
Initiative (APPI), and provide our social
justice/policy practice and clinical skills to
these efforts.
The Role of School Social Work
By galvanizing our
knowledge, experience and
skills School Social
Workers contribute an
essential role in helping
schools and communities
to become Trauma
Informed!!