Resource roundup: Trauma-responsive practices

Trauma can be an underlying and often hidden cause of behavioral and academic problems. Identifying trauma and understanding its effects is critical for supporting student success. To assist educators, we rounded up resources on trauma-informed care and trauma-responsive practices from across the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program.

• A recent REL Southwest webinar on research-based, trauma-responsive education practices examined trauma in schools, current research on the topic, and strategies for creating a trauma-responsive school environment.
• This three-part REL West webinar series on addressing the effects of trauma in schools explores the effects of trauma on brain development, approaches and frameworks to foster positive youth engagement, and the importance of supporting youth-serving adults to sustain this important work.
  • Part 1: Trauma and Resilience 101
  • Part 2: Fostering Positive Youth Development: Opportunities to Reframe the Conversation About Trauma
  • Part 3: Self and Collective Care of Youth-Serving Adults
• Two REL Appalachia blog posts examine trauma related to the opioid epidemic:
  • Community Opioid Abuse and Student Trauma: New Challenges for Educators
  • Learning From Each Other: State Efforts to Address the Opioid Epidemic and Its Consequences on Schools in Appalachia
• A REL West event on understanding school mental health practices and trauma-informed approaches explored how schools and clinics can work together to support children who are experiencing trauma and other mental health challenges. Resources include recorded presentations and handouts.
• In this 6-minute REL West video, “Voices from the Field: The Importance of Trauma-Informed Practices,” two national experts in trauma and resilience— Leora Wolf-Prusan and Dr. Martha Merchant—discuss why trauma-informed practices are important for students and schools and share ideas for educators to strengthen the culture of youth-serving organizations and better support struggling students.
• A REL West conference on supporting student resiliency in trauma-sensitive schools brought together educators, researchers, child welfare experts, and mental health providers to discuss ways to transform Utah schools into more supportive environments for children who experience trauma. Resources include recorded presentations.
• In this REL Midwest webinar on equipping parents to support children’s kindergarten readiness, Kimberly Mann, project director of the Illinois Birth-Three Initiative at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, discusses how trauma-informed care can support social and emotional development.The presentation starts at 22:00 into the webinar. 
• The Ask A REL reference desk service has rounded up research in response to several questions related to trauma-informed practices:
  • REL Appalachia: What is the evidence on interventions for supporting the social-emotional and educational progress of foster children, particularly those who are justice-involved or who have experienced trauma?
  • REL Midwest: What does the research say about the prevalence of trauma and mental health concerns across racial and socioeconomic groups for students?
  • REL Southwest: What are promising strategies for educating students suffering from mental health issues such as grief or anxiety resulting from loss or abuse?

In addition to these resources, an upcoming REL Northwest toolkit, scheduled for publication in 2020, will provide evidence-based policies and procedures for welcoming, orienting, and guiding immigrant and refugee secondary school students who are new to the United States, including resources for working with students affected by trauma.