Tagged With "standardized testing"
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
PS: Louise Is the "Trauma-Informed Schools Team" part of LAUSD ?
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
We are working with LAUSD - pilot project in Sally Ride Elementary and training all 300 Psychiatric Social Workers in School Mental Health - but we are an independent nonprofit. Echo Parenting & Education http://www.echoparenting.org/wsi
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
PPSS Louise, 1) Hmmm, well I am very honored by your invitation to the conferrence. It MAY be possible. The issue will be taking time away during the school year. However, my son is out there and it'd be great to incorporate some time with him .... Thinking (when would you need to know ?) 2) Wouild it be possible to post "Peek Inside" to your Facebook page? Daun daunkauffman@gmail.com
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
What a good idea! We can indeed do that. Deadline for workshop applications has already gone (we are sending them to our illustrious Advisory Committee to select our line-up). Why don't you think about it and then let us know if it's a possibility. We could work something out... a break out room, or something.
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
Daun, I truly appreciated your blog - the depth of understanding and development of the reality of trauma inside our schools! I'm putting together a packet for my own public school system's Board of Education (3 members) whom I will meet with in November. I think this is a powerful example of what we need to see, and how we can help. Thank you so much. Brenda Gregory Yuen North Potomac, MD
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
I am so thrilled (and astonished) to see advocacy efforts move forward. I always wonder what happens to pieces (and their suggestions), once thery are 'released' into cyberspace. Thank you so much for the feedback, and for your work, Brenda!
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
We shared your blog on our Facebook page: Echo Parenting & Education. Lou
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
Louise, don't forget that "Peek Inside" is a two part series. "Jose" illustrates dissociation. The other part "Jasmine" illustrates hyperarousal / hypervigilance. Here http://lucidwitness.com/2015/0...-inside-a-classroom/
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Re: ACEs in Education & COVID-19
ACE's, COVID-19 & Trauma-Aware Education - Changing Schools: 7 Big Shifts in Social Consciousness due to COVID-19 Ethos is, as ethos does - Are we all on-board with the following ethos? ETHOS: If a child commits a criminally-prosecutable act then it is a matter for doctors & hospitals, not police & jails (there should be HIPPA protections, not just FERPA)! Well? Onboard? If one grasps the prior, the following is self-evident: CORPORAL PUNISHMENT lays the foundation for abuse and...
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Trading Pencils for Hammers: These Kids are Getting Jobs Right out of High School (nationswell.com)
“Kids get really hungry for being able to answer that age-old question in math of ‘When am I ever going to need to know how to use this?’” Burke said. Geometry in Construction provides an answer. Geometry in Construction was first offered in 2006 by Scott Burke, an industrial technology teacher, and Tom Moore, a math teacher, at Loveland High School in Loveland, Colorado. A cohort of 80 students built a 640-square-foot home, which now sits in the mountains outside of Woodland Park, Colorado.
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Trauma education and mindfulness help youth living amid gun violence
Armon Hurst, 2nd from left, first row, Teens on Target, courtesy of YouthAlive! Eighteen-year-old Armon Hurst serves as vice president of the student body at Castlemont High School in Oakland, Calif. He has a 4.0 grade point average, is an avid baseball player, and is slated to go to college next year. But until a few years ago, Hurst would find himself waking from nightmares in the middle of the night. It was difficult to concentrate at school, and he wasn’t eating well. Armon Hurst “There...
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Trauma Informed Education
We have finally completed our one day seminar on trauma informed education. We will be in Los Angeles in February, New York in early March and Michigan in April. We have attached brochures for each of these presentations Hope to see you there!
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Trauma Informed Education
I am up in New York this week doing trauma informed education training for PESI. If anyone is interested in hanging out and sharing ideas I will be in white plains on wednesday, plainview on thursday and in Manhattan on thursday evening/friday. See attached brochure
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Trauma informed education in juvenile justice settings
Jane Stevens contacted me about posting our presentation delivered at the correctional educators conference this last spring. We have been delivering online professional development to all of the educators in the Ohio Juvenile Justice setting in order...
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Trauma-informed groups rev up to address race, inclusion
Eighteen-year-old Kia Hanson has always enjoyed her time as a youth leader at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC). She’s worked mostly with five- and six-year-olds since she began in 2016. Recently, she tapped into new skills, especially if the kids were having a meltdown. Kia Hanson “If they’re off, we ask them, ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘Do you want to talk about anything?’,” she explains. “Basically asking before assuming they’re mad at the world for no reason.” What made the...
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Trauma-informed practices may lower rate of school suspensions [Reflector.com]
By Amber Revels-Stocks The Times-Leader Saturday, November 3, 2018 Pitt County Schools is implementing a new practice in an attempt to decrease the amount of discipline referrals in its schools. Trauma-informed practices take into consideration adverse childhood experiences or ACEs that can affect physical, mental or emotional health, according to Karen Harrington, director of student services. Examples of ACEs include having a household member in prison, having divorced or separated parents...
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Trauma-informed practices may lower rate of school suspensions [Reflector.com]
By Amber Revels-Stocks The Times-Leader Saturday, November 3, 2018 Pitt County Schools is implementing a new practice in an attempt to decrease the amount of discipline referrals in its schools. Trauma-informed practices take into consideration adverse childhood experiences or ACEs that can affect physical, mental or emotional health, according to Karen Harrington, director of student services. Examples of ACEs include having a household member in prison, having divorced or separated parents...
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Trauma-Informed Schools Need Trauma-Informed Policies [http://childsworld.news/09/28/2018/trauma-informed-schools-need-trauma-informed-policies/]
Childhood trauma is in the news every day, from school shootings to the opioid crisis to separation at the border. While some stories are highlighted in the media, every community has children we never hear about who are dealing with violence, addiction, poverty, mental health issues, and abuse. The good news is that the public is becoming more aware of trauma’s devastating effects. Terms like “toxic stress” and “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs) are no longer used only by mental health...
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Trauma-Informed Student Codes of Conduct
The Trauma-informed School movement is at a critical stage where student discipline policies must reflect the educational neuroscience and trauma-informed practices being implemented in our schools. Otherwise, you haven't made it yet to the trauma-informed stage. Use this link as a litmus test: https://medium.com/@drjimwalters/trauma-informed-student-codes-of-conduct-e1ecbb18cb6f I welcome others to share their work in this area.
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Trauma is Messy
I will always remember the day that, as a student teacher, I watched as a student entered my second-grade room covered in blood. After quickly establishing that he was not injured, we learned that the blood was that of his brother who had been shot the night before. No parents were around that night, so this second grader became the sole caregiver of his bleeding brother. My student would never be the same. We didn’t care about grades or test scores. We just knew that this moment would...
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Trauma-Responsive Education Is Changing School Culture
My involvement with Topper Academy began when the vice-mayor told me that a new principal was coming to the alternative high school and she asked if I would reach out to her regarding trauma-informed education. So, I invited Melanie Riden-Bacon (Mrs. RB ) to attend the four-hour, trauma-informed training. I noticed by the end of the training that she had tears in her eyes.
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Turnaround for Children releases new paper and announces hiring for key positions
Michael Lamb, Executive Director, Washington D.C., Turnaround for Children sent the following message about a new paper, Building Blocks for Learning, just released by Turnaround and three new positions it is seeking to fill. Take a look: "Hi friends and colleagues, it’s an exciting time for Turnaround in Washington, D.C. as we work towards our vision that one day all children in the US attend schools that prepare them for the lives they choose. In addition to our exciting work in schools,...
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Turning chores into classrooms: New grocery store experiment hopes to inspire learning (whyy.org)
If you’re grocery shopping in Philadelphia over the next year you might run into a cherubic cartoon character named A.J. Though his wide smile and trendy haircut impart a sense of whimsy, A.J. has a serious task. He wants to transform your daily supermarket trip into a learning laboratory. A.J. is the face of “Talk It Up,” a pilot project aimed at inspiring interaction among parents and kids. At strategically placed sites across 10 grocery stores in Philadelphia, A.J. appears on small,...
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Two studies point to the power of teacher-student relationships to boost learning (Hechinger Report)
" Published in the June 2018 issue of the Economics of Education Review, the researchers found that this increased student-teacher familiarity led to higher test scores, albeit a small increase, after controlling for students’ prior academic achievement and teacher differences. The benefits of getting the same teacher twice in a row were largest for minority students. And when a large share of classmates had the same teacher as before, even kids who were new to the class posted higher than...
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Universal free lunch is linked to better test scores in New York City, new report finds [chalkbeat.org]
Offering all students free lunch helps boost academic performance, a new report, which looked at meal programs in New York City middle schools, shows. The study, out of Syracuse University’s Center for Policy Research, assessed the impact of universal free lunch on students who previously didn’t have access to such a meals program. Researchers found “statistically significant” bumps in reading and math state test scores once students attended schools with universal free lunch. One way to...
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Visionary Atlantan grows community model for trauma-informed education with a housing solution
Title image: Marjy Stagmeier, Atlanta real estate developer and social entrepreneur **Author's note: This story was a combined effort and co-authored by ACEs Connection members Jennifer Hossler and Carey Sipp. We are a new and united front focused on shedding light on a variety of trauma-informed and ACEs - informed initiatives happening across the state of Georgia. Thanks to Carey for her awareness of the work of Marjy Stagmeier and for leading me to her so we can share her vision with the...
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Want to boost test scores and increase grad rates? One strategy: look outside schools and help low-income families [chalkbeat.org]
When Marquita, a Memphis mother of six, became homeless, her children began to struggle in school. “The kids were just out of control,” she said. “Their grades weren’t the same.” “What people don’t understand is what adults go through, kids go through it too,” she said. “I didn’t know kids get depressed until I went through this situation.” Marquita, who asked that her last name be withheld to discuss her living situation and her children’s mental health, said she became homeless because she...
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We're Constantly Checking on Students, But What About the Teachers? [boredteachers.com]
[Daun Kauffman photo.] ____________________________________________________________ This morning, I thought about taking a sick day—a mental health day. Yesterday was a rough day in the classroom, a day that ended with a parent-teacher conference after school hours. It was a day that I laid my head on my desk during my planning period and resorted to my hidden candy stash in my bottom desk drawer. This morning, I thought, “I’ll take my first sick day.” I’d been saving them for months, coming...
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What do preschool teachers need to do a better job? (hechingerreport.org)
One city’s attempt to professionalize early education could be a model for the nation. “We believe that preschool is an integral part of the public school system and public school should be universally available because every child can benefit from it,” said Josh Wallack, Deputy Chancellor of New York City’s Department of Education. “Therefore, preschool should be universal.” The changes have come with new money and support to ensure that the city is not only offering preschool to all, but...
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What does it mean to educate the ‘Whole Child’? [communityadvocate.com]
Marlborough – One in five students today may struggle with mental illness as reported in the December 2017/January 2018 issue of Educational Leadership. Furthermore, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMOI) estimates that 20 percent of youths aged 13-18 live with a mental health condition. On average, there are 121 suicides every day in the United States, of all ages as reported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. According to NAMOI, 50 percent of all mental illness...
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What's Missing ?
What's Missing ? "Education Reform" is primarily a systemic concept, oblivious to children, and treading on justice issues. http:// lucidwitness.com/2014/09/25/wha ts-missing-3/
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WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT ? TEST DATA OR LIFE DATA ?
What's more important ? Test data or life data ? http://lucidwitness.com/2015/0...data-or-life-data-2/ ...
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What US Schools Can Learn From Finland’s Approach to Education (ssir.org)
What happens when a country decides that one of its most precious natural resources is its children? Finland’s educational system provides a clue. New scores on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD’s) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test are set for release in December 2019 and will draw the attention of education leaders as a measure of which countries best educate their children. How Finland has achieved these results makes it particularly...
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'Where The Need Is': Tackling Teen Pregnancy With A Midwife At School (npr.org)
The student comes in for a pregnancy test - the second time she's asked for one in matter of weeks. She's 15. She lives with her boyfriend. He wants kids - he won't use protection. She loves him, she says. But she doesn't want to get pregnant. She knows how much harder it would be for her to finish high school. At many schools, she would have gotten little more than some advice from a school nurse. But here at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C., she gets a dose of midwife Lorel...
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Why and How Teachers Can Become Better Prepared for Trauma in Schools
Below is the text of an article appearing in Forest of the Rain Productions with a special thanks to Dr. Michael Robinson. Link to piece is: https://forestoftheraineducation.weebly.com/we-donrsquot-teach-educators-enough-about-trauma-we-should-do-more-karen-gross.html TEXT: Hardly a week goes by without some trauma in the US. Some events are nature made; some are human-made. There appear to be fewer and fewer “safe” places and spaces. The usually “safe” places – schools, universities,...
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Wilson High School introduces Edge Foundation coaching to help students with ADHD and adverse childhood experiences succeed [Tacoma Weekly]
Wilson High School for the first time is training staff to provide executive-style coaching to students with executive function challenges often experienced because of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or trauma, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and/or non-traditional learning styles. Wilson High School is the sixth school in the Tacoma School District to use a coaching program designed and administered by the non-profit Edge Foundation. Other Tacoma schools that are...
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Re: System of positive rewards to reduce student discipline takes off in California [edsource.org]
Jody, I agree. In my reporting, the schools that integrate trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on ACEs science (which means that relationships are at the core of this approach...relationships between student and teacher, student and student, teacher and teacher, teacher and principal, principal and staff, etc., etc., etc), make huge progress. They see 90% drop in suspensions, expulsions eliminated, kids' grades and test scores increasing, truancy dropping, etc. Other...
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Re: Why We Should Embrace Mistakes in School [greatergood.berkeley.edu]
Alicia, I have a 13 year old daughter with the same perfectionist thinking! She seems to zero in on "it's not my fault" whenever anything goes wrong (not only with her). As a counselor, I keep emphasizing that no one is talking about fault, that perfection is a sign of trouble - not a goal to achieve...but I must say, she must be getting these messages reinforced from somewhere because this is her fallback response to anything perceived as negative. I often wonder if it is the school system.
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Re: Could Parkland Shooting Be Prevented? Yes, and Runcie Knew How
Please see the attached report that demonstrates the effectiveness of the interventions - seen in the Paper Tigers movie: Higher Resilience and School Performance Among Students with Disproportionately High Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) at Lincoln High, in Walla Walla, Washington, 2009 to 2013 Research Report, February 2015 Conclusions This s tudy provides empirical support for the thesis that systemic changes in school practices, ones developed with the support of the community to be...
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Re: Against the Tide
Emily, I am an elementary school teacher in a district that is embracing trauma informed practices. Please, please, please keep speaking up for students, teachers and schools. We need your voice. Until school districts are released from the test and punish education policies, they will never truly be able to change their cultures. We need professionals like you explaining that to administrators and policymakers. Thank you for doing what you do.
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Re: Against the Tide
Maureen, thank you so much for your comment and your wonderful email! I love the small world connections that we encounter when we do this work. I am NOT GIVING UP (too damn stubborn for that - lol). I hope someday we get to have coffee together and envision a trauma-informed PA!!! BEST, Emily
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Thanks for this post Sandy and Daun! To say it is urgent we transform our schools and communities is by far the key priority facing educators and public health officials today! There remains minimal benefit from common core and standardized testing if we cannot help children (and staff) learn emotion regulation and so so post haste! I couldn't agree more with your post. As a team member who has co-authored and worked with Sandy Bloom, Sarah Yanosy and a few others on some of Sanctuary's most...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Considering the recent suicide by hanging of a 13 year old boy in Staten Island, Danny Fitzpatrick, I believe we must intensify the above. We must discuss that sometimes teachers, coaches, school administrators are the ones causing trauma in children and they are not remotely safe people to "listen" to or protect a child. We have to take a hard, honest look at Bullying in schools, which continues to rise, and ask the question: hate is a learned behaviour...so who is teaching bullying? We...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Jennifer, the issue needs to be explicitly, directly addressed. I agree. I'm not sure if "carrot" or "stick" is best, maybe combination... Thanks for sharing, and for your passion!
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Hi Daun, I think combo of carrot and stick, but as we've discovered, carrot won't work until stick is brandished. As soon as we attach serious consequences to emotional abuse, adults who bully kids, then everyone will get educated fast. When we wanted to stop people smoking and harming others with second hand smoke, we quickly implemented laws that fined people and threatened jail. Everyone is now well educated about the harms of smoking and second-hand smoke. If suicide was the second...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom
Hey Jennifer, I have the same request for advice with politicians. In the case of developmental trauma at our city and our state levels, the first goal is simply "awareness". Even with me as an example, I had to dig around and dig around to eventually put pieces together to begin to grasp the portion of the concept that I know have. Maybe I should expand that slightly to be "accurate" awareness. At any rate, folks should not have to dig around that hard to get informed. After "awareness"...
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Re: Does Betsy DeVos Understand the Impact of Poverty and Trauma on Children’s Learning? [commondream.org]
Leslie, Thank you for posting this blog! Just wanted to draw your attention to the toxic stress, abuse, and harm students are subjected to everyday in the name of education. "Poisonous Pedagogy" is a term Alice Miller coined to describe the negative practices adults impose on kids in the name of education. Students experience a range of stressors in the name of learning: test anxiety; curricula and standards that are developmentally inappropriate; bullying by staff, administrators, parents,...
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Why Equity Matters in Trauma Sensitive School Work
Trauma Sensitive School practice has gained momentum in the last several years, inspiring changes in educator perspective, administrative policy, and classroom practice. I am often inspired by efforts to understand student challenges in new ways and use innovative strategies. What can give me pause is when this work is applied to institutions or systems where structural bias and inequity are not acknowledged or confronted. In this case, sometimes labels like “trauma kids” or “high-trauma...
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Back-to-School in a Pandemic? Questions, Concerns, and Discussion with School Nurse, Robin Cogan
Robin is a brilliant, passionate, and vocal school nurse with almost two decades of experience as a New Jersey school nurse in the Camden City School District. She is the Legislative Co-Chair for the New Jersey State School Nurses Association and she joined us last week for A Better Normal community discussion about back-to-school (or not) plans families are facing this school year. Robin serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing...