Tagged With "Justice"
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ACEs & African Americans Community on ACEs Connection
ACEs Connection envisions a resilient world where ALL people thrive. We are an anti-racist organization committed to the pursuit of social justice. In our work to promote resilience and prevent and mitigate ACEs, we intentionally embrace and uplift people who have historically not had a seat at the table. ACEs Connection celebrates the voices and tells the stories of people who have been barred from decision-making and who have shouldered the burden of systemic and economic oppression as the...
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An Epic Battle for Public Education: A Front Line View
As one single example of one key complexity (there are many others), children in our Public School classrooms have massive rates of trauma, described by a U.S. Department of Justice report as an “epidemic” and by past Surgeon Generals as “national crisis.”
The Center for Disease Control(CDC) says it is critical to understan
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An Evidence-Based Indictment of Inaction
If schools are to be guided by data, the data says more than 2 of 3 children experience at least one ACE: children of all incomes, all colors, all social levels, all educational levels. It is all of us. Is your school trauma-informed?
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An Evidence-Based Indictment of Inaction
If schools are to be guided by data, the data says that 2 of 3 children experience at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE): children of all incomes, all colors, all social levels, all educational levels. It is all of us. Is your school trauma-informed?
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Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
© Elliot Gilfix/Flickr . What happened to Jasmine? . Photo © Jinx!/Flickr When you look inside a...
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Peek Inside a Classroom: Danny
When you look inside a classroom, there are some things you can not see . . .
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Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
Wiry, active, savvy. Jasmine. There were not many good days. . . only random moments of calm in a violent storm, erupting on a ‘hair trigger’
When you look inside a classroom there are some things you can not see….
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Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
Photo credit Max Klingensmith at flickr . Jose was one of the calmest, quietest, most peaceful boys in the classroom. The kind of boy everybody loves. ...
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PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL, EDUCATION COMMITEE: STANDARDIZED TESTING HEARING: TESTIMONY NOTES
"We won’t have a successful education paradigm, or even accurately interpret academic success, while ignoring trauma’s overwhelming presence." ...
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Danny goes to school
Danny goes to school. The story of one child, hoping to be safe. http://lucidwitness.com/2014/0...anny-goes-to-school/
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Defending Childhood
Common Sense Millions of injured children whose pleas are not being heard are waiting at the intersection of the “Defending Childhood” Report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Congress’s rewrite...
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“Disgraceful” Disparities In School Discipline Funnel Kids Into Justice System [witnessla.com]
By Taylor Walker, Witness LA, November 11, 2019 Research and the national conversation around racial disparities in school discipline have largely remained focused on the outsized disparate treatment that black students receive when compared with their white peers. Yet Native American youth face much the same disciplinary treatment in schools that black students do, according to a report from San Diego State University and Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative (SNAHEC)...
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Do Children have a Right to be Safe ?
A comparison survey of government and departmental(legal vs. healthcare, vs. education) treatment of child safety given prevalence of childhood trauma. http://lucidwitness.com/2014/0...-right-to-be-safe-2/
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Do you know a ‘Danny’ or an ‘Ashley’, struggling socially, emotionally, or academically?
PSAs designed to help grow awareness of the impacts of developmental or 'childhood' trauma. All the narratives are about real kids (with pseudonyms) who are trauma-impacted. These are not "combined" or imaginary narratives, nor caricatures.
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Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Yes, money matters in Education. Money is absolutely necessary, but money is Not sufficient. A key variable has been missing from the discussions about a new Education Paradigm: Childhood Trauma. Childhood trauma is broad in scope...
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How Do American Kids Become Murderers?
https://www.local10.com/news/m...ns_20151127193144631 Has murder become the norm in our society? Every day, you turn on the news to see who else got killed. I had to disconnect my cable TV because I just got so sick and tired of watching homicide news every day and see no change in our country's policies. No kid is born to become a murderer. Yet, our society somehow does a great job turning them into monsters. How? Liberty and freedom for all! Oh, really? Then why is the U.S. incarceration...
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SPLC's Teaching Tolerance Project: Social Justice Standards
I hope everyone is staying safe and sane during this heat wave! I wanted to share with you a tool that I came across from the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance Project (if you have not had a chance to subscribe to their weekly newsletter , please do! It has a wealth of wonderful information that intersects with Resilience / Trauma Informed work) They also have a bunch of great free webinars ! Teaching Tolerance’s Social Justice Standards "Social Justice Standards: The Teaching...
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Nowhere to Hide: The Elephant in the [Class]room
We are trying to scoop water out of a boat which has gaping trauma-holes in the bottom.
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Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Developmental trauma changes the architecture of the physical brain, ability to learn and social behavior. It impacts two out of three children, but I didn’t even know what it was…
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LucidWitness: Increasing Public-Awareness of Developmental Trauma
LucidWitness blogposts are designed for social media to help grow awareness of developmental trauma among your network(s).
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
This is awesome information, Daun!! I especially like the part where you explain why teachers cannot become trauma-informed on their own. I'm reposting for ATN. Melissa
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Congratulations on an impressively well-organized and comprehensive presentation of a large mass of useful information! This might make a good DVD for widespread distribution.
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Outstanding article Daun, and great timing with school around the corner.
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Dr. Felitti, Thank you so much for your kind words and your suggestion. I am very honored and the DVD idea is quite intriguing! Daun Kauffman
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Re: Nowhere to Hide the Elephant in the [Class]room
Thanks so much Jim! I appreciate all your support. Take care of those beautiful grandchildren :-)
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Re: LucidWitness: Increasing Public-Awareness of Developmental Trauma
This index is phenomenal Daun! Thank you for your continued commitment to and passion for creating trauma-informed schools and being part of the solution in spite of, or perhaps because of, the very hard work you do every day!
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Re: LucidWitness: Increasing Public-Awareness of Developmental Trauma
Wow! Thanks so much Leslie!
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Re: Do Children have a Right to be Safe ?
Dear Dawn, Thank you for this thoughtful, comprehensive and amazing compilation of information about safety. You have done a masterful job of uncovering how our various systems define safety and make excellent suggestions. You are to be commended! I do agree with your point that it is critical to keep the child at the center of our understanding of safety - however, I also think it's important to acknowledge that environmental safety (such as creating safe buildings and developing safe...
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
In response I'd like to share this article about a program I work with: http://www.theatlantic.com/nat...-nonviolence/277893/ Not spoken in this article - is this dramatic change - a 90% reduction in violence and police calls - came from training only the adults in the building. We changed how the adults interact with the kids and got these results! We've since returned to train the students also. Roger Kluck
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Sorry, having trouble with the link Mr. Kluck. Daun
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
OK, got the link to work. Thank you for sharing. Results seem impressive ! Would you fill in some blanks on total student population before/after ? number of "engagement coaches" ? class size before/after ? have you gotten same results at other schools ? Did you get the same results in 2013/2014 school year ? Are you still there for 2014/2015 year ? Did you share results/get response from SDP ? Daun
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Thank you Daun for this insider's summary regarding the elephant in the room named TRAUMA. I have made the comment that really the public school is the largest social service agency we've got but nobody but me views it that way (I guess that sounds like a bleeding heart liberal). The remedies seem overwhelming, but your emphasis on an environment of safety instilled by training the adults make sense. As a mental health professional who has had some experience working in public schools, I...
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Thank you Wendy ! I couldn't agree more regarding both teacher training and schools(and teachers in classroom) providing social services. My post on "Do children have the right to be safe ?" contains a section on the U. S. Educational System shortfalls (vs. legal and healthcare systems). In spite of seemingly being the most broad, most frequented, most convenient (neighborhood), and probably most crucial system to receive children in efficient 'brain states. Acknowlegement of, and response...
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Wendy, also see my comment at the end of RWJF blog on Culture of Health http://lucidwitness.com/2014/0...a-culture-of-health/
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Re: Failing Schools or Failing Paradigm ?
Greetings All - I am jumping in as I have what may be a somewhat unique perspective on the topic of funding (or fueling) the work we are generally engaged in from within various roles. As a central office admin for 10 years I knew that content literacy (ie, reading, math, science, etc) was important. From a resiliency and asset management perspective, I also knew that learners impacted by trauma/neglect/ACE's were at a distinct disadvantage with peers who did not contend with such adversity.
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Re: WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT ? TEST DATA OR LIFE DATA ?
I think the elephant in the room is profit$. The testing environment for teachers and students is not grounded in evidence-based research. The points that Daun brings out has a depth of research behind it. I was in a school yesterday that has been labeled by the state as a school of improvement. They have a fifty page document in which they have to complete for the state to show how they are going to raise student test scores. The principal was in tears, the teachers I talked to were in...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
Great article, Daun. You have wonderful insight. I wish you well in sharing it out with the education world. I've recently posted information on a free video Trauma Training for Educators - that highlights many of these same points regarding children and trauma. If you're interested in seeing it - www.ciscentraltexas.org/resources/traumatraining/ Best of luck to you, Kris
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
This is an excellent piece!!! Educators need to ask "What's happened to this child?" rather than "What's wrong with this child?" when confronted with inappropriate or acting out behaviors. Children come to school each day and give the best they have, even if that best includes ripping up paper and kicking and screaming. Teachers and administrators need to provide effective and appropriate opportunities for children with trauma to release their pent up frustration. They need to keep these...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
Thank you so much Melissa ! Thank you for your passion, your insight and your support.
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
Daun - THANK YOU! This is incredibly real and pertinent storytelling of what traumatized children can look like in our schools and how they can be misunderstood. I'm sharing with everyone I know here in Georgia is is advocating for changes based on the DOJ's findings of illegally segregating facilities, called GNETS, for children with emotional disturbances. A disproportionate number of these children are foster/adopt (hugely at risk of trauma) and who knows about the rest -- high levels of...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
Thank you Julie, I am so thankful. I'm also a little overwhelmed. Thank you so much for all you are doing in Georgia ! On a "higher order" note, some of it seems like " Common Sense " at the national level, if you are so inclined to rattle cages about ESEA and NoChildLeft Behind. (An earlier blog at LucidWitness.com) Peace
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine
Thanks Daun I love this non-fictional piece. What is so hard for me is that what is so obvious to me like gravity or the sky is blue is so not obvious to others. I cannot wait for the critical mass to move us all to where we understand, are compassionate and move society to health so all kids have a chance. I read the Compton lawsuit and I just keep shaking my head... I'd never try to get that dropped, I'd move to action to help those kids... Keep writing... I'll keep tweeting and sharing...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
I was riveted by this post, Daun. You write so well and with so much passion and knowledge. Thank you for sharing this. I am forwarding immediately to our trauma-informed schools team.
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
Wow ! Thank you so much Louise for your support, encouragement and your kind words. The 'partner' piece is on ACEsConnection and at my blog, LucidWitness.com : "Peek Inside a Classroom: Jasmine". That piece primarily highlights hyperarousal and hyper-vigilance. Daun
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
I will certainly take a look at that. I'm wondering if you are considering coming to our conference in March?http://www.echoparenting.org/professional-services/conferences It's a national forum on trauma-informed schools and we were hoping that we could form some 'learning circles'. We have lots of experts who have applied to do workshops (people who usually train in this stuff) but we were also looking for practitioners to lead a circle to discuss challenges, best practices, etc. with no...
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Re: Peek Inside a Classroom: Jose
PS: Louise Is the "Trauma-Informed Schools Team" part of LAUSD ?