Educational Trauma is the inadvertent and unintentional perpetration and perpetuation of harm in schools. The use of standards and the normal distribution or the bell curve to rank students and identify those at risk of developing problems later is born in the same theories and practices as eugenics. Eugenics practices thrive in schools and feed the school-to-prison pipeline, which is the most extreme example of Educational Trauma.
This book ambitiously aims to open a feld of inquiry into Educational Traumas by describing this phenomenon in education that perpetuates abuse, discrimination, oppression, and marginalization, while inadvertently involving good people in acts of harm that violate the rights of children. It is grounded in feminist theory, trauma theory, Ecological Systems theory, mindful awareness and neuroscience research, along with Pedagogies of Kindness and Respect (Thomas, Gorlewski, Carr, & Porflio, 2015). A qualitative approach to research was taken in developing the concept of Educational Trauma. There are case studies throughout the book, as a means of heightening empathy in areas where it has become collectively blunted. For the most part, the arguments contained herein stand on the research conducted by other people. For this reason, there isn’t very much news in this book, just a comprehensive sociological, historical, political, psychological, medical, and developmental review of over a century of research. The limitations of this book include the fact that there isn’t, as of yet, a field of Educational Trauma to look toward for research and development.
Lee-Anne Gray, PsyD (Pronouns: She/Her/Hers. What are yours?/ What’s this?)
Author, Educational Trauma: Examples from Testing to the School-to-Prison Pipeline, LGBTQ+ Youth: A Guided Workbook to Support Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Self-Compassion for Teens; The Happy Family
Contributing Author, Pedagogies of Kindness and Respect
EMDR Certified Clinical Psychologist, License #19540
President & Chief Executive Officer, The Connect Group, a 501(c)3 corporation connecting communities with innovative educational solutions since 2011.
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