Childhood trauma comes in many forms.
Whether it’s the shock of a friend’s sudden death or violence in school, we’ve heard far too many stories about students having to recover from traumatic events.
But trauma can also rear its head in more subtle ways.
It’s easy to write off a misbehaving student as “troubled.” But often, this behavior is a direct result of continued trauma at home. Abuse, neglect, struggles with poverty are all part of a particular type of trauma called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). When schools fail to understand and adequately consider these experiences, they miss a big opportunity to improve student behavior and success.
At Topeka Unified School District 501 in Kansas, faculty and staff use a “trauma-informed” strategy to mitigate the effects of ACEs, Superintendent Tiffany Anderson tells American School Board Journal (ASBJ) in a new video report:
“Trauma can affect anyone, any age, anywhere, which is why it is really important to understand mental health and make sure that mental health is incorporated in classrooms and schools from pre-school all the way to 12th grade, for both students and adults.”
[For more on this story by Todd Kominiak, go to http://trustedk12.com/topeka-s...o-boost-achievement/]
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