Banishing “Siberia” and Student Seclusion: Leading Trauma-Informed Systems Change in a Rural School

Abstract

Trauma-informed school practices require enactment of trauma-informed principles including prioritizing students’ physical and psychological safety, connection, cultural responsiveness, and student empowerment. These principles frequently challenge teachers’ preexisting beliefs about rules, consequences, and the intention behind student behaviors. In this case, an early career principal must address the actions of several teachers who chose to reinstate a previously existing seclusion room that had been transformed into a food pantry. The case highlights issues in supporting staff divided around school change, being an early career school leader in a rural school with high leadership turnover, and managing relationships between staff and external school partners.

Small class sizes for improving student achievement in primary and secondary schools: a systematic review

“…According to Bascia and Fredua‐Kwarteng (2008) , researchers agree that class size reduction is most effective in the primary grades. That empirical research shows class size to be most effective in the early grades is also concluded by Biddle and Berliner (2002) and the evidence from both STAR and SAGE back this conclusion up ( Finn, Gerber, Achilles, & Boyd‐Zaharias, 2001 ; Smith, Molnar, & Zahorik, 2003 ). Of course, there is still the possibility that smaller classes may also be advantageous at later strategic points of transition, for example, in the first year of secondary education.…”

“…Smaller class size has been shown to be more beneficial for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds ( Biddle & Berliner, 2002 ). Evidence from the Tennessee STAR randomised controlled trial showed that minority students, students living in poverty, and students who were educationally disadvantaged benefitted the most from reduced class size ( Finn, 2002 ; Word et al (1994).…”

“…For intensity, the question is: how small does a class have to be in order to optimize the advantage? For example, large gains are attainable when class size is below 20 students ( Biddle & Berliner, 2002 ; Finn, 2002 ) but gains are also attainable if class size is not below 20 students (Angrist & Lavy, 2000; Borland, Howsen & Trawick, 2005 ; Fredrikson, Öckert & Oosterbeek, 2013 ; Schanzenbach, 2007 ). It has been argued that the impact of class size reduction of different sizes and from different baseline class sizes is reasonably stable and more or less linear when measured per student ( Angrist & Pischke, 2009 , see page 267; Schanzenbach, 2007 ).…”

“…Finally, researchers agree that the length of the intervention (number of years spent in small classes) is linked with the sustainability of benefits ( Biddle & Berliner, 2002 ; Finn, 2002 ; Grissmer, 1999 ; Nye, Hedges & Konstantopoulos, 1999 ) whereas the evidence on whether more years spent in small classes leads to larger gains in academic achievement is mixed ( Biddle & Berliner, 2002 ; Egelson, Harman, Hood & Achilles, 2002 ; Finn 2002 ; Kruger, 1999). How long a student should remain in a small class before eventually returning to a class of regular size is an unanswered question.…”

National Guidelines for Trauma-Aware Education in Australia

“…Similar to the guidelines for education sites, the first guideline emphasizes leadership. It recommends training processes are needed to ensure leaders of education systems are traumaaware and acknowledges that effective trauma-aware education practice relies on informed and supportive system leadership to develop policy and funding frameworks to support and resource the embedding of trauma-aware practice in education systems (Biddle and Brown, 2020;Stokes and Brunzell, 2020).…”