Centering trauma‐informed approaches in schools within a social justice framework

Abstract

Growing evidence establishing the prevalence and educational consequences of childhood trauma has led to a national focus on equipping schools to support the specific needs of students who have experienced trauma. Despite clear evidence of disproportionate trauma exposure among students of color, most models of trauma‐informed schools do not explicitly address the intersection of race and trauma within their system‐level efforts to help staff realize the prevalence and impact of trauma, recognize the signs of trauma exposure, or respond in ways to avoid retraumatization. This manuscript will review existing efforts to integrate a social justice focus within our ongoing work as part of the Safe Schools NOLA project. We present our conceptual framework and describe how principles relevant to social justice are intentionally integrated into strategies that support the adoption and implementation of trauma‐informed approaches in schools. We also discuss limitations in our current approach and offer suggestions to support the development of trauma‐informed schools that can advance a social justice agenda.

School‐Family Partnerships to Support Attendance: Advancing an Equity‐Centered Theoretical Framework

“…18 Implementing trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices in educational settings is a tangible way to embody sociocultural responsiveness. 19,20 Because of the emphasis on cultivating supportive and trusting relationships among school staff, students, and families, current models incorporating trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices within schools, including The Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma and The Safe Schools New Orleans project 20,21 have shown great potential to promote socioemotional well-being and school engagement for students, as well as fostering a stronger sense of connection for families. Indeed, research continually shows that when students feel safe, they are more likely to be motivated to learn, leading to better and sustained academic performance.…”

Trauma-informed librarianship: an exploratory literature review of trauma-informed approaches in school, academic and public libraries

“…The application of a racial trauma-informed approach in libraries has the potential to be impactful since the effects of racial trauma can be so pervasive and devastating for marginalized communities. According to Davis et al (2022), who proposed a model for racial trauma-informed schools as part of the Safe Schools NOLA project, a racial trauma-informed approach is distinct from a traumainformed approach in that it also integrates social justice practices and advocacy. To achieve a racial trauma-informed environment the authors suggest institutions begin "viewing trauma as a collective experience," consider "the underlying role of historic and ongoing systemic oppression in contributing to individual experiences of trauma for students of color Traumainformed librarianship and other marginalized groups," target "system-level change in schools to disrupt systems of oppression and prevent recurring trauma exposure," and address collective healing, holistic well-being, and secondary (or vicarious) traumatic stress for the workforce (Davis et al, 2022(Davis et al, , p. 2455.…”

“…According to Davis et al (2022), who proposed a model for racial trauma-informed schools as part of the Safe Schools NOLA project, a racial trauma-informed approach is distinct from a traumainformed approach in that it also integrates social justice practices and advocacy. To achieve a racial trauma-informed environment the authors suggest institutions begin "viewing trauma as a collective experience," consider "the underlying role of historic and ongoing systemic oppression in contributing to individual experiences of trauma for students of color Traumainformed librarianship and other marginalized groups," target "system-level change in schools to disrupt systems of oppression and prevent recurring trauma exposure," and address collective healing, holistic well-being, and secondary (or vicarious) traumatic stress for the workforce (Davis et al, 2022(Davis et al, , p. 2455. With the knowledge that the experiences of trauma can impact populations unequally, as described by Merrick et al (2018), marginalized groups may benefit from the application of a racial trauma-informed approach to disrupt the impacts of libraries' policies and procedures and how they reinforce anti-Black racism or re-traumatize BIPOC and Black populations through the institutional structures of libraries or through our larger institutions, as in the case of schools (Newsum and Delker, 2020, p. 12) and colleges and universities (Gohr and Nova, 2020, p. 189).…”

“…The application of a racial trauma-informed approach in libraries has the potential to be impactful since the effects of racial trauma can be so pervasive and devastating for marginalized communities. According to Davis et al. (2022), who proposed a model for racial trauma-informed schools as part of the Safe Schools NOLA project, a racial trauma-informed approach is distinct from a trauma-informed approach in that it also integrates social justice practices and advocacy.…”

Embedding equity into school mental health theory: Introduction to Part 2 of the special issue series

“…Incorporating an explicit focus on race and racism into the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's principles for trauma‐informed care, Saleem et al (2021) present the School Trauma and Racial Stress blueprint, emphasizing resilience, racial healing, and radical transformation. Relatedly, Davis et al (2022) present their ongoing efforts to incorporate culturally responsive practices and equity into their trauma‐focused project, Safe Schools NOLA. They describe their ongoing system‐wide implementation efforts and suggestions for how others can integrate culturally responsive practice into a trauma‐informed schools framework.…”