Trauma-informed practices in community colleges: enhancing student support through faculty and staff professional development

Abstract

Students attending a community college in an urban setting plagued by violence are subject to experiencing or witnessing one or more traumatic events. The purpose of this action research study was to increase faculty and staff's understanding of the prevalence of trauma, how it may manifest at colleges within students, oneself, classrooms, and other settings, and how traumainformed practices could support students. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of student surveys and faculty, staff, and administrators interviews from an urban community college to obtain a baseline of staff understanding and capacity to be trauma-informed. Action steps included developing a comprehensive resource guide, designing and facilitating a workshop, designing and facilitating a six-week Community of Practice. These steps were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 at a community college in an urban area.Findings included: Faculty can benefit from understanding trauma experienced by students.Equipping faculty with trauma-informed practices holds significant importance. Utilizing accessible and effective professional development to engage and support faculty is crucial. It is a challenge to discover time and pathways for faculty to improve their proficiency in traumainformed practices, ensuring student support, and fostering safe environments. Implications for the organization included power in building capacity among faculty, staff, and administrators, ease of immediately implementing best practices, and the importance of understanding the diverse ways trauma can be experienced. Colleges can create learning environments that not only understand students' diverse experiences but actively works to support them. Practical changes can be made to transform an organization into a more caring and inclusive community.