Trauma-Informed Schools: Introduction to the Special Issue

School Mental Health (2016) 8:1–6 DOI 10.1007/s12310-016-9184-1 INTRODUCTION Trauma-Informed Schools: Introduction to the Special Issue Stacy Overstreet1 • Sandra M. Chafouleas2 Published online: 3 February 2016 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract This special issue on trauma-informed schools is the first compilation of invited manuscripts on the topic. The forces behind the movement and key assumptions of trauma-informed approaches are reviewed. The first eight manuscripts in Part 1 of the special issue present original empirical research that can be used to support key assumptions of trauma-informed approaches to school service delivery. Part 2 of the special issue opens with a blueprint for the implementation of trauma-informed approaches using a multitiered framework, which is followed by three case studies of the use of multitiered frameworks to implement trauma-informed approaches in schools. The special issue concludes with a commentary on future directions for the trauma-informed school movement. Keywords health Trauma-informed
Stress
School mental Collectively, the articles in this issue of School Mental Health contribute to advancing our knowledge about trauma-informed schools. Trauma-informed schools reflect a national movement to create educational environments that are responsive to the needs of trauma-exposed youth through the implementation of effective practices and & Stacy Overstreet 1 Department of Psychology, Tulane University, 2007 Percival Stern Hall, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA 2 University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA systems-change strategies (Chafouleas, Johnson, Overstreet, & Santos, 2015; Cole, Eisner, Gregory, & Ristuccia, 2013). The first author has identified at least 17 states in which trauma-informed schools have taken root in small clusters of schools (e.g., Louisiana, New Jersey), at a district-wide level (e.g., California, Pennsylvania), or at a state-wide level (e.g., Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin). The strength of the movement is also evidenced in the recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The federal legislation, now referred to as the Every Student Succeeds Act (Pub.L. 114–95), makes explicit provisions for trauma-informed approaches in student support and academic enrichment and in preparing and training school personnel (Prewitt, 2016). The vigor behind the movement stems from the growing awareness of the prevalence of exposure to trauma among youth (Finkelhor, Turner, Shattuck, & Hamby, 2015; McLaughlin et al., 2013) and from an increased understanding of the corrosive impacts resulting from the biological, psychological, and social adaptations to chronic exposure to trauma (Hamoudi, Murray, Sorensen, & Fontaine, 2015). The movement has also been fueled by demonstrations of the effectiveness of school-based trauma-specific treatments in ameliorating traumatic stress reactions in youth (Rolfsnes & Idsoe, 2011). These drivers of the movement are reflective of SAMHSA’s (2014) four key assumptions underlying trauma-informed approaches: (a) a realization of the widespread prevalence and impact of trauma, (b) a recognition of the signs of traumatic exposure and (c) a response grounded in evidence-based practices that (d) resists re-traumatization of individuals. The first eight manuscripts in Part 1 of the special issue present original empirical research that can be used to support these key assumptions of trauma-informed approaches to school service delivery. 123 2 Part 1: Key Assumptions of Trauma-Informed Schools Realizing the Impact of Trauma and Recognizing its Effects In trauma-informed schools, personnel at all levels have a basic realization about trauma and an understanding of how trauma affects student learning and behavior in the school environment (Cole et al., 2013; SAMHSA, 2014). Based on their review of existing prevalence research, Perfect, Turley, Carlson, Yohannan, and Gilles (2016) estimate that approximately two out of every three school-age children are likely to have experienced at least one traumatic event by age 17. Porche, Costello, and Rosen-Reynoso (2016) report prevalence rates close to that estimate based on a sample of nearly 66,000 school-aged youth who participated in the National Child Study of Children’s Health. Among the 53.4 % of youth who experienced adverse family events, the average number of exposures was 2.1. The systematic review conducted by Perfect et al. (2016) is a critical resource for schools to help them realize the educational implications of such exposure and recognize that signs of trauma exposure can be expressed in a number of ways outside of ‘‘typical’’ traumatic stress reactions. Perfect et al. (2016) distilled findings from 83 empirical studies with school-aged youth to document the widespread impacts of trauma exposure and traumatic stress symptoms on the cognitive, academic, and teacher reported socialemotional-behavioral outcomes of students. Porche et al. (2016) also focused on the educational implications of exposure to family adversity and found the impact of family adversity on school engagement, grade retention, and placement on an individual education plan (IEP) plan was partially mediated by the number of child mental health diagnoses. Children with higher numbers of adverse family experiences were more likely to have higher numbers of mental health diagnoses, and those with higher numbers of diagnoses were less likely to be engaged in school and more likely to be retained in grade or on an IEP. Taken together, these studies help expand the lens used to recognize reactions to trauma to include a focus on outcomes that may be more familiar and meaningful to school personnel. Responding to Trauma and Resisting Retraumatization Trauma-informed schools respond to the needs of traumaexposed students by integrating effective practices, programs, and procedures into all aspects of the organization and culture. This often begins with professional development training for all personnel (SAMHSA, 2014). Trauma- 123 School Mental Health (2016) 8:1–6 focused professional development training typically aims to create a shared understanding of the problem of trauma exposure, build consensus for trauma-informed approaches, and engender attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors conducive to the adoption of system-wide trauma-informed approaches. Preliminary evidence suggests that trauma-focused training delivered to service providers in clinical settings builds knowledge, changes attitudes, and fosters practices favorable to trauma-informed approaches (Brown, Baker, & Wilcox, 2012; Green et al., 2015). However, the impact of professional development training in educational environments has yet to be fully evaluated. At least one factor contributing to the dearth of research on the effectiveness of professional development training is the lack of a psychometrically sound instrument with which to measure the (...truncated)