A Blueprint for Collaborative Action to Build a Trauma-Informed School: A Case Study

Abstract

Analysis of multiple forms of data from a high-need K–8 charter school led to the hypothesis that increasing disciplinary disruptions and poor student academic achievement were the results of endemic student trauma. The principal, the lead school counselor, and an advisory council created a plan to explore and address behavioral and social/emotional issues, and wrote grants to sustain programming changes. The school achieved success in multiple areas, including: improving its comprehensive school counseling program using the ASCA National Model framework; benchmarking its practice with the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies; reducing noncounseling duties for school counselors and providing 80% direct and indirect services to students; reducing the school counselor-to-student ratio; restructuring student discipline policies through the implementation of school-wide trauma-informed care practices; and utilizing social/emotional learning and trauma-informed lessons in the classroom. This case study outlines how one school created multidisciplinary internal and community-based teams to support trauma-informed practices for students, teachers, staff, and families, while emphasizing school counselor–principal leadership to build social capital. The discussion includes a review of progress toward systemic change goals.

Multilingual Learners' Access to College: Students, School Counselors, and Institutional Doxa and Hysteresis

“…Studies show that school counselors, far from playing a peripheral role in ML education, have direct impacts on youth academic and behavioral outcomes (Shi & Watkinson, 2019). There is growing awareness that migration trauma experienced by students, particularly those from disadvantaged and minoritized backgrounds, affects every aspect of their learning and social skills, and demands not simply sound pedagogy but also integrated systems of school-wide and community-based support (Somers & Wheeler, 2022;Sugarman, 2017). Counselors play a pivotal role in developing these support systems, and they have positive effects to the extent that they foster school institutional environments that are supportive, encouraging, and responsive to individual circumstances (Cook et al, 2015;Urbina, Villares, & Mariani, 2017).…”

Validating the Educational Leaders’ Knowledge of School Counseling Inventory

“…The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends that school counselors engage in a collaborative relationship with the administration (ASCA, 2021). This teaming approach is evident in recent literature, including, for example, guidance for developing and supporting trauma-informed schools (Somers & Wheeler, 2022), support for creating an environment that builds on social capital (Cinotti et al, 2022; Dahir & Geesa, 2022), and a sharing leadership approach to fostering a culturally affirming environment (Gibson et al, 2022). Such promising approaches call for a greater understanding of how school counselors and administrators effectively and efficiently collaborate when delivering a comprehensive school counseling program.…”

Using trauma-informed practice to support students and educators in a Post-COVID world: an action research project

“…This starts with teacher buy-in and confidence building consistent structures through collaboration and reflection. Teachers and staff who show confidence in understanding and supporting students with trauma can be better equipped to handle any Brunzell et al, 2019, Koslouski & Stark, 2021, Frankland 2021, Parker & Hogdson, 2020, Taylor, 2021, Spence et al, 2021, Scott et al, 2021, Somers & Wheeler, 2022, Hooper et al, 2023, Cryer-Coupet et al, 2020, Blitz et al, 2020, Avery et al, 2022Anderson et al, 2021, Wall, 2020, Eastman & McMaugh, 2022, Brown et al, 2022, Morgan et al, 2015, Opiola et al, 2020, Kaul et al, 2020, Davis et al, 2020, Biddle & Brown, 2020, Bates, 2022, Carello & Butler, 2015, Brown et al, 2022, Sherwood et al, 2021Morgan et al, 2015, Brunzell et al, 2018, Popescu et al, 2016, Koslouski & Chafouleas, 2022, Flanagan & Rodriquez, 2021, Bates, 2022…”

“…Families were isolated, and students grew up without the socialization of schoolmates and playground companions. Relationships are at the center of community and every article that talks about trauma-informed practice talks about the importance of community (Hooper et al, 2023;Somers & Wheeler, 2022). COVID-19 impacted how relationships formed for a few years, and staff continues to see effects on students and teachers alike.…”

“…The literature captured the feelings of many educators, including those in this study, who they want to fix their students' problems or make adjustments that will change their lives for the better (Guevara et al, 2021;Keown et al, 2019;Somers & Wheeler, 2022).…”