Trauma-responsive practices benefit every student

By Kurt Moellering, Executive Director

A few weeks ago, we ran a workshop for all staff on the importance of being a trauma-responsive school. It was powerful. We are not a school specializing in students who have experienced trauma. However, like in all schools, some of our students carry previous traumatic experiences with them throughout their days in ways that impact their learning. We are aware of some of these experiences, but others will always be unknown to us. It doesn’t matter that a classroom teacher does not know what a student experienced at an early age or what environment a student goes home to because students bring these experiences with them into our classes whether we are aware or not. We therefore must structure our classes in ways that provide support for these students. This was the focus of our professional development, and what we learned was that when we commit to the best trauma-informed practices, we are committing to the best learning environment for all our students.

Regardless of past trauma, all students seem to need additional structure and support in their lives right now. Students' mental health needs are more acute, and student profiles are increasingly complex. According to the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, this is particularly impactful for students after the pandemic: “Because of the pandemic’s disruption of in-person learning, major social and developmental milestones passed without the usual support and preparation that comes with being part of the school community and its routines, structures, and traditions.” Besides stunting academic growth, the pandemic ruptured parts of our social framework. As we look for community structures to rely on, we find schools needing to do much of this work, for better or for worse.

The good news is that schools don’t need massive interventions to address this. We don’t need to rethink our policies. We just need to follow best practices. When we met as a community for our professional development, we examined research pointing us to best practices that are aligned with many of the things we already know we need to do for every one of our students. We discussed four components of a trauma responsive school, and I argue they are four components necessary for all our schools.

1. Relationships are the most important. In the face of adversity, one of the most important factors in building resilience is forming positive relationships with trusted adults at school. 

2. Routines are calming. Students who have been through trauma worry about what will happen next, so we provide structure, routine, predictability. 

3. Allow for breaks. Self-regulation can be a major challenge for those who have experienced trauma so we build brain breaks into classes, allowing for movement or free-time and look for other ways to build self-regulation skills.

4. Behavior is communication. Students who have experienced trauma are not trying to push our buttons when their behavior is unexpected. So we look for the “why” behind student behavior. We reframe behavioral issues as communication and know that students are not challenging us, they are communicating with us. We should be curious about this behavior.

Schools can feel like they have to solve all problems at once, and teachers feel under a great deal of pressure to get the most up-to-date training to improve test scores and collect data. But emphasizing relationships, structure, self-regulation strategies, and curiosity, will pave the way for all kinds of student progress, certainly including academic progress. By being trauma-responsive, we create schools where students can be seen, supported, and safe. We lower barriers towards educational access and achievement for all our students.