Preparing Educators to Serve Trauma-Impacted Students Through the Trauma Skilled Schools Model

• In Event: When School and Community Climate Intercede in the Educational Process

Abstract

Alarming numbers of students have been impacted by trauma in one manner or another. While the issue of trauma-impacted students is receiving more attention, much of the focus has been on awareness of students experiencing trauma. This paper introduces a model to help schools minimize the effects of trauma through development of resilience-building skills and presents results from the Trauma Skilled Readiness Assessment, a measure that is administered before professional development begins and during the training stage prior to full model implementation in a pre/post manner. Results identified increases in awareness of and knowledge about trauma-impacted students as well as progress in the development of educators’ resilience-building skills and abilities in all students, particularly those experiencing stress due to trauma.

Author

• Shanan L. Chappell, Old Dominion University