According to research, as many as 68% of students have experienced at least some form of trauma (Cavanaugh, 2016). Yet, most educators report feeling inadequate about understanding trauma-informed practice, including understanding how trauma can impact student behavior in the classroom. This article provides a primer about trauma that can allow…

"Responding to Student Trauma" is an urgent addition to current trauma response practices. Written by a middle school counselor, this easy-to-follow book provides a framework for understanding and responding to the needs of students experiencing trauma. With many schools lacking adequate staff for supporting student mental health, this…

It is the start of another school year, but unlike any other in the careers of teachers. This year, teachers find themselves at the nexus of a widespread, months-old pandemic and racial trauma that is centuries old. Despite this trauma and the uncertainty of resolution, teachers are being asked to step into the actual or virtual classroom, greet…

"Supporting Student Mental Health" is a guide to the basics of identifying and supporting students with mental health challenges. It is no secret that your responsibilities as a teacher go beyond academic achievement. You cover key socioemotional competencies in your classrooms, too. This book is full of accessible and appropriate…

This study examines the concerns associated with heightened stress levels experienced by education professionals, particularly teachers and counselors-in-training. Following the COVID-19 global pandemic, teachers and counselors have been faced with a multitude of extended responsibilities due to students' learning lapses and lags, heightened…

The implementation of sexuality education has changed dramatically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, only two empirical studies have investigated the difficulties sexuality educators faced as they adjusted to this new educational landscape. The purpose of the present study was to expand on this research with a larger sample of…

Trauma-informed school practices require enactment of trauma-informed principles including prioritizing students' physical and psychological safety, connection, cultural responsiveness, and student empowerment. These principles frequently challenge teachers' preexisting beliefs about rules, consequences, and the intention behind student behaviors.…

While students have a right to exercise free speech, schools have a responsibility to ensure safety and maintain the integrity of the learning environment. School and district administration must prepare for the potential of civil unrest both in the community and at school (e.g., walkouts, sit-ins, protests), and to prevent or mitigate the impact…

The health and well-being of children and youth in care is the shared responsibility of many community partners. In addition to family and community involvement, two significant means of support for children and youth in care are the education system and the child welfare system. The Ministry of Education (EDUC), through public and independent…

Educators and policymakers have increasingly turned their attention--and $2.8 billion in funding-- to community school strategies as a way to mitigate the learning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A healing-centered community school implements a whole child approach to teaching and learning to address the fundamental physiological and safety needs of…

This tip sheet offers strategies to college faculty and staff to support students from foster care to succeed in college.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) and the Ministry of Education (MEd), in consultation with regional representatives and public and independent school representatives, created these cross-ministry guidelines to improve information sharing, strengthen practice and joint planning, and promote effective communication among…

This handbook was created to provide National Education Association (NEA) member educators with a research-based description of the impact of poverty on teaching and learning. It is important to understand poverty's impact on children's educational success, along with strategies for overcoming the impact of poverty on the brain and learning. The…

There are students in school who have experienced trauma. Generally, traumatic events evoke feelings of extreme fear and helplessness. Reactions to traumatic events are determined by the subjective experience of the child, which could be impacted by developmental and cultural factors. What is extremely traumatic for one student may be less so for…

There are students in school who have experienced trauma. Generally, traumatic events evoke feelings of extreme fear and helplessness. Reactions to traumatic events are determined by the subjective experience of the child, which could be impacted by developmental and cultural factors. What is extremely traumatic for one student may be less so for…