In eight concise chapters, the authors show how caring people in an educational setting can foster resiliency in themselves, in the classroom, and among individual children. Also provided is a broad range of activities that have been tried in school and community settings, and which provide assessment and evaluations tools with which to monitor the process of changing schools to enhance protective factors in the lives of students and teachers. --foreword, p. ix.
Use trauma-informed strategies to give students the skills and support they need to succeed in school and life Nearly half of all children have been exposed to at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), such as poverty, divorce, neglect, homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence, or parent incarceration. These students often enter school with behaviors that don’t blend well with the typical school environment. How can a school community come together and work as a whole to establish a healthy social-emotional climate for students and the staff who support them? This workbook-style resource shows K-12 educators how to make a whole-school change, where strategies are integrated from curb to classroom. Readers will learn how to integrate trauma-informed strategies into daily instructional practice through expanded focus on: The different experiences and unique challenges of students impacted by ACEs in urban, suburban, and rural schools, including suicidal tendencies, cyberbullying, and drugs Behavior as a form of communication and how to explicitly teach new behaviors How to mitigate trauma and build innate resiliency through a read, reflect, and respond model Let this book be the tool that helps your teams move students away from the school-to-prison pipeline and toward a life rich with educational and career choices. "I cannot think of a book more needed than this one. It gives us the tools to support our students who have the most need while practicing the self-care necessary to continue to serve them." —Lydia Adegbola, Chair of English Department New Rochelle High School, NY "This book highlights the impact of trauma on children and the adults who work with them, while providing relevant and practical strategies to understand and address it through reflective practices." —Marine Avagyan, Director, Curriculum and Instruction Saugus Union School District, Sunland, CA
This volume focuses on resilience in educational contexts which has emerged as an important field of research, with recent investigation into resilience of school students teachers, and post-secondary students and staff. The book integrates theoretically diverse viewpoints and research advancing relevant theory. It furthermore presents interventions which aim enhancing resilience in the educational context. The interplay between more basic research and actual practice in the classroom, university or workplace enriches relevant theory and research. Each chapter includes an explanation of how resilience is conceptualized in the research and the methods used to examine resilience. The chapters also provide a description of the context in which the research was conducted and how particular aspects of context influence the resilience process. Innovative approaches to exploring resilience are highlighted as well as directions for future research.
Overcome the effects of poverty in the 21st century by embracing an innovative new vision of public schooling. With the guidance of this practical, research-driven resource, you will discover a model for building resilient schools that helps students work through their emotional and mental health needs, connect with caring adults, and find purpose for their lives. Use this resource to embrace the whole child and address students' social-emotional needs: Study the widespread poverty that currently exists in the United States. Understand the ways poverty traumatizes students, impedes their mental development, and damages and interferes with their ability to learn. Become familiar with secondary trauma and the ways educators can be traumatized by the compassion fatigue of working in communities that experience high rates of poverty. Learn how the effects of poverty can be mitigated through the development of resiliency in students, which can lead to decreased absenteeism and increased learning. Explore the four pillars of resilient schools. Discover the importance of resilient schools in overcoming the effects of poverty and supporting students and students' families who are experiencing poverty. Contents: Acknowledgments Table of Contents About the Authors Introduction--Poverty: Our Greatest Challenge Part I--Understanding Poverty Chapter 1--Poverty: On the Outskirts of Hope Chapter 2--An Invisible Barrier: The Impacts of Poverty on Teaching and Learning Chapter 3--An Unanticipated Challenge: The Detrimental Impacts of Poverty on School Staff Part II--Introducing the Resilient School Chapter 4--The Research: Resilient Students and Resilient Schools Chapter 5--Pillar 1: Addressing Students' Academic and Cognitive Needs Chapter 6--Pillar 2: Addressing Students' Social-Emotional Needs Chapter 7--Pillar 3: Meeting the Human Needs of Students and Families Chapter 8--Pillar 4: Considering the Relational and Professional Needs of Staff Chapter 9--Conclusion: A Personal Note and a Vision for Resilient Schools Appendix References and Resources Index
Consistency, connection, and compassion are the cornerstones to helping students choose and practice successful behaviors and coping skills. Bolstering Student Resilience illustrates what this looks like in action. Drawing from classroom experience, the authors demystify the buzzwords to keep you focused on the right work. Explore research that supports the why behind this work, then dive into specific strategies you can use immediately. Create predictable, safe classrooms by establishing clear structures for routines, acknowledgment, and discipline. Set limits and boundaries in the classroom while building skills through relationships. Allow flexibility and emotional space for students--particularly those with pronounced social, emotional, or behavioral needs. Discover an approach to SEL that works across all frameworks and initiatives. Study the supportive discipline framework to replace detrimental behaviors with prosocial skills. Give feedback that supports consistency and builds connections. Provide support that matches a behavior's function. Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Understanding Student Risk Factors Chapter 2: Using Universal Practices to Promote Consistency Chapter 3: Giving Feedback to Support Consistency and Build Connection Chapter 4: Creating Classrooms That Support Connection Chapter 5: Employing Discipline That Ensures Consistency Chapter 6: Adjusting Discipline for Compassion Chapter 7: Using Data Effectively to Tie It All Together Chapter 8: Helping Students With Ongoing Needs Epilogue References and Resources Index
Huge numbers of our students are caught in storms of trauma—whether stemming from abuse, homelessness, poverty, discrimination, violent neighborhoods, or fears of school shootings or family deportations. This practical book focuses on actions that teachers can take to facilitate learning for these students. Identifying positive, connected teacher–student relationships as foundational, the authors offer direction for creating an emotionally safe classroom environment in which students find a refuge from trauma and a space in which to process events. The text shows how social and emotional learning can be woven into the school day; how literacies can be used to help students see a path through challenges; how to empower learners through debate, civic action, and service learning; and how to use the vital nature of the school community as an agent of change. This book will serve as a roadmap for creating uniformly consistent and excellent classrooms and schools that better serve children who experience trauma in their lives. Book Features: Makes a clear case for the need and responsibility of schools to equip students with tools to learn despite the trauma in their lives. Shows practical classroom instructional and curricular interactions that address trauma while advancing student academic learning. Uses literacy and civic action as pathways to empowerment. Provides a method and tools for developing a coherent plan for creating a trauma-sensitive school.
A few years ago, resiliency theory was relatively new to the fields of prevention and education. Today, it is at the heart of hundreds of school and community programs that recognize in all young people the capacity to lead healthy, successful lives. The key, as Benard reports in this synthesis of a decade and more of resiliency research, is the role that families, schools, and communities play in supporting, and not undermining, this biological drive for normal human development. Of special interest is the evidence that resiliency prevails in most cases by far -- even in extreme situations, such as those caused by poverty, troubled families, and violent neighborhoods. An understanding of this developmental wisdom and the supporting research, Benard argues, must be integrated into adults' vision for the youth they work with and communicated to young people themselves. Benard's analysis of how best to incorporate research findings to support young people is both realistic and inspirational. It is an easy-to-read discussion of what the research has found along with descriptions of what application of the research looks like in our most successful efforts to support young people.
A practical framework to avoid burnout and keep great teachers teaching Onward tackles the problem of educator stress, and provides a practical framework for taking the burnout out of teaching. Stress is part of the job, but when 70 percent of teachers quit within their first five years because the stress is making them physically and mentally ill, things have gone too far. Unsurprisingly, these effects are highest in difficult-to-fill positions such as math, science, and foreign languages, and in urban areas and secondary classrooms—places where we need our teachers to be especially motivated and engaged. This book offers a path to resiliency to help teachers weather the storms and bounce back—and work toward banishing the rain for good. This actionable framework gives you concrete steps toward rediscovering yourself, your energy, and your passion for teaching. You’ll learn how a simple shift in mindset can affect your outlook, and how taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally is one of the most important things you can do. The companion workbook helps you put the framework into action, streamlining your way toward renewal and strength. Cultivate resilience with a four-part framework based on 12 key habits Uncover your true self, understand emotions, and use your energy where it counts Adopt a mindful, story-telling approach to communication and community building Keep learning, playing, and creating to create an environment of collective celebration By cultivating resilience in schools, we help ensure that we are working in, teaching in, and leading organizations where every child thrives, and where the potential of every child is recognized and nurtured. Onward provides a step-by-step plan for reigniting that spark.
Review, rethink, and redesign racial support systems NOW As schools engage in courageous conversations about how racialization and racial positioning influences thinking, behaviors, and expectations, many educators still lack the resources to start this challenging and personally transformative work. Race Resilience offers guidance to educators who are ready to rethink, review, and redesign their support systems and foster the building blocks of resiliency for staff. Readers will learn how to: Model ethical, professional, and social-emotional sensitivity Develop, advocate, and enact on a collective culture Maintain a continuously evaluative process for self and school wellness Engage meaningfully with students and their families Improve academic and behavioral outcomes Race resilient educators work continuously to grow their awareness of how their racial identity impacts their practice. When educators feel they are cared for, have trusting relationships, and are autonomous, they are in a better position to teach and model resilience to their students.
