ERIC Number: EJ1492086
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2731-5525
Available Date: 2025-10-21
A Novel Evaluation of Trauma-Informed Practice Implementation in K-12 Education
Mary Jo Hedrick1; Becky Haas1,3; Tess Ann Simpson4; Andrea D. Clements1,2,3; Wallace E. Dixon Jr.1,2
Discover Education, v4 Article 436 2025
Background: The school system is one of many possible protective factors that prevent or mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which are events that occur before the age of 18 that may be traumatic, such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Training school personnel in trauma-informed practice (TIP) should decrease ACEs and buffer against the impact of ACEs. Objective: We hypothesized that training all school system employees would change disciplinary actions in response to student behavior incidents in a rural south-central Appalachian school system. Methods: TIP training took place in Spring 2019 for all principals, assistant principals, and general administrative staff in a south-central Appalachian school system. All teachers were trained in Summer. Routinely collected student behavior incident and staff disciplinary response data were compared for the falls before (Fall 2018) and following (Fall 2019) TIP training. Results: There were 615 and 617 behavioral incidents and disciplinary actions in fall 2018 and fall 2019, respectively. The Chi-Square Test for Independence found no change in student behavior incidents between fall 2018 and fall 2019, X[superscript 2] (10, n = 1232) = 16.035, p = 0.099, Cramer's V = 0.114, but did find differences in disciplinary actions, X[superscript 2] (6, n = 1232) = 44.485, p < 0.001. Cramer's V = 0.190. Graphs of frequencies and examination of showed differences in "removed at teacher's request" and "other." The frequencies of students being given "detention", "in-school suspension", and "out of school suspension" were lower in 2019 than in 2018, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: These findings could be evidence of change in teacher responses to misbehavior due to TIP training, but further study is needed to confirm this.
Descriptors: Trauma Informed Approach, Early Experience, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Training, School Personnel, Student Behavior, Rural Schools, Discipline Problems, Program Effectiveness, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Virginia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1ETSU Ballad Health Strong BRAIN Institute, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, USA; 2East Tennessee State University, Department of Psychology, Johnson City, USA; 3Uplift Appalachia, Johnson City, USA; 4Maryville College, Division of Behavioral Sciences, Maryville, USA

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