Black girls are the only group of girls across the United States disproportionally suspended from school. Studies have documented that disproportionality cannot be explained solely by greater misbehavior among students of color. Instead, discipline disparities are also informed by punitive/inequitable discipline policies and practices, less…

Background: Neurodiverse children face significant challenges in early childhood education (ECE) -- including sensory overload, social exclusion and rigid teaching methods, potentially causing trauma that hinders cognitive and emotional growth. High-income countries experience intense academic pressures, whereas low-resource settings grapple with…

Anti-blackness precludes Black people from being viewed as rights-bearing individuals and justifies the degradation of Black people, Black history, and Black culture. In this conceptual article, we suggest that (1) anti-blackness is trauma-inducing, (2) schools are often the first sites where Black students encounter anti-blackness and subsequent…

Expulsion is unfortunately common in early childhood settings and has a negative impact on both children and caregivers. In this qualitative U.S. study, we conducted semi-structured interviews to learn about caregivers' experiences with early childhood expulsion. We analyzed the data using a trauma-informed lens to examine how the experience of…

The objective of this constructivist grounded theory study was to understand the experiences of students who have been disciplinarily excluded from school. Fifteen students (male, n = 11; Black, n = 10; having special education needs, n = 9) and 16 multidisciplinary staff in Ontario participated. Students experienced high rates of expanded…

In "The Fostering Resilience Workbook, Elementary Edition," Kristin Van Marter Souers, Keith Orchard, and Pete Hall--a mental-health clinician, social worker, and veteran principal, respectively--draw on research and their extensive experience to help elementary-level educators create supportive, trauma-invested environments in which…

As trauma-sensitive schools (TSS) have become increasingly common in the United States over the last several years, scholars disagree on the prevailing model of TSS with some specifically noting how this model is void of mention of the ways that schools have historically and continue to perpetuate racial trauma. As schools continue to work on…

Notwithstanding the multiple descriptions and principles associated with trauma-informed schools (TIS), the field lacks a well-defined operational definition of TIS. This scoping review aimed to characterize TIS intervention components and implementation strategies described in published studies of TIS. This review also examined the extent to…

We posit that Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) serves as a way to label, punish, and surveil students, which is antithetical to trauma-informed education. We put existing critiques of PBIS in conversation with literature on trauma-informed education, critical analyses rooted in social justice and draw on our experiences as…

Since the release of the Missouri Model for Trauma-Informed Schools approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in 2019, school leaders were given the opportunity to start the process of meeting the emotional and fundamental needs of students. With the effects of trauma reaching all diverse groups of race, gender,…

Building on comprehensive research conducted in US schools, this accessible volume offers an effective model of school leadership to develop and implement school-wide, trauma-responsive approaches to student discipline. Recognizing that challenging student behaviours are often rooted in early experiences of trauma, the volume builds on a model…

This study explored Kentucky school administrators' perceptions, knowledge, and beliefs about trauma-informed practices, competence in promoting these practices, and the extent to which school administration preparation programs provided relevant training. Participants reported they were not adequately trained in their school administration…

The Alternative Suspension Therapy (AST) program is a trauma-informed, in-school discipline model that was designed to serve as an alternative to traditional suspension. The goal of the AST program was to minimize or eliminate the number of referrals a student might receive that could possibly lead to suspension. The participants in the AST…

"Statement of the Problem": Almost half of children in the United States have been exposed to childhood trauma (McIntosh, 2019). Discipline practices in many schools are often ineffective with and inappropriate for students who have experienced trauma. For example, students who are disciplined in traditional ways often continue to…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and knowledge that informed the decision-making of nine principals from a large midwestern urban district who shifted from implementing mainly exclusionary to restorative practices. Framed by Lederach's conflict transformation theory, the research question was: What knowledge and…