Introduction: The purpose of the project, the identification of the problem, guiding questions, and learning objectives are included in section I. Information concerning the conception and development of this project is included in this section. This project was devised to help state, district, and building leaders in education understand the essential components of trauma informed instruction in schools as well as the enablers and barriers associated with implementation and sustainability of trauma informed schools. The Audience and Stakeholders: Each day educators across the United States are responsible for educating over 50.3 million students to their fullest potential (Glander, 2017). With this daunting task educators must consider as many as 60% to 68% of the students sitting in their classrooms have experienced some form of trauma (Finkelhor, Turner, Hamby, and Ormrod, 2011, Pappano, 2014). Along with identifying the trauma their students have experienced, educators must understand how trauma can and more than likely has impacted and limited the brain development of their students (Spann et al., 2012). The traumatic impact on brain development results in cognitive losses, physical, emotional, and social delays all of which undermine learning taking place in every classroom across America (McInerney & McKlindon, 2014). There has been an ample amount of research in the areas of mental health and social services around trauma-informed practices (Knight, 2015). There has not been enough attention paid to the use of this research in the field of education (Cavanaugh, 2016). While schools are the most common place where mental health services are provided, educators must work to be at the forefront in the development of strategies, practices, and techniques for working with students who suffer from trauma (Cavanaugh, 2016). The program selected by schools must include educational focused strategies embedded in a multilayered system which adheres to the goals and principles of trauma-informed organizations. Beyond just the instructional practices, the system must take into account the support for students, safe positive interactions, and the reinforcement of those positive interactions, peer support, targeted support, and individualized to address the unique needs of individual students (Cavanaugh, 2016). The Nature of the Problem: Schools across America have mission statements, vision statements, and goals centered around supporting students so they can reach their full potential and become successful members of society. These schools include students who have been traumatized. According to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), "One out of every four children attending school has been exposed to a traumatic event that can affect learning and/or behavior" (2018a, p. 4). This Neurodevelopmental research has been a growing trend over the years and provides evidence showing traumatized brains develop differently when compared to those who have not suffered trauma. "Childhood trauma can have a direct impact on the ability of a child to learn" (McInerney & McKlindon, 2014, p. 1). Educators and schools have tried, unsuccessfully, through various traditional strategies to deal with the issues surrounding behavior and their associated learning difficulties (Oehlberg, 2008). Given the educational expectations placed on schools from the nation, state, and local stakeholders, it is important for educators to understand the effects trauma has on students' ability to learn (Oehlberg, 2008). To transition to trauma-informed instructional schools/systems, a model or framework must be in place and not delivered in an isolated stand-alone incident (Maynard, Farina, & Dell, 2017). Instead, "it is a profound paradigm shift in knowledge, perspective, attitudes and skills that continues to deepen and unfold over time" (Missouri Department of Mental Health and Partner, 2015). For a school/system to have sustainable implementation of a trauma informed instruction, the following areas have to be addressed: school culture and infrastructure, staff training, academic instructional supports, non-academic strategies, school policy, procedures and protocols, and community support, including mental health professionals (Cole et al., 2005). Every adult working in the school/system must make the paradigm shift in sharing the responsibility for all students (DC's Children's Law Center, 2015). A single teacher, educational leader, or even a whole grade level cannot make the transition without the support from other adults. School leaders and personnel will need to collaborate and work together as a team to ensure students and the adults' needs are met (Cole et al., 2005). Collaboration with community stakeholders is necessary to provide additional services students or families may need to recover from trauma. "In a trauma-sensitive learning environment, the adult is necessarily in charge of the setting and the tone of the space" (Souers & Hall, 2016, p. 41). All students who have suffered trauma are not always identified; therefore, the culture and the environment throughout the school/system should create a safe and supportive community environment where all students can be successful (https://traumasensitiveschools.org). All staff members should receive ongoing professional development focused on the impact trauma has on student's brain, social, physical, and emotional development. Information on the meaning of the terms regulated, deregulated, and understanding the window of tolerance should be included (Forbes, 2012, Chapter [AW2] 2)."Educators are notorious for giving selflessly, for tending to their students and ignoring their own needs, for buying classroom materials with their own money, and focusing most of their energy, time, thoughts, and emotions on their students" (Souers & Hall, 2016, p. 40). "It's crucial, therefore, that teachers not brush aside self-care as an unnecessary luxury; on the contrary, taking care of ourselves is what enables us to take care of our students" (Souers & Hall, 2016, p. 44). Therefore, school leaders must provide continuous support, strategies, and time to ensure adults are practicing self-care. After all, "If we aren't physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy, we cannot reasonably expect to be able to help our students become healthier and more successful in school" (Souers & Hall, 2016, p. 40). Problem Statement: The problem is schools struggle to implement sustainable trauma informed instruction with fidelity, due to the lack of guidance and resources provided by state departments of education. This is a problem because when educators lack the trauma informed instructional training needed, it could be detrimental to the development and learning of students. This lack of training can reinforce negative behaviors to the inappropriate or inadequate response to the reactions brought on by the trauma students have experienced (Bonk, 2016). Guiding Questions: The team developed the following guiding questions to direct a review of the literature and address the problem statement: Question 1: To what degree have state boards of education created policies or guidelines to aid in the implementation of trauma informed schools? Question 2: What are enablers to the successful development of policy or guidelines to aid in the implementation of trauma informed schools? Question 3: What are hindrances to the successful development of policy or guidelines to aid in the implementation of trauma informed schools? The Team's Goal for Addressing the Problem: As a result of completing the research, the team will provide recommendations on how state boards of education can assist schools during the development, implementation, and transformation into a trauma informed school. The team aims to provide state and district leaders with knowledge of state policy or guideline components to aid in the successful implementation of trauma informed schools. The findings from the research can be used to make adjustments in the implementation of trauma informed instruction in schools, and identify trauma informed instruction is a complex issue with many factors contributing to success or failure of full implementation. From this information the team identified the following Project Learning Objectives to guide development of this project: (1) attain a greater understanding of the literature base concerning the essential components of trauma informed instruction; (2) attain a greater understanding of the literature base concerning the leadership components required in the implementation of trauma informed instruction; (3) understand and identify enablers to the successful implementation of trauma informed instruction; (4) understand and identify hindrances to the successful implementation of trauma informed instruction; and (5) provide recommendation to assist school leaders' in identifying the need for and appropriate implementation plan for trauma informed instruction. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. 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