Preparing Schools to Meet the Needs of Students Coping with Trauma and Toxic Stress. Brief No. 17

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: What policies, procedures, and practices coupled with professional development can prepare schools to meet the needs of students coping with trauma and toxic levels of stress? In order to answer this question, the brief breaks down the issue into four points: (1) Trauma disrupts the development of core cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral competencies that are needed to succeed in school; (2) Trauma is broadly experienced across the U.S. student population, but disproportionately concentrated among members of racially and ethnically marginalized and lower-income communities; (3) The pandemic has placed increased pressure on schools to provide mental health support, especially for schools serving racially and ethnically marginalized students, and those living in lower-income communities; and (4) Many teachers and staff members report that they need more training in recognizing and responding to student trauma. Based on these points, the brief provides four strategies to consider and two strategies to avoid. [This brief was prepared in collaboration with the Trauma Responsive Educational Practices (TREP) Project.]