Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach

by Victoria E Romero, Ricky Robertson, Amber N. Warner

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

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 

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2018

Reviews

[David Pulliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. If you’re a classroom teacher you can skip about half of it.
2. Biggest takeaways
-know how the brain is effected by trauma
- know that ACE child struggle with emotional regulation
- use the 2x10 tactic to build relationships with “bad” students

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great text for educators looking to implement whole-school trauma-informed educational practices. I love that this book has a culturally responsive lens and looks at systems, not just classroom practices. I have a few small nitpicks that mostly come down to perspective on the issues, such as their term "ACEs students" for kids impacted by trauma. But overall, great tool for schools in the change process.

[Robert Schretzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although aimed at principals and school administrators, I found plenty of information I could use in everyday classes as a teacher. It really gets to the how of how we can learn to understand and control behavioral communication. It offers very student friendly ways to identify what is happening and how we can change it.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a book study at school. I learned a lot, but it is a bit big idea for a classroom teacher and was useful but sometimes seems better suited for principals/district level folks. It should definitely be read with others and slowly over time, especially with covid all educators should read this book!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff in here! Can't wait to share this information with the staff!