Trauma-Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years

The trauma-sensitive schools movement is the result of a confluence of forces that are changing how educators view students’ academic and social problems, including the failure of zero tolerance policies to resolve issues of school safety, bullying, and academic failure, as well as a new understanding of adolescents’ disruptive behavior.

In this follow-up to her bestseller, Trauma-Sensitive Schools, Susan Craig provides secondary school teachers and administrators with practical ideas for how to improve students’ achievement by implementing a trauma-sensitive approach to instruction. Along with clear explanations of the role that childhood adversity and trauma play in determining academic success, readers will find dozens of concrete strategies to help them:

• View poor academic and social progress through a trauma-sensitive lens.
• Create a school climate that fosters safety and resiliency in vulnerable teenagers.
• Establish relationships with students that support their efforts to self-regulate.
• Design instruction that reflects the social nature of the brain.
• Work with the brain’s neuroplasticity to increase adolescents’ executive functioning.
• Reduce teacher attrition in high-risk schools by decreasing secondary traumatic stress.
• Influence educational reforms by aligning them with current research on childhood trauma and its effects on learning.

Book Features:

• Provides an overview of the effects of three types of trauma on adolescent development: early childhood adversity, community violence, and systemic inequities.
• Links the effects of trauma on students’ cognitive development to educational reform efforts.
• Integrates research on adolescents’ neurodevelopment and current educational best practices.
• Builds the capacity of education professionals to successfully manage the behavior of adolescents with symptoms of complex developmental trauma.

Susan E. Craig is an independent consultant to school systems nationwide on topics such as inclusion, effects of violence, trauma-sensitive schools, positive behavior support, differentiated instruction, and integrated therapies. Dr. Craig is a sought-after public speaker and professional developer, offering in-person training anywhere in the United States. Invite Dr. Craig to your facility to train your staff. Visit her blog: www.meltdownstomastery.wordpress.com

"Throughout the book, Craig provides the reader with a thorough understanding of the implications of the effects of early childhood trauma as well as the role a school can play in providing students with a safe environment in which to heal. Craig’s focus on the collaborative approach that TSS provides to the community is further evidence of the need of TSS, specifically with regard to addressing needs of marginalized students."

—Teachers College Record

"Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, Trauma-Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years: Promoting Resiliency and Healing, 6-12 is impressively informative and should be considered critically important reading for all classroom teachers working in junior and senior high schools. An extraordinary contribution to the field, it is unreservedly recommended for college and university library Teacher Education collections in general, and Adolescent Special Needs supplemental studies reading lists in particular."

—Midwest Book Review

“Susan Craig’s book provides the scientific evidence and the reasons why it is so critical that schools take this new path in serving our students.”
—From the Foreword by Jim Sporleder, retired in 2014 as principal of Lincoln High School, which was profiled in the documentary Paper Tigers

“Trauma Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years provides a uniquely comprehensive and accessible resource for all educators and school administrators. Craig offers clear descriptions of the scientific literature related to toxic stress and trauma, along with practical suggestions for implementing and promoting schoolwide practices to support and educate students with trauma histories.”
—Eric Rossen, PhD, NCSP, director, professional development and standards, National Association of School Psychologists

“Susan Craig gives an in-depth look into the impact of trauma on the adolescent brain along with ideas about how educators can foster resilience and support student learning for all. Trauma-Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years is packed with strategies for collaboration with adolescent learners to create classroom and school environments that truly have the power to be transformative. This is an essential book for any secondary educator or administrator.”
—Sara Daniel, MSW, LCSW, director of Clinical Services, SaintA Milwaukee, WI

“Susan Craig has done it again in this follow-up to Trauma-Sensitive Schools. If you’re an educator who’s curious about the science of adverse childhood experiences, about how the adolescent brain works and responds to trauma, about how kids’ trauma affects you, and about how this knowledge can help you be a better teacher, Trauma-Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years is a must-read book.”
—Jane Ellen Stevens, founder, ACEs Too High

Foreword by Jim Sporleder

Introduction
   The Adolescent Brain
   Design of the Book
   Conclusion

Chapter 1. Trauma-Sensitive Secondary Schools
   The Importance of the Trauma-Sensitive Schools Movement
   A New Vision for Promoting Adolescent Resilience
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 2. Addressing the Many Faces of Adolescent Trauma
   The Prevalence of Trauma and Its Effects on Adolescent Neural Development
   Trauma and Marginalization
   Healing Trauma Through Inclusion: What Schools Can Do
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 3. Remodeling the Adolescent Brain for Adulthood
   Neural Development in Adolescence
   Changes in Cognitive Functioning Related to Neural Changes
   Threats to Successful Remodeling
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 4. Re-Traumatization on the Streets
   Types of Adolescent Victimization
   From Victim to Offender
   Trauma as a Gateway Drug
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 5. The Neurobiology of Interdependence
   Attachment, Individuation, and Trauma
   Attachment and Behavior
   Attachment and Social Interdependence
   Adult Patterns of Attachment
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 6. The Teacher’s Role in Trauma-Sensitive Schools
   Designing Trauma-Sensitive Instruction
   Implementation of a Tiered System of Support
   The Value of Collaborative Partnerships with Students
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 7. Trauma and Resilience
   Fostering a Culture of Connection
   Facilitating Positive Peer Interactions
   Resilience and Adversarial Growth
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 8. The Effects of Secondary Trauma on Teachers’ Lives
   Sources of Teacher Stress
   The Buffering Effects of Training
   Promoting Teacher Resilience
   Implications for Educational Reform
   Conclusion

Chapter 9. Next Steps: Managing the Necessary Changes to School Policies and Practices
   Changing the Culture of Secondary Schools
   Targeted and Necessary Administrative Leadership and Support
   Creating an Action Plan for Implementation
   Implications for School Reform
   Conclusion

Appendix A: Resources for Professional Development

Appendix B: Finding Your ACE Score

References

Index

About the Author