The Role of Schools in Supporting Traumatized Students

Childhood trauma is among the most relevant and significant psychoso-cial factors affecting education to-day (Blaustein, 2013). The effects of those traumas are far reaching, with the potential to influence students, families, educators, and the overall school culture. Exposure to adverse experiences and childhood traumas poses a significant risk to student learning and mental health and is far more pervasive than previously thought. Whether the trauma is the result of chronic adverse experiences (e.g., neglect) or an acute crisis event (e.g., a tor-nado), schools play a crucial and unique role in mitigating the effects of adversity, stress, and trauma on students. Given the large influence that schools have on the lives of youth, their responsibility for supporting the social and emotional devel-opment of students should not be overlooked. Schools are well-suited to offer an ongoing presence of trained, caring, stable adults; a learning environment that can naturally sup-port and develop resilience and coping skills; and partnerships with families and community providers to help provide comprehensive sup-ports. Addressing trauma and its related is-sues is essential to the mission and purpose of schools: learning. Traumatized students are often focused on survival, which hampers their ability to learn, socialize, and develop the skills needed to thrive. Failure to provide adequate infrastructure to support students with trauma histories can undermine aca-demic success. School staff members may also be affected by trauma, both in their roles as caregivers for students and by experiencing a crisis event themselves as part of the school community. As with students, teachers and Traumatized students are often focused on survival, which hampers their ability to learn, socialize, and develop the skills needed to thrive. Just the Facts n Trauma generally results from actual or perceived harm to one’s physical, psychological, or emotional well-being; the inability to cope; and some kind of impairment in daily life or functioning (Blaustein