3S1. Building Resilience in Students Using a Trauma-Informed Lens: Results of a Pilot Study

Approximately 25-66% percent of all children are likely to experience some type of significant adversity during their childhood. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can impact students’ lives in the short-term and have the potential to alter their developmental trajectories. Experiencing trauma has been correlated with lower academic performance, decreases in emotional regulation, higher school absences and increases in violence toward self and others. This presentation will focus on the results of a pilot study conducted in Iowa. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected at five elementary schools and three control schools during one academic year. As compared to the control schools, the schools receiving the We Can! intervention experienced significant increases in teachers’ understanding of students’ behavior from a trauma-informed lens, increased teacher self-efficacy for classroom intervention to promote resilience, and improvements in culture and climate (e.g., staff collegiality and worker satisfaction) throughout the school year. Implications will be discussed