Exploring Accessible & Responsive Trauma-Informed Schools: A Regenerative Approach to Student & Educator Support

Young people are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of stress and trauma. This research explores educator perspectives of school-based trauma-informed care programs in order to understand how programs can become more accessible and culturally responsive. While there are several widely used guidelines for school-based trauma-informed care programs that seek to mitigate trauma and its effects in the classroom, there is not a universally accepted standard. As such, programs vary across settings. This study employed a mixed-methods strategy to survey and interview educators and care providers regarding factors that may limit or enhance the availability of, access to, and appropriateness of trauma-informed care in schools. Interest in trauma-informed practices, quality and quantity of training received, availability of resources, responsiveness of interventions to feedback, and support from school leadership were among the aspects of trauma-informed care implementation that were explored. Results suggest that perceptions of program implementation vary depending on the particular roles of participants in their schools, as well as whether trauma-informed care initiatives are motivated mostly by individual faculty or by school or district leadership. Conclusions included the importance of positive relationships among program stakeholders and the need to dedicate sufficient time for program design and implementation. Keywords: trauma-informed care, trauma-informed schools, social-emotional learning, school mental health, cultural responsiveness, educational policy, community health, wellnes