Adopting Trauma-Invested Practices, Strategies, and Interventions
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Summer 2024
Abstract
The aim of this school improvement plan is to implement professional development by raising trauma awareness, developing a trauma-invested lens, and implementing trauma-invested practices, strategies, and interventions across all elementary school environments. Existing literature emphasizes the prevalence of trauma among children and its adverse effects on their well-being and academic performance. National, State of Iowa, and Iowa County, Iowa data indicates a rise in traumatic childhood experiences, proving the need for increased professional development. Many educators and administrators do not understand the effects of trauma on the emotional well-being, brain growth, and learning of students with trauma and how to use trauma-invested practices, strategies, and interventions to support these students. This trauma-invested professional development plan implements trauma awareness training, developing a trauma-invested lens, and evidence-based trauma-invested practices, strategies, and interventions in a three-tiered system over a two-year period with the goal of supporting educators in meeting students' emotional, behavioral, and academic needs across all school environments.