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Though we cannot fix or heal them, we likely do not even know who many of them are, we can empower them emotionally towards the possibility of their own potential.

In June teenage sisters Nene and Ekene Okolo started an Instagram account called Black in PUSD , where they invited Poway Unified students and alumni of color to share what it was like for them at school. They received 1,200 anonymous submissions, most describing racist incidents Black, Latino and Asian students had endured, including racial slurs and assumptions based on stereotypes. The Black in PUSD account helped spur an anti-racism movement in Poway Unified, which has acknowledged that...

Educators at all levels are asking for practical applications of what they've heard their students need due to ACEs, Trauma and brain research. Here are a few strategies from my upcoming book "The Whole Child School."

Bridging to Resilience is a virtual conference to connect us with the ideas, strategies, tools, and people to help build resilience and heal trauma in our own communities. When: November 12-13 Where: Zoom virtual conferencing. Links to keynotes and sessions will be shared with registered participants before November 12. Cost: $99/person for 2 full days of virtual learning + 1 year of On-Demand access to all the sessions after the conference closes. Can't attend on November 12-13? No problem!

The election is upon us. In two short weeks, we voters in this country decide who will lead us for the next four years. We have the opportunity to embrace — as a national priority — the tenets of understanding, nurturing and healing that underlie the science of adverse childhood experiences and move in a direction that embraces cultural and racial equity and anti-racism. Or not. What is clear is that no matter what, the ACEs movement will continue.

Parenting a child with additional learning, attention, social-emotional, or behavioral needs has never been easy—and it’s not exactly getting easier. Distance learning and hybrid learning have created a whole new layer of challenge for the approximately 7.1 million children who receive special education services in American schools. Here are the three most common challenges I have been seeing for children with special needs—and what parents can do when they see these challenges at home. “My...

By Theresa Harrington, EdSource, October 16, 2020 Deep into the pandemic, some districts are finding an alarming percentage of students are missing from the virtual classroom — with the worst absentee rates occurring among homeless students, foster youth, English learners, Black students and high school seniors. Now some districts, such as West Contra Costa and Oakland Unified in the San Francisco Bay Area, are scrambling to find ways to track down and re-engage students and provide them...

Students will no longer be graded based on a yearly average, or on how late they turn in assignments. Those are just some of the major grading changes approved this week by California's second-largest school district. The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) is overhauling the way it grades students. Board members say the changes are part of a larger effort to combat racism. “This is part of our honest reckoning as a school district,” says SDUSD Vice President Richard Barrera. “If we’re...

Paul Gorski October 2020 | Volume 78 | Number 2 Trauma-Sensitive Schools Pages 14-19 To fully support students, schools must attend to the trauma that occurs within their own institutional cultures. "I have a story for you," Shari said as she jogged toward me. I had spent the day with her high school's administrative team discussing an equity assessment they hoped to conduct. A major challenge at this school, as in many schools, was the leadership team's habit of embracing shiny new program...

By Adam Peshek, Education Next, October 2020 With tens of millions of students facing months without consistent schooling, some states are stepping up to provide support directly to families. This is counter to the education narrative we see that focuses on power struggles within a system that is supposed to be focused on kids. Instead, the focus has been on teacher strikes , congressional debates over funding , and court battles on when and how schools reopen. Meanwhile, families have been...

From Pauls Valley Democrat, October 6, 2020 State Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, recently hosted an interim study examining the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress on children’s behavior in the classroom and efforts schools can take to help avoid suspension. The study was held before the House Common Education Committee. “Violence in the classroom has become a nationwide epidemic,” said Conley, whose District 20 includes an eastern portion of Garvin County. [...

Please join us on 10/15 along with special guest Bryan Clement, MEd from Dovetail Learning as we discuss educator well-being. Educators are being asked to learn and grow professionally and personally during this unique time. During this week's session you will explore your own self-awareness regarding your 'protective patterns' and learn practical skills for resilience to remain 'centered' while navigating telehealth support and teaching at a distance. As a trauma informed, healing centered...