Ryan Powers, assistant district superintendent of the Bridgewater-Raynham county, has tasked schools to put in place better structures to manage and handle student trauma.
He made this declaration at the School Superintendents Association’s National Conference on Education, where he noted schools must have a better response to student’s trauma.
Powers stated:
I first began to notice the effects of adverse childhood experiences in students ten years ago, aggressive outbursts or students melting down in the corner were among the behaviors that teachers were seeing.
The district superintendent further noted that schools most times were the worst trigger for this student’s trauma, indicating they can make it better or worse.
He urged other district superintendents to take responsibility for the situation and champion this cause, prioritizing students well being and finding strategies that work in their schools.
National district superintendents of the year
Gustavo Balderas, superintendent of Eugene School District 4J in Eugene, Oregon, was named the 2020 AASA National Superintendent of the Year.
The School Superintendents Association is regarded as the most comprehensive professional learning and networking event for school superintendents and administrators.
This year’s event was aimed at addressing the most critical issues currently affecting public education, such as equity in education, social and emotional learning, personalizing teaching, early learning, technology, school safety, and administration, and leadership.
The session on trauma-sensitive teaching focused on how to personalize culture, so students feel supported and develop a sense of belonging in school.
Susan Cole, a Harvard University law professor and the director of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, said its critical is that everyone shares an understanding of trauma’s impact on learning and the need to address this in a whole-school way.
Grassroots solution
In the search to find a solution Denise Moody, the assistant director of student services for the Rochester Public Schools in Minnesota suggest school embraces grassroots solution.
She noted that grassroots solutions from schools and gathering perspectives from students, teachers, and parents on school culture issues are essential ways to “empower” teams at local schools to create more supportive school cultures.
Powers also suggested that district superintendents can tackle the issue is by assigning paraprofessionals to specific students who need additional SEL support instead of assigning them based only on academic needs.
Notably, District superintendents from Pennsylvania described a successful partnership with The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia that has changed how teachers approach their work.
