Midwest PBIS- Trauma Informed Schools

How to access the program?

Visit https://www.midwestpbis2.org/training-content/trauma to access the online training and resources for free.

What is the program? 

Understanding how trauma impacts performance in the educational setting can change how we interact with our most vulnerable youth. This training will build participant’s fluency in defining trauma, describing how trauma may look in the classroom, discussing how trauma can affect student development and impact learning, and how to assess current school-wide and classroom systems with a trauma informed lens.  

Who is the program for? 

The Midwest PBIS-Trauma Informed Schools training is useful for any educator on a campus including teachers, school counselors, administrators, and student support staff.  

How is this program implemented? 

The two trainings below are within the Midwest PBIS Trauma training package and are designed to increase awareness of trauma and how to build systems for trauma-informed schools. Participants in these trainings should engage in the professional learning necessary to install and coach utilizing a trauma-informed lens in a systemic, efficient, and effective way. 

• The trauma awareness training should be completed first. In this training participants will learn basic information about trauma, understand how trauma influences our stress response and impacts brain development. Additionally, participants will leave understanding the big picture of where trauma-informed practices fit within a three-tiered framework and be interested in learning about setting up routines in the classroom for regulation, relationships, and self-awareness. There are 5 modules within this training (self-care, what is trauma, trauma and the brain, fight-flight-and freeze, and trauma-informed classroom practices).   

• The integrating and installing trauma-informed practices within your current system training should be taken after the trauma awareness training. The training should also be completed as a district or campus level team. Teams participating in this training will learn to apply the core features of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to install a trauma-informed approach that is integrated within their current PBIS framework. There are 4 modules within this training (defining what it means to be trauma-informed within the PBIS framework, using systems to develop a professional development plan, practice a crosswalk of PBIS components and trauma-informed features, and using data and creating an evaluation plan).  

What is the practice that is supported? 

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) a trauma informed approach in general is the ability for all parties to recognize and respond to the impacts of trauma on children, staff, caregivers, and service providers. Given the impacts and prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) like experiencing violence, schools play an important role in providing systems of support for children who have experienced trauma. The purpose of a trauma informed approach is to create a school-wide environment that addresses the needs of students, staff, administrators, and families who may be at-risk of experiencing symptoms related to trauma.   

What outcomes does the practice produce? 

• Improve student behavior and attendance 
• Improve student attitudes towards teaching, learning, and school climate 
• Increase school staff knowledge about addressing trauma and  
• Decrease trauma related symptoms in students 

What is the evidence? 

Tabone, J. K., Rishel, C. W., Hartnett, H. P., & Szafran, K. F. (2020). Examining the effectiveness of early intervention to create trauma-informed school environments. Children and Youth Services Review, 113, 104998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104998 

In this study, evaluators analyzed the effectiveness of a trauma informed early intervention program aimed at reducing the symptoms of trauma among elementary aged students. Classrooms receiving the intervention program and classrooms in the control group (94 total classes) were compared using a baseline observation before implementation and a follow-up observation at the end of the school year. The results of the study showed that classes receiving the trauma-informed intervention had a significant increase in emotional support by the end of the school year while the control groups had no increase in the same domain. Classes receiving the intervention also saw improvement in instructional support and classroom organization while the control groups saw a decline or no change in both of those domains.  

McIntyre, E. M., Baker, C. N., & Overstreet, S. (2019). Evaluating foundational professional development training for trauma-informed approaches in schools. Psychological Services, 16, 95–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000312 

This study examined the extent of knowledge growth of teachers after attending a 2-day foundational professional development training on trauma-informed approaches within their school settings. Using a pre and posttest design, the results showed that teacher’s knowledge of trauma-informed approaches increased significantly after the training. The results showed that 70% of the 183 teachers in the study had mastered the content after the training compared to 20% before the training. The results also showed that knowledge growth in training was also positively associated with a teacher’s acceptability of trauma-informed approaches and their perception of systems fit. 

Dorado, J., Martinez, M., McArthur, L., & Leibovitz, T. (2016). Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools (HEARTS): A Whole-School, Multi-level, Prevention and Intervention Program for Creating Trauma-Informed, Safe and Supportive Schools. School Mental Health, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9177-0 

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a tiered trauma-informed program at elementary and middle school campuses. The evaluation examined the change in knowledge for teachers and staff, student engagement, and the impact of intensive treatments for students referred. The results showed that after educator training and the trauma-informed program being on campus for at least one school year, educators’ knowledge in five domains increased, including how to help traumatized children learn in school. Student engagement also improved which was shown by an increase in the percentage of time students were on task and a decrease in student misbehavior. That results also showed that students receiving intensive interventions had significant improvements in their ability to adjust to trauma.  

What are the costs associated with implementing this program? 

All videos and training resources can be accessed online for free at https://www.midwestpbis2.org/training-content/trauma 

What resources are helpful for understanding this program? 

• Access the Midwest PBIS trauma trainings: https://www.midwestpbis2.org/training-content/trauma 
• Midwest PBIS website: https://www.midwestpbis2.org/home 
• Find PBIS state coordinators for technical assistance here: https://www.pbis.org/about/pbis-state-coordinators#Texas 

Any training or interventions from this list should be used in accordance with established staff development standards and adopted professional development policies of the Local Education Agency (LEA) per §21.451 and §21.4515 of the Texas Education Code (TEC), as well as the LEA’s grief and trauma-informed care policy and procedures in accordance with §38.036 and §38.351. While this training satisfies the statutory training requirements of §38.036, it is best practice for staff to receive ongoing training which may include job embedded professional development, coaching and annual training opportunities.  

Rating: Research-Informed 

Secondary components: Early Mental Health Prevention and Intervention; Positive, Safe, and Supportive School Climates