Educators and Trauma Informed Pedagogy: Measuring Understanding

<p> Presentation given at the Georgia Educational Research Association Annual Meeting.</p><p> <a href="https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1428&amp;context=gera" target="_blank"> Program </a></p><p> There has been a recent acknowledgement in the educational community that childhood trauma impacts student learning. The initial study of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and long-term health outcomes revealed that two-thirds of participants reported at least one ACE, 38% two or more, and the higher the ACE score the dramatically poorer the health outcomes (Anda and Felitti, 1998). There has been a great deal of research documenting that childhood stress impacts brain development and ultimately can affect cognitive functioning and school performance (Pechtel &amp; Pizzagalli, 2011; Streeck-Fischer &amp; van der Kolk, 2000; Burke, Hellman, Scott, Weems, &amp; Carrion, 2011; Delaney-Black, Covington, Ondersma, Nordstrom-Klee, Templine, Ager, Janisse &amp; Sokol, 2002). Trauma informed pedagogical practice holds promise for addressing and remediating the academic gaps caused by adverse childhood experiences. This presentation will share the results of a survey conducted with over 500 educators to assess their experience with working with students who experienced trauma, their awareness of trauma informed pedagogical practices, and their desire to learn more on this topic. The results of this study indicate a need to provide more professional development in this area and provide revealing insight into schools&rsquo; approaches to working with children who have experienced trauma.</p>