Trauma-Informed Practices in Rural Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.v10n1p24-41Keywords:
trauma, rural education, adverse childhood experiences, yoga, stressAbstract
The overall wellness and well-being of today’s youth are of concern owing to high levels of stress, as well as other mental and physical health issues. Academic success can be negatively impacted because of the interconnectivity of these issues, along with traumatic childhood experiences and high numbers of adverse childhood experiences. In rural areas, these issues can be even more pronounced owing to issues related to socioeconomic status and high rates of poverty. Therefore, it is important to explore interventions in the educational setting that could mitigate the negative impact of these challenges. This pilot study examined the relationship between a trauma-informed approach incorporating yoga/mindfulness and academic, social, and emotional behaviors among fourth graders in a rural academic setting. Student and teacher pre- and postintervention survey data indicate the intervention had academic, social, and emotional benefits.
References
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2019). Students participating in free/reduced program by county. Kids Count Data Center. https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/3239-students-approved-for-free-or-reduced-price-school-lunch?loc=48&loct=5#detailed/5/6812-6945/false/1577,1565,1380,1232,1123,1031,923,920,919,918/any/12923,6682.
Blad, E. (2016, April 4). Trauma-informed practices will help tackle chronic absenteeism in Oregon. Education Week. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2016/04/oregon_plans_to_tackle_chronic_absenteeism_through_trauma-informed_practices.html
Bloom, S. L. (2007). The Sanctuary Model® of trauma-informed organizational change. The Source, 16(1), 12–14, 16. http://sanctuaryweb.com/Portals/0/Bloom Pubs/2007 Bloom The Sanctuary Model The Source Articles Sanctuary.pdf
Burke-Harris, N. (2018). The deepest well: Healing the long-term effects of childhood adversity. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Butzer, B., LoRusso, A. M., Windsor, R., Riley, F., Frame, K., Khalsa, S., & Conboy, L. (2017). A qualitative examination of yoga for middle school adolescents. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 10(3), 195–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/1754730X.2017.1325328
Butzer, B., van Over, M., Noggle Taylor, J. J., & Khalsa, S. (2015). Yoga may mitigate decreases in high school grades. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015, 259814. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/259814
Cardinal, B., Yan, Z., & Cardinal, M. (2013). Negative experiences in physical education and sport. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 84(3), 49–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2013.767736
Centers for Disease Control (CDC). (2016). Adverse childhood experiences. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html
Cook-Cottone, C. (2017). Mindfulness and yoga in schools: A guide for teachers and practitioners. New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826131737
Copeland, W. Shanahan L. Hinesley, J. (2018). Association of childhood trauma exposure with
adult psychiatric disorders and functional outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(7):e184493. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.4493.
DiPerna, J. & Elliot, S. (2002). Promoting academic enablers to improve student achievement: An introduction to the mini-series. School Psychology Review, 31(3), 293–297.
Durlak, J., Weissburg, R., Dumnicki, A., Taylor, R., & Schellinger, K. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82, 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
Faridi, Z., Grunbaum, J., Gray, B., Franks, A., & Simoes, E. (2007). Community-based participatory research: Necessary next steps. Preventing Chronic Disease, 4(3), 1–5. http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/jul/06_0182.htm
Felitti, V., Anda, R., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D., Spitz, A., Edwards, V., & Koss, M. (1998). The relationship of adult health status to childhood abuse and household dysfunction. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14, 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
Hamilton Project. (2019). Chronic absence across the United States, 2015–2016 school year [Data set]. http://www.hamiltonproject.org/charts/chronic_absence_across_the_united_states
Herman, K. C., Hickmon-Rosa, J., & Reinke, W. (2017). Empirically derived profiles of teacher stress, burnout, self-efficacy, and coping and associated student outcomes. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 20(2), 90–100. http://doi.org/110.1177/1098300717732066
Holkup, P., Tripp-Reimer, T., Salois, E., & Weinert, C. (2004). Community-based participatory research: An approach to intervention research with a Native American community. ANS. Advances in Nursing Science, 27(3), 162–175. https://doi.org/10.1097/00012272-200407000-00002
Israel, B. A., Schulz, A. J., Parker, E. A., & Becker, A. B. (2008). Critical issues in developing and following community-based participatory research principles. In M. Minkler & N. Wallerstein (Eds.), Community-based participatory research for health: From process to outcomes (2nd ed., pp. 47–62). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Jennings, P. A. (2019). The trauma-sensitive classroom: Building resilience with compassionate teaching. New York, NY: Norton.
Khalsa, S. B., Hickey-Schultz, L., Cohen, D., Steiner, N., & Cope, S. (2012). Evaluation of the mental health benefits of yoga in a secondary school: A preliminary randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 39(1), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-011-9249-8.
Lang, C, Feldmeth, A., Brand, S., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2016). Stress management in physical education class: An experiential approach to improve coping skills and reduce stress perceptions in adolescents. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 35(2), 149–158. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2015-0079
Litgen, M. (2013). Education brief: ACEs for educators and stakeholders. (Issue brief). Chicago, IL: Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. http://www.hmprg.org/assets/root/ACEs/Education%20Policy%20Brief.pdf
Liu, F. (2004). Basic education in China’s rural areas: A legal obligation or an individual choice? International Journal of Educational Development, 24, 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2003.09.001
Liu, J. & Loeb, S. (2016, October 27). Going to school is optional: Schools need to engage students to increase their lifetime opportunities. Washington, DC: Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/research/going-to-school-is-optional-schools-need-to-engage-students-to-increase-their-lifetime-opportunities/
Lukens, J. (2017, September 20). Confronting adverse childhood experiences to improve rural kids’ lifelong health. Rural Monitor. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/rural-monitor/adverse-childhood-experiences/
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
Massachusetts Advocates for Children. (2005). Helping traumatized children learn: A report and policy agenda. https://traumasensitiveschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Helping-Traumatized-Children-Learn.pdf
Miller, L. C. & Johnson, A. (2016, September).. Chronic absenteeism in Virginia and the challenged school divisions: A descriptive analysis of patterns and correlates. (EdPolicyWorks Report No. 4).Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Curry School of Education. https://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Chronic-Absenteeism-in-Virginia.pdf
Montana Healthcare Foundation. (2017). Trauma-informed approaches: Opportunities and challenges in Montana. https://mthcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Trauma-Informed-Approaches-Full-Report.pdf
National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2018). Child trauma and opioid use: Policy implications. https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/child_trauma_and_opioid_use_policy_implications.pdf
Ratey, J. J. (2008). Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. New York, NY: Little, Brown.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2016, September 1). The relationship between school attendance and health. Health Policy Snapshot Series. https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2016/09/the-relationship-between-school-attendance-and-health.html
Sanchez, J. E., Usinger, J., Thornton, B. W., & Sparkman, W. E. (2017). I’m paying the time for someone else’s crime: Principals and core teachers at rural middle schools under chronic academic stress. Rural Educator, 38(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v38i3.216
Schonfeld, D. J., Adams, R. E., Fredstrom, B. K., Weissberg, R. P., Gilman, R., Voyce, C., Tomlin, R., & Speese-Linehan, D. (2015). Cluster-randomized trial demonstrating impact on academic achievement of elementary social-emotional learning. School Psychology Quarterly, 30(3), 406–420. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/spq0000099
SHAPE America. (2009). Appropriate instructional practice guidelines, K-12: A side-by-side comparison. https://www.shapeamerica.org/uploads/pdfs/Appropriate-Instructional-Practices-Grid.pdf
Siegel, D., & Bryson, T. (2011). The whole-brain child. New York, NY: Random House.
Simonton, A. J., Young, C. C., & Johnson, C. E. (2018). Physical activity interventions to decrease substance use in youth: A review of the literature. Substance Use and Misuse, 53(12), 2052–2068. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2018.1452338
Souers, P., & Hall, K. (2016). Fostering resilient learners: Strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Stelmach, B. L. (2011). A synthesis of international rural education issues and responses. Rural Educator, 32(2), 32–42. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ987606.pdf.
Tabackman, L. (2018, May 10). Southwest Virginia legislator targets opioid crisis. Virginia Business. http://www.virginiabusiness.com/news/article/southwest-virginia-legislator-targets-opioid-crisis
Talbot, J., Szlosek, D., & Ziller, E. (2016). Adverse childhood experiences in rural and urban contexts. (Research and Policy Brief PB-64). Maine Rural Health Research Center. https://muskie.usm.maine.edu/Publications/rural/Adverse-Childhood-Experiences-Rural.pdf
Tate, M. L. (2014). Shouting won’t grow dendrites: 20 techniques to detour around the danger zones. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
United Way of Southwest Virginia. (2017, October 4). Smyth County schools see improved attendance. http://unitedwayswva.org/smyth-county-va-schools-see-improved-attendance.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). The health and well-being of children in rural areas: A Portrait of the nation, 2011–2012. Rockville, MD: Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. https://mchb.hrsa.gov/nsch/2011-12/rural-health/pdf/rh_2015_book.pdf#page=51
Virginia Department of Social Services. (2017). Child Protective Services. http://dss.virginia.gov/family/cps/index.cgi
Witherspoon, D. & Ennett, S. (2011). Stability and change in rural youths’ educational outcomes through middle and high school years. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(9), 1077–1090. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9614-6
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Dr. Lauren Davis, Dr. Rebecca Buchanan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Articles will be published using a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Sharealike license. (For more information on this license, please visit the Creative Commons license page.) Please also note that the authors are explicitly granting permission for Academic Library Services to store a copy of the article in The ScholarShip, ECU's Institutional Repository under the terms of the current ScholarShip license. As a North Carolina agency, ECU contributes copies of all publications to the North Carolina State Archives.