Exploring Implementation of Trauma-Engaged Practices in Schools

How are schools across Alaska implementing trauma-engaged practices? In 2019 the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (AK DEED) and partners designed Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma-Engaged Practice in Alaska and supplementary resources to help schools address the negative impacts of childhood trauma. The state wanted to understand whether Alaska schools were aware of and able to implement the recommended trauma-engaged practices. REL Northwest partnered with AK DEED to study how Alaska’s schools were implementing trauma-engaged practices consistent with the framework and supplementary resources. Key findings include: Implementation of trauma-engaged practices varies across Alaska’s schools, with most schools (63 percent) demonstrating an emerging level of implementation (the middle level of three levels of implementation relative to all study schools). Schools that reported higher awareness of and use of the resources demonstrated a higher level of implementation. The likelihood of a school being in the emergent or high implementation group increased as the percentage of students in foster care increased. School implementation level significantly predicted student ratings on two subscales of the state’s School Climate and Connectedness Survey: the caring others scale for elementary school students and the cultural connectedness scale for secondary school students. Interview data highlighted the importance of buy-in and support in achieving high levels of implementation and the value of investing in a trauma-engaged approach by hiring support staff, providing training, allocating funding, and establishing partnerships. Read the report at: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/northwest/Publication/108318