Rural Education and the Need for Trauma-Informed Care
Lauren Dotson, Montana State University
Friday, August 3, 11:30-12:00, SUB Ballroom D, Theme: Practice
In this session, a former school administrator from a rural school district in the mountains of North Carolina shares the transformative potential of implementing a model of trauma-informed care for school and classroom discipline procedures. This session is intended to illuminate best-practices and procedures for creating a responsive, trauma-sensitive approach to school and classroom management as well as highlight the need for this approach in our nation's rural and high-poverty schools. Additionally, the presenter will also share student outcomes from a case study from a rural southwestern NC school district that recently piloted a trauma-informed care model.
This session is best suited for currently practicing school administrators, classroom
teachers, or professors working in teacher preparation or educational leadership programs.
“Take-aways” from this session will include increased knowledge and effects of adverse
childhood experiences and physiological changes to the child’s brain from chronic
stress due to traumatic experiences; it will also provide to participants both prevention
and reaction techniques, if desired, which teachers and administrators may use to
support students in traumatic crises as well as helping improve overall student engagement
and academic/behavioral outcomes.