Your Monthly News & Updates |
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HeartMind e-News: Teach, Learn, Lead
A monthly publication dedicated to trauma-informed, compassionate school practices that help educators, students, and families move toward a sense of wholeness and well-being
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Trauma, School Violence, and Mindfulness
As the summer comes to a close and you are preparing for next year, HeartMind eNews provides three articles to ensure that you are informed and updated regarding best practices.
Hallie Williams in our first article reminds us of what schools can do to help decrease the violence that is impacting schools: creating positive school cultures where youth feel a sense of connectedness and psychological safety is foremost. In the aftermath of COVID-19 and greater focus on social emotional learning, is it better to target students most in need of help or to try to implement a more universal approach? In our second article, Stephanie Noel provides evidence regarding the pros and cons of each approach. In our third article this month, Marrin Scalone, a behavioral health specialist, describes how the state of Virginia is approaching trauma-informed care as it addresses ACEs in schools and community settings.
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Welcome to HeartMind e-News, dedicated to translating research and theory to practice, to aid implementation of compassionate practices in schools. Each issue has practical suggestions for teachers, researchers, school administrators, educational policymakers, mental health providers, students, and families. You are also invited to join the HeartMind Community to receive discounts on publications and workshops, networking opportunities, and special offers for virtual consultations and additional resources from the Center for Educational Improvement.
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Mindfulness Against Violence
Hallie Williams, CEI Intern, and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director
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Suppose a child often misses school due to problems over which they have no control. Naturally, this student falls behind in their learning: this is a reality for many children—children who live in poverty or experience violence in their homes or community. While there is much we can do to help encourage children’s attendance, educators who provide compassionate support and a welcoming school climate also may be laying important groundwork for ensuring that students stay in school despite their home circumstances. For students who experience violence outside of school, it is particularly important that learning environments are safe and supportive because for some children, school is the safest place they know. Read more.
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Optimizing Your Approach: Targeting High-Risk Students Versus the Entire Student Population
Stephanie Noel, CEI Intern
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Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been proven to help students efficiently improve their social skills and emotional regulation. For students of all backgrounds it can provide benefits including enhanced emotional modulation and a healthier school climate, both of which may improve learning outcomes (Yeager, 2017). However, schools must ask how to best allocate their finite time and resources when considering that successfully implementing SEL often requires hiring a program leader such as a social worker or specialist and a continuum of support and resources, according to the nonprofit organization, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Read more.
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Statewide Approaches to ACEs & Trauma-Informed Care
Marrin Scalone, ACEs Program Specialist, Virginia Dept. of Behavioral Health
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Over the past decade, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have completely transformed the face of public health in the United States. Research shows us that if we segregate prevention vs. treatment when addressing trauma, we’re not telling the whole story of human wellness, suffering, and resilience. Cross-discipline approaches allow for education, awareness, and intervention across a diverse range of knowledge and lived experience. Collaborative action allows us to take evidence-based, innovative steps towards global change (Ding et al., 2020). Read more.
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Upcoming Events and Announcements |
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S-CCATE
Learn more about our validated tool for addressing trauma, used in four pilot studies and with the New England Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative.
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CEI Webinars
Show evidence of purchase of Mindful School Communities: The Five Cs of Heart Centered Learning and participate in our "Implementing 5 Cs to Address Book Study" with Dr. Christine Mason.
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Race Forward: Heal Together Survey
CEI is partnering with community organizations in Virginia and Race Forward: Heal Together to conduct listening sessions to learn about the concerns of students, families, and educators. As part of this effort we are inviting others to respond to a very brief survey.
If you are concerned about banning books, racism, academic freedom, student rights, and related issues facing school communities, please complete the survey and share widely with others.
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Virtual Self Care for Teachers and Other School Staff!
The sessions, offered by CEI, are designed for teachers, teacher assistants, counselors, psychologists, social workers, administrators, and mental health staff working in and with schools.
Here are your options:
· Yoga classes for educators. Wednesday mornings 7:15- 8:00 am
· Other time options: Yoga classes (45 minutes) or meditation classes (30 minutes).
Let us know your preferred time.
Attend 5 sessions and receive CEI's Certificate of Participation.
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CEI Offerings on Amazon!
Check out our offerings, including two new ePubs on teen support for suicide prevention and alleviating trauma.
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See our Latest Kindle Addition
We once believed that a safe, welcoming classroom environment does not just influence the way the child feels in the classsroom; it significantly impacts the way they learn.
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CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
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