Pre K – 12 Teachers

Parents, Pre K - 12 Teachers, Undergraduate Students August 29, 2016

We Need to Talk About the Damage of Race-Related Trauma on Black and Brown Youth in Public Schools

Witnessing or experiencing race-related trauma damages the psychological wellbeing of minority youth. African American, American Indian, and Latino youth not only encounter race-related trauma in their neighborhoods but also in school.

Schools should be a safe space for all children, but some disturbing data prove otherwise.

  • Teachers, school personnel, and resource officers often enact violence against children of color. Hyman and Perone (1998) wrote about this understudied aspect of school violence more than fifteen years ago and while the CDC does not provide any indicator, a disturbing 2015 video captured a school resource officer at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, SC violently wrestling an African American female to the ground while other students numbly watched.

Minority youth not only witness or experience physical violence in school, they also deal with constant alienation, discrimination, and microaggressions. In our work with suspended youth, we have uncovered these encounters and are capturing them more intentionally through interviews with minority students.

  • Alienation manifests in our interviews with students like Natalie[1], a Latina, who mentioned, “I felt like I did not belong, like I wasn’t worth anything and didn’t mean anything.”
  • Discrimination—Teachers and school personnel discriminate against minority youth in discretionary discipline practices and recommendations for advanced courses. Racial discrimination can increase anxiety and depressive symptoms among youth (Chavous et al., 2008; Cogburn, Chavous, & Griffin, 2011).
  • Microaggressions (intentional or unintentional language and behavior that is derogatory or negative) are evident for students like Samantha, an African American female:

“I was the only black child, well the only black female in the computer engineering science class. And the teacher wouldn’t help me, he kind of pushed me [to] the side and he’s always like you can figure it out. But then Billy needed help so he just raised his hand and the teacher would assist him. But when I raised my hand he would overlook [me].”

When youth like Natalie and Samantha begin to internalize the belief “I wasn’t worth anything and I didn’t mean anything”, it is obviously a detriment to their mental health. While Natalie and Samantha survived and are in college now, the scars from feeling alienated, encountering discrimination, and emotional abuse in public school remain etched onto their psyche.

Unfortunately, a number of African American, American Indian, and Latino youth may not be able to survive the emotional assault; they will either lash out in aggressive or self-destructive ways or leave school completely. The National Center for Education Statistics reports African American and Latino youth between ages16 through 24 have the highest high school dropout rates.

How do we counter race-related trauma and build resilient youth and schools?

In order to decrease race-related trauma among children of color we will need to target the context in which they spend much of their time—schools. We offer a three-pronged approach to how schools can provide a context for intervention.

  1. Adopt Stress Reduction Practices in Schools

    Stevenson (2008) wrote, “…student-teacher relationships are stressful interactions that have the potential of being perceived as threats or challenges by both parties and that this primary appraisal is followed by a secondary appraisal of controllability or self-efficacy” (p. 356).

    Stevenson (2008) wrote, “…student-teacher relationships are stressful interactions that have the potential of being perceived as threats or challenges by both parties and that this primary appraisal is followed by a secondary appraisal of controllability or self-efficacy” (p. 356).

Adopting stress reduction practices, such as mindfulness, in schools to use with youth, teachers, and other school personnel can reduce tension and mitigate conflict. The work of the Holistic Life Foundation shows that mindfulness reduces stress-related behaviors by using meditative practices to improve attention, reduce stress, and increase self-regulation among adults and children. If we identify ways to adopt stress reduction practices in school, we can potentially reduce racial tensions.

  1. Support Advocacy through Youth –Adult Partnerships

Advocacy through youth-adult partnerships centers on improving community and civic engagement among youth. These partnerships can link youth to social support and provide opportunities for them to address racism and participate in decision-making in school. These types of activities can improve school engagement and build a number of skills for youth, such as social competence and self-efficacy (Zeldin, Christens, & Powers, 2013). In addition, training teachers and other supportive adults to model mindfulness in youth-adult partnerships only boosts the ways that youth manage stress and build resilience.

  1. Facilitate Truth and Reconciliation Groups

Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) are a restorative justice process used in global human rights violations. Modeling TRCs into smaller groups in schools can potentially bring together multiple stakeholders such as youth, teachers, parents and other community members to address racial disparities in schools and develop solutions. These groups may not only foster partnerships between youth and adults, they may also increase opportunities for parents and other community members to inform school practices. Androff (2012) indicates TRCs can target problems states fail to address because they rely on individuals impacted by the issue and foster collective action—such as redesigning school discipline practices.

We can reduce race-related trauma in public schools, but it will require us to:

  1. Understand how it occurs and how often in order to
  2. Identify ways to reduce stress, racial anxiety, and support the capacity of minority youth, their parents/caregivers, and communities to drive decision-making in schools.

These are lofty goals but they can be accomplished if we work together to support youth of color and show them that they matter. Now, we turn the challenge over to you. What are some ways you intend to reduce race-related trauma for minority youth in your school or community?

Cross-posted with permission from the APA’s Public Interest Blog PsychologyBenefits

 References

Androff, D. K. (2010). Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs): An international human rights intervention and its connection to social work. British Journal of Social Work, 40, 1960–1977. doi: 10.1093./bjsw//bcp139

Chavous, T. M., Rivas-Drake, D., Smalls, C., Griffin, T., & Cogburn, C. (2008). Gender matters, too: The influences of school racial discrimination and racial identity on academic engagement outcomes among African American adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 44, 637–654. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.44.3.637

Cogburn, C. D., Chavous, T. M., & Griffin, T. M. (2011). School-based racial and gender discrimination among African American adolescents: Exploring gender variation in frequency and implications for adjustment. Race Social Problems, 3, 25–37.

Hyman, I. A., & Perone, D. C. (1998). The other side of school violence: Educator policies and practices that may contribute to student misbehavior. Journal of School Psychology, 36(1), 7-27.

Lanier, C., & Huff-Corzine, L. (2006). American Indian homicide A county-level analysis utilizing social disorganization theory. Homicide Studies, 10, 181–194.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2015). The condition of education 2015 (NCES 2015-144),Retrieved from the U. S. Department of Education website: https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=16

Stevenson, H. C. (2008). Fluttering around the racial tension of trust: Proximal approaches to suspended Black student-teacher relationships. School Psychology Review, 37, 354–359.

Zeldin, S., Christens, B. D., & Powers, J. L. (2013). The psychology and practice of youth-adult partnership: Bridging generations for youth development and community change. American Journal of Community Psychology, 51, 385–397. doi: 10.1007/s10464-012-9558-y

Any comments or feedback can be sent to dawnxhen@gmail.com.

[1] All names listed are pseudonyms assigned to protect the identity of the students.

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Graduate and Postgraduate Teachers, Pre K - 12 Teachers, Undergraduate Teachers July 11, 2016

Is Research-Based Instruction a Reality in Education? The Example of Learning Styles and Dual Coding

Over the last quarter century, as public education has made a hard shift towards “accountability” and increased standardized testing, the trend towards the use of research-based instruction in classrooms has become nearly as ubiquitous as the Scantron sheets students are asked to bubble in multiple times each semester.

Violence Against Teachers

Advocacy, Parents, Pre K - 12 Teachers April 18, 2016

Understanding the Truth about Violence against Teachers

We have all heard stories about teachers who have been assaulted and continue to work in fear that they may be victimized by one of their students.  In fact 80% of teachers in a nation-wide survey reported being victimized at least once within the current or past school year.

There are different reactions to this occurrence, ranging from

“Why would anyone teach at that school?” and
“Some teachers just don’t know how to manage those kids” to
“These children have been traumatized and just need the proper guidance and services.”

But what if you are a teacher in that school because you care? You know that these students need help and you are trying to do your part.  What if you have managed classrooms full of students for years, but this time is something different?  Then what?

It is true that there is a growing understanding of how trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) not only affect the brain and learning, but can lead to numerous behavior challenges, including aggression and impulse control.  It is also a fact that for many years, male students of color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ students have been disproportionately disciplined more frequently and more harshly than their peers, prompting the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education to release guidance on promoting supportive and preventative approaches to school discipline.  Trauma-informed and restorative practices  in education and justice are becoming more widely used and have been acknowledged for their role in stemming what is referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline and building a more resilient and compassionate community.  These are all important and necessary education and juvenile justice reforms and programs that should be implemented and replicated across the country.  But what if you are a teacher right now, going to work today, knowing that you might face another physical or verbal threat from one of your students?

The American Psychological Association (APA) has been examining the issue of violence against teachers and has developed numerous resources to highlight and bring awareness to the issue, as well as to promote long-term solutions  to the problem facing teachers today.

Quick Tips for Educators

  • Note any change in students’ emotional and/or behavioral functioning.
  • Always consider social, cultural, and linguistic factors when judging student and adult behavior.
  • Remember you are not alone! Talk with a trusted colleague, mentor, administrator, or union representative and get outside assistance when needed.

Providing Support and Education for Teachers

NEA Healthy Futures has been working to educate our members about the myriad challenges facing students today, dealing with unprecedented levels of poverty and toxic and environmental stress. Member survey data confirm that most educators do not always identify or fully understand the different learning disabilities and behavioral disorders that can lead to disruptive behaviors.  We also know that each of us comes to a situation with our own internal biases that can affect our response to different behaviors.  Teachers and school-employed personnel need to understand how to identify behavior issues, but also how to respond to and de-escalate aggressive behaviors.  Suspension, expulsion, and involvement in the criminal justice system are not effective discipline tools and do not solve the problem.  NEA is working to train our members in greater awareness of mental health issues and have developed a training on Addressing Behavior Challenges (ABC) throughout the school environment.

The shortage of quality teachers in high needs school districts and with high need populations has long been a serious challenge. Keeping quality teachers once you succeed in drawing them to the profession is a whole other challenge.  We need to continue to do all we can to support and empower teachers with the proper skills and resources to address the needs of their students.  This can be in the form of additional training and professional development, but can and should also be in the form of more school-based mental health professionals (school psychologists, school counselors, and school social workers) and other specialized instructional support personnel (SISP) to work with students to address any number of barriers to teaching and learning and to consult with school staff on how to approach and prevent challenging and even violent behavior.

Our teachers and school employed professionals deserve to be treated with respect; they deserve to work in a safe and supportive environment, just as much as our students deserve to be taught in a safe and supportive environment.  Take action and speak up for the students and teachers who need more support, training and resources to address complex student issues and prevent violence in our schools and communities.

Take Action and Speak Up Button

Parents, Pre K - 12 Teachers April 11, 2016

Psychologists Invited to the Table to Guide Use of Federal Funds

From ESEA to ESSA:

For you policy-wonks out there, psychologists included, you certainly are aware that Congress passed, with bi-partisan support, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

This law, like previous versions, provides the scaffolding for our federal investment in K-12 education.  The law directs how the federal funds are to be used.  And in general, the law continues its historic focus on targeting federal funds to low-income, high-need schools, by formula, in an effort to provide more equal access to a high-quality education for all students.

Pre K - 12 Teachers, Undergraduate Teachers April 4, 2016

How Regional High School Teacher Networks Will Take your Game to the Next Level

Professional development opportunities for high school psychology teachers have traditionally been hard to come by. In the past, the only significant opportunities to see presentations on best practices in the teaching of high school psychology were limited to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual meeting or the Advanced Placement Annual Conference. Both are outstanding opportunities for professional growth but typically require significant travel and expensive conference fees.

High School Students, Pre K - 12 Teachers, Undergraduate Students, Undergraduate Teachers March 7, 2016

5 Phenomenal Women of Color Who Changed Psychology Forever and Will Inspire You to Do the Same

Not too long ago, psychology was a discipline dominated by white males. Change came slowly in the wake of the Civil Rights and Women’s Movements of the 1960s and ‘70s. But even before then, a few intrepid women of color entered the field of psychology and strove to change it (and the world) for the better. And women of color continue to break barriers and contribute to psychology as scientists, practitioners and policymakers to this day.