Exploring a School-University Model for Professional Development with Classroom Staff: Teaching Trauma-Informed Approaches

IntroductionClassroom staff, also known as teaching assistants, classroom aides, and paraprofessionals, are vital members of school communities who typically work closely with students with the highest needs (Manz, Power, Ginsburg-Block, & Dowrick, 2010). Schools serving communities with high rates of poverty face the profound challenge of meeting the needs of students who are often exposed to significant family and environmental stressors and trauma, impacting students' health and mental health (Wadsworth et al., 2008). Classroom staff and teachers are increasingly aware of the ubiquitous role that trauma and chronic stress play in children's learning and development but feel uncertain about how to provide optimal support and struggle with distinguishing their role in the healing process (Alisic, 2012). Schools that successfully meet the challenges presented when serving highpoverty communities do so by developing a caring and collaborative culture where all students are fully included and leadership is shared among school personnel (Ciuffetelli Parker, Grenville, & Flessa, 2011). Infusing these factors with trauma-informed practices can help schools establish safer, more consistent learning environments and help children exposed to trauma and/ or chronic stress build resiliency (Jaycox, Kataoka, Stein, Langley, & Wong, 2012). Trauma-informed practices include social-emotional development and problem-solving skills that classroom staff are in an optimal position to facilitate. All school staff can support children's ability to build resilience by teaching coping skills and helping children process their emotions and create hope for the future (Baum, Rotter, Reidler, & Brom, 2009). When students are taught self-management and coping skills, it results in fewer classroom disruptions that often interfere with learning (Bath, 2008; Ko et al., 2008). Although classroom staff are crucial for schools and promote student achievement, relatively few studies have been conducted with this group (Brown & Devecchi, 2013), and their professional development needs have been under- researched (Bignold & Barbera, 2012). The current study examined the professional development needs of classroom staff and explored what they perceived as barriers and supports to participating in professional development to learn and implement trauma-informed approaches with their students.Trauma-Informed ApproachesChildren who experience trauma have a heightened risk of developing a range of physical, mental health, and behavioral difficulties (Cooper, 2010; Gershoff, Aber, Raver, & Lennon, 2007). Exposure to poverty, loss, abuse, and violence creates the type of neurophysiological stress response that potentially interferes with children's ability to autonomously regulate their emotions and behavior (Cooper, 2010; Jaycox et al., 2012; Jensen, 2009). Many such children are labeled as "difficult students" due to their challenging behaviors and are often referred to alternative programs, considered part of the pipeline to prison (Garbarino, 2005). Incorporating trauma-informed approaches in school communities is crucial to effectively meet the complex needs of children who face staggering adversity (Copeland, Keeler, Angold, & Costello, 2007). From a trauma-informed perspective, children's behavioral outbursts and/or withdrawals are not seen as conscious acts of defiance but as social-emotional responses to overwhelming stress and anxiety (Ko et al., 2008). The integrated neurophysiological responses to trauma prepare their young bodies to fight, flee, or mentally disassociate from traumatic memories or high stress situations, often resulting in violent outbursts, fleeing the situation, and lack of engagement (Shonkoff et al., 2012). Teachers and classroom staff, however, often interpret children's responses to trauma as defiance or a lack of respect (Jensen, 2009). Zero-tolerance policies have proven to be ineffective in addressing children's challenging behaviors (Skiba et al. …