Author: Editor CEI

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support The Center for Educational Improvement (CEI) has been working closely with 24 school administrators, teachers, psychologists, and social workers who are leaders in their states working to advance the understanding and use of trauma-informed practices in New England. The Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative (C-TLC)—a SAMHSA (Substance
-> Continue reading Featured Fellows: The Inaugural Class of the Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative

By Ishani Das, CEI Intern What is the child’s right to learn? This is the central question that Glenn Singleton, creator of the Courageous Conversations protocol, poses to readers in his book, Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools (2015). The answer is seemingly obvious: every child has a right
-> Continue reading Courageous Conversations in the Classroom Part III: Discussing Racial Inequity in the Elementary and Secondary Classroom

By Aisha Powell, CEI Intern U.S. students average six hours a day, 30 hours a week, more than 1,000 hours a year in school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018; Sparks, 2019). With students spending a substantial amount of time in school, the classroom should be a place where all students feel heard, empowered and
-> Continue reading Courageous Conversations in the Classroom Part II: Empowering Students to Have Difficult Conversations

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support and Maria E. Restrepo-Toro, Educator, Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, Manager of the New England MHTTC Equity in education has been a hot topic of debate for many educators. We used to talk about equality before acknowledging that neither equal outcomes nor equal
-> Continue reading Courageous Conversations in the Classroom Part I: A Partnering Tool to Achieve Equity in Schools

By Meghan Wenzel, CEI Researcher and Writer, and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director Levels of stress, trauma, and mental illness are increasing, particularly within our nation’s students. Children experiencing severe trauma and toxic stress simply can’t learn effectively. Their bodies and brains are on the defensive, experiencing physiological changes that interfere with attention, memory, and
-> Continue reading Why Schools Need a Compassionate Response to Trauma and Mental Illness

By Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director Paradox rules at the moment. Even as we are socially isolating indoors, skies are clearing as we have halted toxic pollution. Although we have become more and more concerned about our children’s time on their digital devices, classrooms have gone virtual. And parents who have been stressed out over
-> Continue reading Visioning During a Time of Uncertainty to Bring Peace and Hope

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director Teachers and schools around the country have quickly mobilized to figure out how to serve their students from afar. Schools and communities have banded together to make sure that all of their students have the tools and resources needed
-> Continue reading Trauma-Informed Distance Learning Recommendations