By Didi Dunin, CEI Intern When students develop listening skills, it supports not only efficient learning and understanding of material in the classroom, but also optimal social engagement with teachers, parents, and peers. Learning strategies that incorporate audiobooks instill a love of reading in students, particularly those with learning disabilities, and may help close the achievement gap in reading for these students. Listening vs. Hearing While hearing and listening bo

By Shu Jie Ting, CEI Intern “No zip code is immune to the epidemic of trauma, stress, and anxiety.” Dr. Michele Rivers Murphy Dr. Michele Rivers Murphy, CEI Associate Director of Heart Centered Learning and Kate Retzel, Principal of Lee Elementary School, recently presented a webinar on how mindfulness practices can help combat against trauma and stress in the classroom. The webinar also addressed specific challenges and strategies to implement effective mindfulness practices

By Vien Nguyen, CEI Intern As a part of the Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative, Dr. Hilary Hodgdon, Director of Research Operations at the Trauma Center of the Justice Resource Institute, presented a webinar on neurobiology and executive functioning (EF). EF is the key set of skills children need to adapt from one environment to another and to achieve goals. Deficits in EF skills, which often stem from underdeveloped brain regions in response to chronic trauma, can lead

By Vien Nguyen, CEI Intern Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 of our series on Barriers to Compassion. A teacher colleague of mine said her first year in urban teaching “set her nerves on fire.” Every day she felt equal parts excited, exhausted, and determined. Many new teachers are overwhelmed and suffer from “empathic distress,” misguidedly neglecting their own needs in a “noble” effort to educate their students. Chronically stressed teachers treat students more harshly than the

By Didi Dunin, CEI Intern Unfortunately, not all children grow up in a healthy environment with nurturing caregivers and positive role models. Many children endure social, cultural, racial, physical, and/or economic hardships that influence their opportunities, experiences, behavior patterns, and worldviews. If caregivers and educators do not intervene, these adversities can lead to social and psychological problems such as drug abuse, unwanted pregnancies, dropping out of sc

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation and Research Support, and Haley Sirota, CEI Intern On April 29th, the Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative (C-TLC) had its kick-off event, which highlighted the complexities behind the effects of trauma on child development and learning. Presenters who have worked with the Center for Educational Improvement to deliver high quality professional development opportunities for many years provided an overview of the effect of trauma in s

By June Naureckas, CEI Intern Both in-school and out-of-school suspensions can lead to students dropping out and have life-long consequences on their economic success. Some school districts are finding alternative disciplinary actions that are less harmful to students and more effective at improving their behavior. The Cost of Suspension A 2016 study by the UCLA’s Civil Rights Project found that suspensions in 10th grade contributed to 67,000 additional dropouts nationwide by