Cultivating Supportive School Environments During and after Shared Trauma

Abstract

Shared trauma can contribute to anxiety, fear, sadness, and lack of engagement among learners leading to poor school attendance and diminished positive relationships. Therefore, it is incumbent on schools to design a supportive learning environment during experiences of shared trauma. The descriptive study presented illustrates a supportive learning environment intervention after shared trauma. Behavioral and attendance data were examined; those in a designed classroom intervention had less absenteeism and fewer negative behavioral referrals.

Keywords:

• Shared trauma
• social and emotional learning
• trauma-informed care
• calm classrooms