N.C. Resilience and Learning

Project Description

The North Carolina Resilience and Learning Project is a partnership with the Public School Forum of North Carolina to promote and support trauma-informed schools across the state. The project team works closely with districts and schools to provide professional learning and ongoing coaching to meet school-specific needs and goals. Our work aims to create systems-level change by shifting the culture and mindset of an entire school so that staff begin to see a child’s behavior in the context of their life experiences, in consideration of possible trauma history or stress response system triggers. This helps educators shift how they approach relationships, environmental structure, social-emotional learning, and discipline in ways that ultimately create safer and more supportive environments in the classroom, while still maintaining high expectations for behavior and academics. Moreover, this work prioritizes teacher and staff wellness to be sure educators first have their needs met so that they have the capacity to meet the needs of their students. The effects of the Resilience and Learning model are being evaluated in several school districts across North Carolina, though COVID has altered model implementation and data collection over the past two school years.

Project Goals

The NC Resilience and Learning Project aims to build understanding and awareness about trauma and its impacts while also helping schools focus on resilience, support, and safety for their staff and students.

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