Cowart Trauma Informed Partnership
is pleased to offer
year-round support to schools through
Read on below to learn more about each of these valuable services!
Spring Course Offering
This class is designed to help you
bridge the gap from
knowing about the effects of trauma
to being able to fully implement a
trauma-informed approach in your classroom!
This course will examine trauma and its possible effects on students and teachers, and provide participants with ways to intervene against harmful effects. The course will explore the research on toxic stress, and explain how it can impact a child’s education. Grounded in an understanding of how structural racism and system-induced trauma impact education, it will explore the key principles of a trauma-informed approach, and how they can be applied in an educational setting to achieve equitable and just outcomes. Participants will work with concepts that will help them lower stress levels of their students.
Trauma-Informed Education is a 45-hour course. New York City DOE teachers may earn 3 A+ credits for this course.
The course will be delivered remotely on-line, through Google Classroom.
The first four sessions of the course will be delivered asynchronously (you work at your own time and pace, with work due on a set schedule), with instructor facilitation and forum discussion encouraged.
The remaining two sessions will be virtual, real-time discussion sessions.
Each of the first four sessions will include a pre-recorded presentation and a variety of the following:
Selected readings and multi-media sources for participants to review;
A quiz on the material presented; and/or
Questions, activities, or writing assignments that require participants to apply the materials covered to their classes, schools, or lessons.
All graded assignments and discussion sessions will be evaluated using a rubric. Detailed feedback will be provided no later than one week after the assignment is due. Participants may modify and resubmit written work within one week of receiving feedback. Participants who obtain an average of 80%, or a total of 124 points, will be eligible for A+ credits or be issued a certificate of successful completion.
Course Schedule:
Course Begins and All Materials Released: March 9, 2024
Session 1 Assignments Due: March 22, 2024
Session 2 Assignments Due: April 5, 2024
Session 3 Assignments Due: April 19, 2024
Session 4 Assignments Due: May 3, 3024
First Discussion Session: May 11, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. Eastern Time
Second Discussion Session: May 18, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. Eastern Time
Professional Development and
Courses by Request
You can choose from a menu of topics, ranging from multi-week courses to 1-hour special events, each geared to meet your staff's specific needs, grow their skills, and provide support as they implement a trauma-informed approach.
Options include courses in Trauma-Informed Education and Supporting Marginalized Students, as well as activities and guided discussions designed to provide educators the chance to apply trauma-informed concepts to real-life scenarios. Targeted sessions are available to address known areas of need, including how to avoid contributing to the trauma and harm experienced by students through careful evaluation of policies and assignments. We can even host a training on trauma-informed design for schools and how to apply the award-winning Trauma-informed Design Evaluation Tool for K-12 Schools (TiDEvalK12).
Contact Us To Discover the Best Fit for You!
or
Resources
In addition to facilitated courses and professional development, COTIP offers a variety of resources you can use on your own to start or enhance your
trauma-informed journey.
Printed materials, including information on how to respond to collective traumas and a graphic poster illustrating trauma's impact and implications for design, can be found in our Resource Library. You can also find Recorded Trainings on our website.
Our most exciting are the projects that are highlighted on our Projects page. There, you'll find podcasts, panel talks, and information about the many ways we've been bringing trauma-informed practices to organizations around the world. Right at the top, you'll find links to the Trauma-informed Design Evaluation Tool for K-12 Schools (TiDEvalK12), as well the full research report and a podcast detailing the project, how the tool can benefit schools, and our hopes for engaging with educators for the next phase of research.
Explore the Many Available Resources!
Coaching
Change can be hard. Transforming into a trauma-informed organization is monumental. The risk of staff burnout and vicarious traumatization is real if staff are not adequately supported through this process.
To protect against these risks, COTIP offers two options of coaching for your staff.
We offer individual and group coaching opportunities, as each has its own benefits. In individual coaching, we can focus on matters of specific concern to a staff member, address matters directly, identify possible solutions, and reinforce positive practices. In group coaching, staff benefit from the experience of others in similar situations and develop the ability to support one another even after the formal coaching has concluded. All conversations shared during coaching are confidential, so participants can open up and gain the most of this service.
Let's Discuss Coaching Options!
or
Policy and Curriculum Review
Reviews are an essential step in identifying and addressing any harm caused by inequitable policies and unintentional curriculum violence, and to establish sustainable trauma-informed systems.
Despite our best intentions, school policies, curriculum, or individual lessons sometimes contribute to the trauma and harm experienced by our students. COTIP offers extensive reviews for your school to identify any policies, practices, or materials that may be contributing to inequities or other harm and work with you to find alternatives that work for your school community. We recognize that this is type of review can be very challenging for educators, parents, and students alike, and will support you as you navigate the process with the sensitivity and dignity inherent in a trauma-informed approach.
Reaching Out Is the First Step
or
Trauma-informed Design (TiD) Services
As leaders in the TiD movement, we can provide recommendations to guide your school's facility capital projects, renovations, or new build.
Our physical environment can impact our emotions and behaviors, both negatively and positively. They have the ability to increase or reduce our stress. The spaces in which we live and receive services can communicate safety and promote supportive relationships, or they can symbolize lack of dignity and agency, encouraging re-traumatization. Trauma-informed Design (TiD) is about integrating the principles of trauma-informed care, as originally established by SAMHSA, and continually evolving, into design. The intent is to create physical spaces that promote safety, well-being, and healing. We believe that in TiD spaces, students should be more able to self-regulate, and would have a place where they can safely do so, reducing the need for discipline measures. Over time, students' academic performance should increase, as they are more able to access the classroom material.
We can support you in applying and interpreting the award-winning Trauma-informed Design Evaluation Tool for K-12 Schools (TiDEvalK12), which was designed to evaluate a school's physical space and identify changes that can lower the stress levels of students and staff. We also offer several tiers of TiD consultation, culminating in recommendations specifically geared to support your specific student body.
Considering Physical Changes to Your School?
Early Engagement Yields the Greatest Benefit!
or
Looking for something else?
Please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know if you are looking for services not described here. If we can't provide what you're looking for, we'll connect you with someone who can.