Building a Districtwide Safety Net
Two Washington state districts illustrate the use of trauma-informed, social-emotional learning strategies

Lori Lynass. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUND SUPPORTS

No education leader in the U.S. ever expects to navigate the impact of a global pandemic. Yet faced with this challenge, many quickly rose to meet the unprecedented challenges.

The central leadership in Washington state’s Kent and Lake Washington districts constructed a framework for supporting the academic, social-emotional and behavioral development of all students, known as Multi-tiered Systems of Supports, or MTSS. This districtwide approach has enabled them to be more strategic and responsive in supporting students and staff throughout the pandemic and positioned them to be more resilient and responsive to future challenges.

Reflecting on the decision making at the time the pandemic emerged in the Pacific Northwest, Johnny Phu, Lake Washington’s di-rector of student services, advised, “When faced with a tension between urgency and process, focus on the process.”

Strategically, both districts concentrated on supporting the social and emotional needs of staff members first so they, in turn, would have the bandwidth to better meet the social and emotional needs of students and families.

The experiences of these educational leaders have not been unique. Sources of chronic stress and trauma for anyone connected to K-12 schooling have come from multiple directions. The COVID-19 pandemic directly affected educators, students and families in numerous ways. It has highlighted and exacerbated the inequities that already exist in schools. Now the Delta variant, climate-related events and economic and social upheaval continue to have educators, families and community members reeling from a seemingly endless set of challenges at every level.

Moving Forward

Research clearly indicates the impact of chronic stress and trauma can linger and build over time if not directly addressed, interfering with learning and development. Recognizing this increased need for support, district leaders may be wondering how to both acknowledge and mitigate the harm from the previous 18 months and what challenges may yet emerge. Based on our work with the two Washington state districts, we offer these considerations for moving forward.

»Begin with adult awareness, SEL and well-being.

The events of 2020-21 will leave a lasting impact, requiring continuing support for many. Even school districts already implementing a comprehensive tiered system of support will face increased demand for academic, SEL and behavioral supports. Begin by helping staff understand the features of chronic stress and trauma and offer opportunities to share their own experiences and needs. Restorative circles and community meetings are excellent scaffolds. Consider strategies to promote ongoing self-care and stress reduction. To address these needs for their 25,700 students, the Kent School District put together a districtwide Wellness Week involving students and staff. Each day, wellness challenges were shared across the district. The challenges ranged from exercise goals to showing gratitude. This provided both support and education on coping with stress and building resiliency for staff and students.

Next, all staff need training on recognizing trauma or chronic stress-related indicators and the steps to create supportive environments that will better meet students’ needs. A trauma-informed learning environment does not mean lowering expectations in academics and social behavior for our students. It means high rigor in both areas coupled with high levels of support as needed. 

However, professional development alone is not enough to change practice. Scaffolded implementation supports were made available to Kent’s 42 schools through the support of the district’s MTSS team. They created units, lessons and short SEL presentations on key topics for teachers to use in their classrooms. They then offered professional learning communities for teachers to meet and discuss implementation and questions. This set teachers up for success while limiting the impact on their energy and planning time.

»Build positive, safe and consistent environments at the school and classroom level.

To create a learning environment that supports the success of everyone in the community, including those who have experienced chronic stress and/or trauma, educators must create a positive, welcoming learning environment that communicates predictability and consistency. At every level, try to promote the message “you are safe and valued here.” A safe and predictable environment al-lows individuals to relax so that their brains and bodies can shift from a potential state of threat to one that is ready for learning.

One helpful trauma-informed strategy is creating a calming or reset space in each classroom. These spaces provide students with tools and strategies to reset and regain calm when stressed.

To provide students with their own individualized calming tools, Cheri Simpson, assistant director of student and family supports in the Kent School District, had her team create “comfort kits” for which all elementary students brought comforting items from home that could be used when needed. The district provided additional comfort items for students who did not have their own. For students with more intensive, social-emotional needs, the district created individualized support backpacks. Each backpack contains visual supports, first/then charts, reinforcement charts, various sensory/calming items and data tracking tools for staff to use in supporting these learners.

»Leverage and build equitable, inclusive SEL.

This is more than a curriculum adoption and implementation. It’s about bringing together representative stakeholders to craft a shared vision for student success while developing a collective understanding of the community’s diverse cultural perceptions and experiences. From there, the team can develop common expectations for working together and responding to challenges and adversity.

This shared understanding becomes the foundation of all academic, SEL and behavioral endeavors. In this way, staff, students and families have input and collaborate as valued stakeholders who see their strengths, needs and voices in the school. As SEL pioneer Alice Ray, founder of both the Second Step and Ripple Effects SEL programs, points out, “Unless students truly see themselves in the SEL they are learning, they will not value or internalize it.”

Once this shared vision and understanding is developed, district and school teams work together to build the systems that will bring the vision to life and support all students, families and staff over time. This is an ongoing process that must include frequent opportunities for feedback, data-based decision making and ongoing program evaluation. A key learning for Lake Washington, with 56 schools, was to focus on equity within SEL and where they could engage in practice and knowledge to build a stronger system of sup-port for the entire school community.

Bridget Walker. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUND SUPPORTS

Within their established SEL program, the Kent School District developed a strategy to help elementary classrooms begin the day consistently. The MTSS team created a calendar for teachers with topics and prompts for morning meetings for every day of the year. There is a regular flow to each week starting with “Music Monday” and ending with “Friday Feelings Check Out.” The district’s SEL curriculum is incorporated throughout the week. At the secondary level, the team created five-minute SEL lessons that connected to core content areas.

»Cultivate a sense of belonging.

At the center of cultivating belonging in schools is intentional relationship building by leveraging student and family voice. Class meetings, restorative circles, student check-ins and greeting students at the door every day are all easy ways to build connections with and between students. In the Lake Washington schools, personal relationships have been the key element throughout the pandemic.

“Without the opportunity to engage relationally, students and staff feel isolated and distant,” Phu, the student services director, says. “If we start with relationships first, content will follow. … (W)e intentionally establish, maintain and, if needed, restore relationships. When done with purpose and focus, we can see positive impacts on student-teacher relationships and an increase in equitable opportunities for students from marginalized groups.”

This creation of a sense of belonging is not only easy to do, but research shows it increases student academic performance and social development over time.

Return on Investment

Now with schools well into the fall term, these districts remain focused on seeking ways to strengthen MTSS by integrating Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, SEL and restorative practices with equitable, differentiated instruction. Kent’s Simpson offers this: “Don’t expect things to run completely smoothly on the first go. Get feedback and adjust regularly.”

Both school districts continue to learn from trauma-informed SEL research to guide planning, and their investment is paying off. Both districts are emerging from this challenging time stronger, more resilient, and better able to respond to whatever the future holds.

LORI LYNASS is executive director of Sound Supports K-12 in Seattle, Wash. Twitter: @SoundSupports. BRIDGET WALKER is associate director of Sound Supports K-12.


Additional Resources

The co-authors suggest these information resources for school districts.

»Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Evidence-based resources and training materials on implementing tiered interventions in schools and communities across behavior, SEL and academic contexts.

»Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. CASEL’s District Resource Center has resources for districts on trauma-informed practices.

»Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Center. Resources related to implementing equitable implementation of tiered interventions and engaging stakeholders.

»Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network. Resources and training related to mental health supports in schools and communities.

»National Center on Intensive Interventions. High-leverage strategies for students with more intensive academic, SEL or behavioral needs.

»Response to Intervention Action Network. Resources and supports related to tiered interventions, with an emphasis on academic implementation.