Monthly Archives: May 2015

Resilience practices overcome students’ ACEs in trauma-informed high school, say the data

May 31, 2015 By in Adverse childhood experiences, Community prevention programs, Education, Lincoln, Resilience, School discipline, Solutions, Washington State 33 Comments
The cast and crew of Paper Tigers take a bow after the sold-out premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival.

The cast and crew of Paper Tigers take a bow after a sold-out screening at the Seattle International Film Festival.

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Three years ago, the story about how Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tried a new approach to school discipline and saw suspensions drop 85% struck a nerve. It went viral – twice — with more than 700,000 page views. Paper Tigers, a documentary that filmmaker James Redford did about the school — premiered last Thursday night to a sold-out crowd at the Seattle International Film Festival. Hundreds of communities around the country are clamoring for screenings.

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More than half of Tennessee residents experienced childhood adversity; one in five have 3+ ACEs

May 27, 2015 By in Adverse childhood experiences, Community prevention programs, Solutions 1 Comment

TN report art

In its second survey of the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the state, Tennessee Young Child Wellness Council and the state’s Department of Health found that 52% of its residents experienced at least one ACE, and 21% have experienced three or more, which can lead to adult onset of chronic disease, mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence.

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Enochs High School students adamant about “Ending the Culture of Violence”

May 26, 2015 By in ACE Study, Adverse childhood experiences, Child trauma, Education 2 Comments

When Debbie Adair began teaching Enochs High School seniors a new unit she had introduced into her English classes called “Ending the Culture of Violence” last January, “eight or nine kids came forward.”

“Most of these kids told me about being a victim of violence, whether they had been molested by mom’s boyfriend or physically assaulted by an acquaintance,” she says. “None of them had received

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Just Breathe — the kids in this video explain how to calm your brain

May 25, 2015 By in Adverse childhood experiences, Community prevention programs, Education, Neurobiology, Solutions 3 Comments

From filmmaker Julie Bayer Salzman’s description on YouTube:

The inspiration for “Just Breathe” first came about a little over a year ago when I overheard my then 5-year-old son talking with his friend about how emotions affect different regions of the brain, and how to calm down by taking deep breaths — all things they were beginning to learn in Kindergarten at their new school, Citizens of the World Charter School, in Mar Vista, CA. I was surprised and

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Landmark lawsuit filed in California to make trauma-informed practices mandatory for all public schools

May 18, 2015 By in ACE Study, Adverse childhood experiences, Child trauma, Education, School discipline
KimberlyCervantes

Kimberly Cervantes, student-plaintiff in law suit against Compton Unified School District in California.

A landmark first step was taken today to insure that all public schools in the United States be legally required to address the unique learning needs of children affected by adverse childhood experiences.

A class action suit on behalf of five students and three teachers in the Compton Unified School District in Compton, CA, was filed by Public Counsel, the nation’s largest pro bono law firm, and Irell & Manella LLP. The civic law suit demands that Comptom schools incorporate proven practices that address trauma, in the same way public schools have adapted and evolved in past decades to help students who experience physical or other barriers to learning.

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The credible messengers: Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets

May 10, 2015 By in Adverse childhood experiences, Community prevention programs, Solutions 1 Comment

Screen Shot 2015-04-28 at 10.11.33 PMBy Pilar Belendez-Desha, YouthToday.org

NEW YORK — The step at the bottom of the ladder was titled calm and the step at the top was titled — in big red letters — RAGE.

“How can you go from calm to rage?” said Heather Day. “We’re going to think at each level how you’re feeling.”

“Peaceful,” a young woman started off the conversation.

“Chill,” said another.

Day took notes at each step and etched her red pen up the ladder as emotions intensified.

“It’d start to get weird,” said a young man.

“Weird? Why weird?” replied Day.

“Cuz, I’m used to crazy things happening.”

“I don’t like people screaming at me,” one youth said.

The group went on like this for 45 minutes on a Tuesday in December. Twenty-two young people from the Crown Heights area were at a biweekly after-school program that’s part of a growing anti-gun violence movement called Save Our Streets.

The youth version of the program is called YO S.O.S. — or Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets. Begun in

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Paper Tigers to premiere at Seattle International Film Festival

May 7, 2015 By in ACE Study, Adverse childhood experiences, Child trauma, Community prevention programs, Education, Lincoln, School discipline, Solutions, Washington State 5 Comments

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Paper Tigers will  premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) at 7 PM Thursday, May 28, 2015, at the SIFF Cinema Uptown in Seattle, WA. SIFF is the largest and most highly attended festival in the U.S.

Paper Tigers follows a year in the life of an alternative high school in Walla Walla, WA, that has radically changed its approach to disciplining its students, and in the process has become a promising model for how to break the cycles of poverty, violence and disease that affect families. A story about the school was published on this site in 2012: Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries new approach to school discipline; suspensions drop 85%

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An additional screening will take place at 12:30 PM on Saturday, May 30 at the same location. For ticket information and other details: http://www.siff.net/festival-2015/paper-tigers

The documentary was directed by James Redford. Its executive producer is Karen Pritzker. To view a trailer of the movie, go to PaperTigersMovie.com.

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