Beginning Within: Marking a New Journey Toward Equity in Trauma-Informed Education Practices

by Joanne C. Fish (Editor), Jamie Doronkin (Editor)

Overview

An exponentially increasing number of students experience traumatic events in their daily lives. To address this phenomenon, Beginning Within: Marking a New Journey Toward Equity in Trauma-Informed Education Practices delves into the profound impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It brings together extensive research, thoughtful contemplations, and innovative ideas that shed light on some of the lesser-explored aspects of trauma-informed practices in education. Authors in the book have developed chapters around three guiding models for systemic change: John Kotter’s (1996/2012) Eight-Step Model for Organizational Change; Fallot and Harris’ (2001) Five Guiding Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice; and Smith, et al.'s (2017) five-level Building Equity Taxonomy.

The chapters reflect the growth, grief, and galvanizing challenges that have shaped and continue to shape our understanding of equality, safety, and organizational change around trauma-informed educational practices. Hear from authors, experts, and leaders in the education field who are leading the way in systemic change, ranging from the work in Missouri after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, to university professors and classroom teachers seeking ways to use the past as guideposts toward a new journey of equity in trauma-informed practices, with each step paved by three research-supported tenets for creating a climate of trauma-informed practices, as offered by the editors of the book:

• The journey to equity begins with a deep dive into each stakeholder's internal beliefs about self-care.
• Self-care must be a priority, otherwise, caring for students comes at the lasting cost of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and teacher burnout.
• A sense of well-being must extend beyond the school building and into the community.

Whether the reader is a pre-service teacher, a current teacher, an aspiring or current administrator, or an educator preparation faculty member, ideas are shared that can be implemented within a variety of schools, programs, or academic organizations.

Perfect for courses such as: Trauma-Informed Education; Trauma-Informed Teaching; Foundations of Trauma-Informed Education; Trauma-Informed Practices and Pedagogy; Trauma-Informed Practices and Resilience; Trauma-Informed Classroom Teachers; Introduction to Becoming a Trauma-Informed Educator; Trauma-Sensitive Learning Environments; Foundations of Trauma-Informed Practices and Wellness

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781975506384
Publisher:	Myers Education Press
Publication date:	05/30/2025
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Joanne Fish, PhD, is an Associate Dean of Humanities at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri. She has worked in education for the past two decades. Before assuming her current role as Associate Dean, Dr. Fish worked in teacher preparation for ten years and, in multiple settings, has researched trauma’s impact on learning. She is also a reading specialist who has worked with elementary, middle school, secondary, and college students who have found reading challenging. She holds a PhD in literacy education from the University of Missouri–Columbia, a master’s degree in education from William Woods University in Fulton, MO, and a master’s degree in communication and a bachelor’s degree in English from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. She enjoys spending time with her grown children: Tabitha, Kiefer, and Savanna, as well as each of her three grandchildren: Sylei, Landon, and Lyncoln. Dr. Fish lives in St. Louis, MO.

Jamie Doronkin, PhD, is a Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Instructor at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO. She most recently served as the Director for the Fontbonne EdD Program in Collaborative High Impact Instruction and was the co-developer of the EdD program at Fontbonne. Dr. Doronkin has earned dual bachelor’s degrees in special education and Elementary Education from Oklahoma Christian University, a master’s degree in special education from the University of Central Oklahoma, and a doctoral degree in Special Education with a secondary transition focus from the University of Oklahoma. Research interests for Dr. Doronkin include trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive educator preparation practices, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adverse community experiences, and the impact of these adverse experiences on learning and brain development. Dr. Doronkin has presented locally, regionally, and nationally on self-care survival strategies; IEP meeting behaviors; and family and sibling disability-related dynamics that include the impact of trauma, transition into adulthood, and self-determination and self-advocacy for individuals with disabilities. Her most recent studies and training include body-centered and somatic movement therapy practices.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction
Joanne Fish and Jamie Doronkin

Chapter 1
Systems Theory—Embedding the Culture of Trauma-Informed Education: Reviewing a Decade of Work Since the August 2014 Ferguson Missouri Shooting
Patricia Carter and Jennifer Brinkmann

Chapter 2
The Impact of Urgency Culture on Self-Care
Jamie Doronkin

Chapter 3
Undoing Urgency: Resisting Neoliberalism in Higher Education
Corinne Wohlford Mason

Chapter 4
Understanding Elementary Student-Perceived Impact of Complex Trauma and Toxic Stress Response on Learning
Joanne Fish

Chapter 5
Designing a Classroom Space for Middle School Students to Experience Empowerment Through Choices
Haley Porter

Chapter 6
Creating Equity with Secondary Students Who Have Experienced Personal or Community Trauma by Using a Bifocal Perspective
Keona Griffin-King

Chapter 7
“If My Teacher Had Known”—College Students’ Reflective Perceptions about Sharing Challenging Events with Middle or High School Teachers
Joanne Fish and Jamie Doronkin

Chapter 8
Belonging, Trauma, and Resilience: Creating a School Environment that Celebrates Human Connection Using a Multisystemic Approach
Renata Sledge

Chapter 9
The Realities of Trauma-Informed Practices: Teachers’ Perspectives
Katherina Roeder

Chapter 10
Developing A University Peer Support Allies Program to Address Student Mental Health
Amy Ruffus-Doerr

Chapter 11
The Journey Toward Becoming Truly Trauma-Informed
Jamie Doronkin and Joanne Fish

Editor and Author Biographies

Index

NOTE: Table of Contents subject to change up until publication date.