The Conscious Kid Children’s Book List
Children’s book list for educators to reference in their efforts to by culturally-affirming and responsive in the classroom all year long.
Trauma & Healing Awareness
How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime
Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.
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Trauma-Responsive Schools Implementation Assessment (TRS-IA)
The Trauma-Responsive Schools Implementation Assessment (TRS-IA) is a school-wide, evidence-informed quality improvement tool designed to help schools identify strengths and areas for growth in trauma-responsive practices. The TRS-IA generates a detailed feedback report highlighting school strengths and areas for growth across eight domains. This report serves as a catalyst for action planning, programming, and policy development, helping teams build school cultures rooted in safety, equity, and healing. Developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), the Treatment and Services Adaptation Center for Resilience, Hope, and Wellness in Schools, and the National Center for School Mental Health, the TRS-IA supports schools in creating safer, more supportive environments for students impacted by trauma.
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Trauma-Informed Practices: A Whole-School Policy Framework
Researchers suggest that students with many ACEs may be at risk for academic or behavioral issues without officially meeting the diagnostic standards for receiving special education services or interventions. This research article explores a trauma-informed whole-school policy framework to address these issues.
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Resilience-Supportive Schools Illinois (RSSI)
Resilience-Supportive Schools Illinois (RSSI) is a free and voluntary support that uses school-specific data to connect educators with evidence-informed tools and resources to improve the mental health and well-being of their school communities.
Trevor Project 2024 National Youth Survey
The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People amplifies the experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States.
For the sixth year, the U.S. National Survey uncovers the reality that there is a significant association between anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and disproportionately high rates of suicide risk — and that far too many young people struggle to access the mental health care they need.
The survey critically provides data-driven ways we can all show support and acceptance for the LGBTQ+ young people in our lives, based on their own responses — as well as the potentially life-saving benefits of creating affirming spaces and communities.
Building a Trans Inclusive School Environment
Transphobia, or discrimination against transgender people, can and does occur in spaces where youth deserve to feel safe and included, such as school. School staff are responsible for fostering a school climate that supports learning and healthy development. Research shows that a student’s sense of belonging improves academic outcomes, increases continuing enrollment, and protects mental health.
This course provides steps you can take to help make your school more safe and inclusive.
Conscious Discipline Brain State Model
A multidisciplinary approach based on three distinct brain-body states in adults and children that drive behavior.
Making Connections: Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain
Elena Aguliar interviews Zaretta Hammond about her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Read about how cultural responsiveness is more of a process than a strategy. It begins when a teacher recognizes the cultural capital and tools students of color bring to the classroom.
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