This keynote focused on the work of district leaders who intentionally organized themselves to address the needs of a diverse student population in one of the largest school districts in Massachusetts. The objective was to demonstrate the power of this intentionality in collaborating with families and students as equal partners, creating an environment where everyone felt a sense of belonging and empowerment.

View our convening led by scholars from three universities: Joe Mageary, Colleen O’Neal, and Patricia McDonough Ryan. They will share the story that connects them and their work with refugees, migrants, and communities in crisis around the globe. Our time will include case discussions and activities that support the creation of trauma-sensitive and healing spaces for children who are displaced or living through crises.

We are excited to expand our community's reach nationally and globally for future convenings. If you would like to participate in these conversations, please reach out to spedcenter@lesley.edu

Welcome to our international trauma and learning conference series. We are delighted to welcome three LIfTS instructors and educators in the field: Tia Lites, Ed.D Principal, Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy, Dr. Jennifer Herring, Social Justice Curriculum & Data Analyst in Framingham Public Schools of Massachusetts, and Marco F. Odiaga, MAT, High School (G8-12) Partial Inclusion ELA Special Education Teacher at Neighborhood House Charter School.

The Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity (LIfTS) instructors will share their experiences and approaches to fostering an anti-racist school culture and creating more inclusive and trauma-sensitive learning environments. Through the stories of educators in the field, we will explore the intersection of racism, equity, and trauma.

We are excited to expand our community's reach nationally and globally for future convenings. If you would like to participate in these conversations, please reach out to spedcenter@lesley.edu

2023 Virtual International Convening
Moving Toward Equitable, Trauma-Sensitive, and Anti-Racist Practice: Obstacles and Opportunities

Speakers: Tia Lites, Ed.D., Principal, Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy; Dr. Jennifer Herring, Social Justice Curriculum & Data Analyst in Framingham Public Schools of Massachusetts; and Marco F. Odiaga, MAT, High School (G8–12) Partial Inclusion ELA Special Education Teacher at Neighborhood House Charter School.

Where do we begin to understand better the harm of systemic racism and inequities that many students face in our schools? Join us in exploring the intersection of racism, equity, and trauma through educators’ stories from the field. The convening will highlight three LIFTS instructors’ approaches to fostering an anti-racist school culture while working toward more equitable, inclusive, and trauma-sensitive learning environments.

Voices from the Field | November 2022 Virtual Convening

Join LIfTS for our fall virtual convening! Voices From the Field features presentations conducted by practitioners for practitioners. We will highlight three initiatives implemented by educators intending to develop trauma-sensitive, safe, and supportive environments within their schools. These inquiries help illustrate how essential reflective practice is to trauma-sensitivity.

What’s Trauma Sensitivity Got to Do with It?

Speakers - Julie Avery and Ben Sacco

In this session, Julie Avery and Ben Sacco will share insights about the factors they have seen make a difference to whole-school cultures across elementary through to high school in Victoria, Australia, and the elements that school professionals are saying have helped them become more aware of SEL and trauma-sensitivity issues, enabling a shift in attitudes, deepened knowledge and a change in practice and improved job satisfaction. Their work with schools includes parent and student voice. How this involvement was achieved, and what they had to say will be shared, along with ways student, parent, and teacher views aligned or differed.

The Role of Law and Courts in Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools

LIfTS Keynote - Michael Gregory

The heart of the trauma-sensitive schools movement is the important work educators do in classrooms and school buildings to create learning environments where all students can feel safe and supported. However, decisions made by judges and lawmakers help set the conditions in which this work takes place.

Developing Trauma-Sensitive Schools

Speakers - LIfTS Ph.D. Research Fellows and Associates

The Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity (LIfTS) symposium is a discussion from the LIfTS Ph.D. Research Fellows and Associates around their current qualitative study of school leaders regarding the dynamics of school change and the processes involved in developing trauma-sensitive schools. Participants included members of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI) for a brief tribute to Susan Cole, the former TLPI Director who passed away on May 1, 2021. Susan was a pioneer in the study of trauma and learning and a staunch advocate for trauma-sensitive schools.

Multisystem Youth: How we can understand the interplay of trauma and intersectional identity to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable youth.

LIfTS Keynote- Kate Lowenstein

The majority of the young people who end up involved in our juvenile justice system have multiple traumatic experiences during their childhood. In Massachusetts, experiences in the child welfare system too often compound existing trauma as the brain is developing, leading to trauma-related behaviors that are punished instead of treated, particularly for Black and Brown youth. For youth involved in the child welfare system, the school can be a place of adult and peer stability, or a place where misunderstood trauma is punished and the “school to prison pipeline” accelerated. This presentation will explore the data on Massachusetts foster youth, their intersectional identities, their experiences in the child welfare and school systems, and what the research tells us about how to best support these youth before trauma-related behaviors result in punishment or arrest.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.