Why Your Calmest Students Are Falling Apart Right Now
The post highlights how standardized testing season intensifies stress for students, especially those with trauma histories, by disrupting routines, demanding prolonged stillness, and removing trusted adults. It explains that these pressures can trigger toxic stress and lead to behavioral crises. Administrators are urged to adopt systems‑level interventions such as protected transition breaks, keeping counselors out of proctor roles, and planning post‑testing support. The author argues that embedding social‑emotional learning (SEL) throughout the school day reduces volatility during testing periods.
Why One Year Is Never Enough
A district that implemented trauma‑informed SEL across K‑12 saw discipline referrals drop 44% and calmer hallways, but the program was cut after funding ran out, causing referrals to surge 63% above the previous year. The blog argues that SEL culture...
What to Look for Before You Renew that Contract
Principals often discover that SEL contracts promised results that never materialized. After a year of use, unchanged behavior referrals, teacher disengagement, and students unable to articulate SEL concepts signal a failing program. The blog outlines five concrete warning signs, from...