Gifts to Trauma-Informed Practices 2026 contribute to...
Children who have experienced trauma tend to be disciplined more often at school and are frequently labeled as “problem children”. Without intervention, unaddressed trauma can be the first step of the school-to-prison pipeline. Punitive responses to trauma-based behavior can be particularly damaging to students of color, who are more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white counterparts.
Metropolitan State University Denver’s School of Education teamed up with Resilient Futures to build the capacity of current and future teachers to recognize and respond to trauma in school environments with children, build healing and equitable classrooms, and address secondary trauma in themselves and their coworkers.
The School of Education’s Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP) initiative includes:
• Embedding TIP into the School of Education curriculum for pre-service teachers through course integrations and specialized trainings
• Support for in-service teachers, districts and BOCES through the TIP professional learning series and other trainings
• Ongoing research and evaluation
Schools are a central point of early intervention for trauma-related issues for our youngest learners. Integrating TIP - a set of practices, policies and procedures that support and address the needs of individuals impacted by trauma – into teacher preparation and school settings is crucial for supporting the needs of children, educators and schools.
Support TIP by making a gift today.
Across the Denver Metro area, our bilingual educators (from the 2,000 Hispanic and Latino teachers in DPS to the hundreds of staff in Aurora and Adams 12) are doing more than just teaching. Many have come from Mexico, Spain, and South America to support our emerging bilingual students.
Research by Dr. Ofelia Castro Schepers highlights that these specific educators are at high risk for Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) because they serve as the primary emotional bridge for migrant families navigating displacement trauma as well as other traumas experienced by new immigrants.
To support these vital "emotional first responders," we are piloting our trauma-informed training in Spanish this spring.
