Educational Trauma is the inadvertent and unintentional perpetration and perpetuation of harm in schools. The use of standards and the normal distribution or the bell curve to rank students and identify those at risk of developing problems later is born in the same theories and practices as eugenics. Eugenics practices thrive in schools and feed the school-to-prison pipeline, which is the most extreme example of Educational Trauma.
This book ambitiously aims to open a field of inquiry into Educational Traumas by describing this phenomenon in education that perpetuates abuse, discrimination, oppression, and marginalization, while inadvertently involving good people in acts of harm that violate the rights of children. It is grounded in feminist theory, trauma theory, Ecological Systems theory, mindful awareness and neuroscience research, along with Pedagogies of Kindness and Respect ( Thomas, Gorlewski, Carr, & Porfilio, 2015). A qualitative approach to research was taken in developing the concept of Educational Trauma. There are case studies throughout the book, as a means of heightening empathy in areas where it has become collectively blunted. For the most part, the arguments contained herein stand on the research conducted by other people. For this reason, there isn’t very much news in this book, just a comprehensive sociological, historical, political, psychological, medical, and developmental review of over a century of research. The limitations of this book include the fact that there isn’t, as of yet, a field of Educational Trauma to look toward for research and development. While the conclusions drawn are based on existing and respected data, the information is not specific to this study. It is my hope that this book opens that area of inquiry, and that future researchers glean details and nuances not yet available to the public.
Overview
This is the very first volume to fully explore the definition and spectrum of Educational Trauma. It is divided into three parts. The first part demonstrates what Educational Trauma is and how it gets transmitted from generation to generation despite the numerous harms and negative effects. The second part describes examples of Educational Trauma, along the spectrum from mildest to most severe. Part Three of this book focuses on solutions to the problem. Educational Trauma can be mitigated through efforts large and small. No action, thought, or change is too minimal to have an effect. In fact, it could mean the difference between healing and harm. There are three levels of solutions offered in Part Three; Mild, Moderate, and Major Strategies too. They increase in demand and commitment from the person enacting the strategies, and the number of people affected increases too, when moving from Mild to Major Strategies.
Every chapter is set up with three distinct sections:
- 1.State of Educational Affairs: A case study or brief description of the instance of Educational Trauma explored in the chapter.
- 2.Analysis: A study of the example of Educational Trauma illustrated in the State of Educational Affairs section. This section includes a review of the pertinent literature, theory, pedagogy, and research.
- 3.State of Art and Practice: Each chapter concludes with a section exploring a possible solution or practice currently in place in schools that ameliorates the example of Educational Trauma highlighted in the chapter. This section also includes quoted interview material from experts currently leading the way of change in each instance of Educational Trauma.
Some chapters begin with a section titled, State of Being, instead of or in addition to the State of Educational Affairs section. This section brings the reader closer to the individual, their dignity and humanity, the precision of their suffering, and the nature of the cause.
In this chapter, we explore the definition and spectrum of Educational Trauma, beginning with the toxic stress levied upon young people in the name of learning. It continues with the subtypes of Educational Trauma that specify the place where it happens and how. These include: Spectral , In-Situ , Ex-Situ , and Social-Ecological Educational Traumas . It reviews the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that happen inside and outside of school and impact learning. This chapter centers the analysis of trauma in learning through a social-ecological lens (Bronfenbrenner , 1979), with an intersectional focus and sensitivity to eugenics practices. This chapter concludes by demonstrating that
Educational Trauma is not only a mental health issue, but a major social justice concern too.
In Chapter 2, the interplay of trauma, learning, and the different layers of society are explored. Miller’s (1983) “poisonous pedagogies” frames the concept of doing harm to children in the name of education, laying a deeper foundation of what Educational Trauma is. Moreover, it begins to look at how Educational Trauma varies according to intersectional identities such as: race, religion, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, and ability—to name a few.
Chapter 3 examines the influence of trauma on memory and the collective. It seeks to highlight the repetitive nature of fear-based behaviors and the way such patterns manifest in education policy/practice. Their interplay with memory is explored through the work of Francine Shapiro. Here, the reader learns more about trauma and just how prevalent it is. Furthermore, the signs and symptoms of Educational Trauma are presented here.
In Chapter 4, the clinical examples of traumatic effects of learning and memory at the individual and collective levels coalesce. They are systematically applied to education through the lens of existing pedagogies. The offerings of Lisa Goldstein and Alice Miller frame such a lens. The evolution of social psychology, as a discipline, seems to be following a similar trajectory as education. Where classic studies once explained human behavior around authority and obedience, they are now subject to intense criticism and standards of experimental design and replication. This chapter seeks to explore the history and changes in social psychology; the theories we have about human behavior that explain the perpetuation of Educational Trauma; as well as empathy for those dedicated to and deeply involved in educational systems.
Chapter 5 aims to explore the interconnected nature of suffering students and poisonous pedagogies. When ages-old educational practices, such as testing, take on paramount importance in education, we need to analyze the impact this has on society and future generations.
When it comes to testing and standards, eugenics and racial purity practices are involved. For Gillborn ( 2007 ), education policy is an act of white supremacy . Gillborn wrote: “…the most dangerous form of white supremacy is not the obvious and extreme fascistic posturing of small neo-Nazi groups, but rather the taken for granted routine privileging of white interests that goes unremarked in political mainstream”.
In reality, white supremacy, implicit bias, bigotry, and the teaching of false information about minorities are all carried out in schools, by law-abiding professionals often informed by eugenics studies of the past that positioned Latinx and Black students in a disadvantage compared to white students (Alexander, 2016; Rios, 2011; Stern, 2016).
The use of tests to segregate students and carry out eugenic practices is identified herein as examples of Educational Trauma damaging individuals, families, and communities.
Racialized Educational Inequality (Vaught, 2011) is examined as a product of the testing movement, even the standardized tests used in special and gifted education. Moreover, we will examine how Identity Leadership is used to promote standardized testing in education and used in the Youth Control Complex (Rios, 2011).
Chapter 6 demonstrates how bullying drives every level of education, and not just the interactions among students. It focuses on the systemic effects of “poisonous pedagogies,” affirming the toxicity of American educational practices. The racial variable associated with education is also analyzed with respect to white supremacy and multigenerational transmission.
Part II begins with Chapter 7 and explores the actual spectrum of Educational Trauma. Each chapter explores a different example of Educational Trauma, beginning with the decline of PLAY in childhood. Chapter 7 takes a multidisciplinary look at the valu...