Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach

Use trauma-informed strategies to give students the skills and support they need to succeed in school and life

Nearly half of all children have been exposed to at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), such as poverty, divorce, neglect, substance abuse, or parent incarceration. This workbook-style resource shows K-12 educators how to integrate trauma-informed strategies into daily instructional practice through expanded focus on:

• The experiences and challenges of students impacted by ACEs, including suicidal tendencies, cyberbullying, and drugs
• Behavior as a form of communication and how to explicitly teach new behaviors
• How to mitigate trauma and build innate resiliency 

Victoria E. Romero taught elementary students in one suburban and two urban school districts; significantly improved the academic standing of two schools as a principal; and coached administrators, directors, and school leadership teams for sustainable school improvement in five school districts. She facilitates professional development for K-12 teachers on classroom strategies that promote student academic success, infuse multiple perspectives into regular curriculum, and establish classroom management systems that promote autonomy, positive well-being, and resiliency.

Victoria co-authored the Reflection Guide for the third edition of Gary Howard′s book, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know. She also coordinated two teams of science teachers, one in the US and the other in the country of Namibia.

She is currently a consultant for Corwin Press, working once again with her colleague, Gary Howard, bringing his Deep Equity process to school districts around the country.

Ricky Robertson has had the privilege to work with students from pre-K to 12th grade who have persevered in the face of adverse experiences and trauma. Drawing from experience as a teacher and Behavior Intervention Specialist, Ricky coaches educators in developing a relationship-based approach to teaching and learning that inspires transformation through compassion, humor, deep listening, and "real talk.”   

Amber N. Warner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, with over 20 years of experience. She has had the privilege of serving as a community outreach case manager (4 years), school social worker (8 years), medical social worker (5 years) , and behavioral health therapist (3 years). As a School Social Worker, in addition to her work with children and their families, she was part of the school wide Modern Red School House Leadership Team and the Positive Behavior Interventions and Systems Team. She facilitated K-6 monthly classroom discussions utilizing Second Step and Character Counts curriculums. Amber is also a co-author of Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole Staff Approach.

In 2011 Amber worked in healthcare and part of the organization’s leadership team, she was introduced to the work of Dr. Bryan Sexton on healthcare providers’ staggering burnout rates and the healing proponents of Positive Psychology. A new passion and interest developed for her. She became a Certified Duke Patient Safety Officer in 2013 at Duke University’s Patient Safety Center. 
Amber has also studied under the direction of Dr. David Burns, leading Psychiatrist, and adjunct professor at Stanford University and the developer of TEAM a new form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the treatment of depression and anxiety. She has achieved Level 2 TEAM certification from the Feeling Good Institute. 
She has a certification from the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth in Trauma-Informed Care.

Most of all, Amber has a passion for people, their wellness, and quality of life. She currently resides in California. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, Inferno Pilates, learning new things, traveling, community service, attending church, and an occasional new pair of shoes.