As the research on mindfulness expands to include school-based interventions, middle school educators across the country have implemented mindfulness in the classroom. However, similar to other social-emotional learning approaches, when implemented in the absence of cultural context and trauma-informed care, mindfulness can be weaponized. In this paper we describe how educators can facilitate mindfulness practice in the classroom in affirming, culturally responsive and trauma-informed ways. In doing so, we propose a new vision for how mindfulness can further equity work in schools.

The COVID-19 crisis can be defined as a collective trauma, which contributes to an upheaval of community connection and functioning. The current pandemic has also illuminated disparities in mental health supports. In this commentary, we highlight one community organization, located in metro Detroit, that has responded to the trauma by bolstering resources and supports for residents, many of whom are ethnoracial minorities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

We analyze tweets authored by educators during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Ibram Kendi has called a viral and a racial pandemic, and illustrate how Whiteness feeds the blaming of children and communities of color for trauma. We evaluate tweets that (1) misused trauma-informed teaching practice in ways characterized by White saviorism; (2) pushed back on these distortions by identifying and interrupting; and (3) proposed systemically trauma-informed teaching practice (SysTIP). We demonstrate the use of a set of tools for educators looking to identify and interrupt the weaponization of trauma-informed practice.

Purpose: Specific social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have been found to promote a myriad of positive outcomes, but definitions of the broader concept of SEL are varied in its practice and scholarly usage. It is unclear whether recent conceptual expansions of SEL to include Systemic and Transformative approaches shape the understanding of SEL among educational leaders. Communities of Practice (CPs) may serve as a dynamic knowledge source for revealing and shifting educator understanding of SEL. Thus, in the present study we asked: (1) How do educational leaders define SEL?; and (2) In what ways did definitions of SEL evolve over the course of CPs? Methods: We analyzed open-ended survey responses from educational leaders at county offices of education (N = 46; 76% White, 65% women) at two time points. At Time 1, leaders defined SEL. After six monthly statewide SEL CPs, they were given the opportunity to update their definition. To analyze the data, we engaged in reflexive thematic analysis. Findings : At Time 1, educational leaders emphasized popularized competency-based SEL definitions, emphasized skills rather than systems, and described SEL as an individualistic rather than a civic intervention. At Time 2, many educational leaders shifted their definitions towards more systemic thinking and included more elements of equity. Implications: Exploring educational leaders’ definitions of SEL, and any shifts, may inform approaches to building the capacity of educational leaders to provide SEL implementation support and using CPs for spreading and shaping the ideas of Systemic SEL and Transformative SEL.

School climate surveys are commonly used to solicit youth perspectives about their experiences in schools. However, to move climate surveys from solicitation towards a more youth‐centered, partnered practice for school improvement, guidance is needed from the youth themselves about how and in what ways they hope adults respond to their survey responses. In the present study, we analyzed data from four focus groups conducted with middle school and high school students. Findings reveal that, following the administration of climate surveys, youth want adults to: recognize their voices, take action based on their responses, cultivate opportunities for connection, and increase mental health supports. These student‐generated insights can help inform how adults in schools—from educational leaders to licensed mental health professionals—use student data to inform decision‐making.