Co-Creating a District-Wide Professional Development Program and Implementation Model for Trauma-Informed Schools

Area of Science:

• Education
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Research practice partnerships (RPPs) offer a collaborative model for developing professional development.
• Trauma-informed practices are crucial for supporting students in educational settings.
• Scalable implementation of evidence-based programs requires effective professional development and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the co-design processes within an RPP for developing a large-scale trauma-informed professional development program.
• To present case examples of feedback loops used for real-time program improvement.
• To outline an implementation model for trauma-informed schools.

Main Methods:

• A rapid mixed-methods approach informed by developmental evaluation principles.
• Data collection included RPP meeting notes, discussions, training reports, surveys, attendance, and exit tickets.
• Triangulated data were collaboratively reviewed by RPP members for analysis.

Main Results:

• Seven key elements of the trauma-informed school education (TISE) implementation support system were co-designed.
• These elements include leadership engagement, implementation teams, varied training, consultation, resources, relationship building, and continuous improvement.
• Feedback loops facilitated immediate resource improvements and enhanced team effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• RPPs are effective for co-creating scalable professional development for trauma-informed schools.
• Developmental evaluation principles and rapid mixed methods support adaptive implementation.
• Continuous feedback loops are vital for refining professional development and implementation strategies.