A Systematic Review on the Impact of Trauma-Informed Education Programs on Academic and Academic-Related Functioning for Students Who Have Experienced Childhood Adversity

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature regarding trauma-informed education programs and their impact on academic and academic-related outcomes. The articles included for review (n = 15) contained data on trauma-informed education programs implemented in preschool, primary/elementary, and high school settings. Academic and academic-related outcomes reported included attendance, disciplinary referrals, suspension, and academic achievement, as well as student resilience, school attachment, and emotional presentation. Findings from this systematic review highlight that trauma-informed education programs can improve students' academic and academic-related outcomes; however, results were not consistent across the studies. Moving forward, recommendations include the need for additional trauma-informed school-based research to be conducted and dissemination of this research to ensure school systems are upskilled and responding appropriately to their traumatized students.

Automated summary

This study conducted a systematic review on trauma-informed education programs and their impact on academic outcomes, highlighting that these programs can improve students' academic performance but results vary across studies. Moving forward, there is a need for more trauma-informed school-based research and dissemination of findings to ensure appropriate responses to traumatized students in school systems.