Time: 6-7 p.m. ET / 3-4 p.m. PT / 1-2 p.m. HT / 9-10 a.m. ChT
Want to figure out how to create and develop policies that contribute to trauma-informed school environments? Tasked with ensuring trauma-informed work is sustainable and scalable at your school, district office, agency, department, or organization?
Join Leora Wolf-Prusan, Rachele Espiritu, and Kristen Harper for a practical, no-cost, 60-minute webinar. Together we'll explore the four choice points leaders face; tips for successful policy development and implementation; and examples of current policy at the local, district, state, and federal levels from which you can choose and use for your own work.
Who should attend? Suggested participants include:
Of course, we are open to all who are interested in this important work.
About the Presenters
Leora Wolf-Prusan, EdD, is the School Mental Health lead for SAMHSA's Mental Health Technology Center Pacific Southwest (Hawaii, California, Arizona, Nevada and the Pacific Islands). She is also the Director of Partnerships & Teaching at the Center for Applied Research Solutions, and provides consulting and training around issues related to school climate and positive youth development, educator mental health & wellness, and trauma- informed approaches to education among much more. Ms. Wolf-Prusan received a BA in international relations and a BA in Spanish with a minor in Social & Ethnic Relations from the University of California, Davis; a teaching credential from Mills College; and an EdD in educational leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles. She thinks policy is great, but really strong, equitable practice is even better.
Rachele Espiritu, PhD, is the co-director of SAMHSA's Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, Pacific Southwest (Hawaii, California, Arizona, Nevada and the Pacific Islands). Dr. Espiritu provides training, technical assistance, and capacity building at the local, territory, tribal, state, and national level in multiple systems, including mental health, substance use, public health, and education. She is a founding partner with Change Matrix LLC, a minority- and women-owned small business that motivates, manages and measures change to support systems that improve lives. She is a former School Board Member of Denver Public Schools (DPS), where she provided direction and leadership for Whole Child efforts and successfully passed a resolution for DPS to become a trauma-informed school district.
Kristen Harper is the Director of Policy Development at ChildTrends and brings a wealth of expertise in how to utilize research to drive policy decision-making and promote better outcomes for youth. Her specialties include: racial and ethnic disparities in education, special education, supportive school climates, school discipline, school-based interactions with law enforcement, and juvenile justice. Prior to Child Trends, Ms. Harper served seven years in the U.S. Department of Education, where she was a chief architect of the agency’s efforts to improve conditions for learning. Most recently, Ms. Harper was Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, working to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the identification, placement, and discipline of children with disabilities. Her leadership in addressing school discipline continued under the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, a taskforce launched in 2014 to improve outcomes for young men and boys of color.
