RALEIGH, NC (May 29, 2025) – The North Carolina Center for Resilience & Learning is proud to announce the release of the Education Preparation Programs Trauma-Informed Practices Toolkit, designed specifically for educator preparation programs across North Carolina. The toolkits include tailored resources for teacher, school counselor and school administrator preparation programs designed to help institutions embed trauma-informed practices into training and professional development with future educators.
Since 2017, the Center has worked in over 39 school districts to support trauma-informed practices through training and coaching. In countless sessions, educators expressed that foundational information about trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and toxic stress was missing from their original preparation. Many described this knowledge as transformative for how they understand and support students.
In response, the Center convened a statewide task force in 2023 with faculty and staff from 12 community colleges and universities to examine how trauma-informed education is being integrated into educator preparation. A subsequent landscape analysis found that while some faculty include trauma-related content informally, there is no shared guidance or structure across programs.
Recognizing this gap, the Center collaborated with the task force to develop a comprehensive yet practical toolkit with:
- Best practices for integrating trauma-informed principles;
- Key topics tied directly to NC educator preparation standards; and
- Curated resources to support faculty and staff in building out this content.
“Our hope in creating this new toolkit is that it will provide tangible best practices and resources for preparation programs,” said Center Sr. Director Elizabeth DeKonty. “This is critical content, and getting it into the hands of more educators before they enter the field can help many feel even better equipped to best serve their students from a whole child lens.”
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About the North Carolina Center for Resilience & Learning
The NC Center for Resilience & Learning (the Center) is an initiative of the Public School Forum of North Carolina. The Center is supported by the work of the Forum’s Study Group XVI conducted in 2015-2016. The Study Group involved more than 100 stakeholders representing business, education, government, academia and the non-profit community, who continued the Forum’s practice of engaging with major, timely education issues by bringing together subject matter experts to distill collective knowledge on crucial topics related to public education in our state. Three issues – racial equity, trauma and learning, and low-performing schools – were the focus of Study Group XVI’s activity.
The Center launched under its former name, NC Resilience & Learning Project, in 2017 as a way for the Forum to take action on these recommendations. The Center began as a pilot in two school districts in the 2017-2018 school year and has continued to expand, providing varying levels of training and consultation to more than 30 districts across the state as of the 2022-2023 school year.
About the Public School Forum of North Carolina
Since its founding in 1985 as a nonpartisan “think and do tank,” the Public School Forum of North Carolina has been a champion of better schools and one of the most trusted sources in the state for research and analysis on vital education issues. In order to provide meaningful action on the state’s most important public education issues, the Forum brings together leaders from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, and ultimately inform and shape education policy. The Forum team conducts research and policy analysis, leads innovative programs, and advocates for high-quality, equitable educational opportunity for all children in North Carolina. Follow the Forum on social media at @theNCForum and visit our website at http://www.ncforum.org/