Moving from Informing to Transforming
Centering Cultural Humility & Equity in HEARTS Trauma-Informed School Implementation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70085/jtse.v4i3.327Keywords:
Trauma-Informed, anti-racist education, culturally responsive education, Culturally Responsive PracticeAbstract
HEARTS is a whole-school, prevention and intervention approach that addresses trauma and chronic stress at the student, staff, and school organizational levels.
HEARTS is guided by six core evidence-grounded principles: 1) understanding stress and trauma; 2) cultural humility and equity; 3) safety and predictability; 4) compassion and dependability; 5) empowerment and collaboration; and 6) resilience and social-emotional wellness. One feature that distinguishes HEARTS from other school-based trauma-informed approaches is the centrality of cultural humility and equity, emphasizing that if an approach or intervention is not socially and racially just, then it is not trauma-informed.
Since 2008, HEARTS has integrated culturally responsive and anti-oppressive approaches across a variety of implementation models. This paper describes practice-based lessons learned and insights across these various implementation models with respect to moving the needle on anti-racist, socially just, trauma-informed practices.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Martha Merchant, Nyasha Evans-Bonner, Stephanie Guinosso, Joyce Dorado, Hazel Benigno
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