“I Didn’t Think Many Teachers Cared”

Using Youth Participatory Action Research with Middle Schoolers to Advance Trauma-Informed Practices in Schools

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70085/jtse.v4i3.340

Keywords:

Youth Participatory Action Research, Trauma-Informed Schools, Middle School

Abstract

Student voice has been largely absent in the trauma-informed schools movement.  Student perspectives on trauma-informed approaches are particularly critical for students who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). BIPOC students consistently report more negative school experiences than their white peers, including negative school climate and lower levels of school equity and personal belonging. This article describes a youth participatory action research (YPAR) program with 18 BIPOC middle school students. We describe how YPAR was integrated with trauma-informed principles to engage student voice. We outline student-led research projects and results related to core features of trauma-informed schools. Finally, we describe how students used their findings to advocate for change within their schools. We conclude that YPAR presents a promising avenue through which school leaders and their partners can directly and meaningfully involve young people in the creation of trauma-informed schools.

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Author Biographies

Stacy Overstreet, Tulane University and Coalition for Compassionate Schools

STACY OVERSTREET, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Tulane University. Her research focuses on identifying strategies to transform educational settings that serve Black/African American youth living in economically marginalized communities from being potential sources of trauma to becoming responsive cultural contexts to address the needs of students exposed to trauma and the educational workforce that serves them. Email: [email protected]

Jesse Chanin, Tulane University and Coalition for Compassionate Schools

JESSE CHANIN, PhD, is the Youth Engagement Coordinator at the Coalition for Compassionate Schools. In that role, she built out the Coalition’s Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) program. Her interdisciplinary research centers on understanding how we can create safe and inspiring schools for both teachers and students.

Allisyn Swift, Tulane University and Coalition for Compassionate Schools

ALLISYN L. SWIFT, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Coalition of Compassionate Schools-  whose work is to build the capacity of school, students, and parents to create transformative change in education through the adoption, implementation, and sustainment of trauma-informed, healing-centered practices. She is a licensed psychologist and adjunct professor in the Psychology Department at Tulane University. Her research and practice explores methods of fostering a sense of agency, safety, dignity, and belonging for children from early childhood through adolescence to promote whole-child development and heal from the effects of trauma.

Samantha Francois, Clark University

SAMANTHA FRANCOIS, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Clark University. She is a developmental scientist who conducts research on structural and interpersonal risk and protective factors in neighborhoods and schools that affect mental health and academic outcomes in Black/African American youth. She frames her research using systems and critical race theoretical perspectives. 

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Published

02/19/2026

How to Cite

Overstreet, S., Chanin, J., Swift, A., & Francois, S. (2026). “I Didn’t Think Many Teachers Cared” : Using Youth Participatory Action Research with Middle Schoolers to Advance Trauma-Informed Practices in Schools. Journal of Trauma Studies in Education, 4(3), 180–195. https://doi.org/10.70085/jtse.v4i3.340

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 3 (2025): Special Issue on Cultural Responsiveness, Anti-Racism, and Equitable Practices in Trauma-Informed Schools

Section

Special Issue Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Stacy Overstreet, Jesse Chanin, Allisyn Swift, Samantha Francois

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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