Victoria Romero is an educator with over 42 years of experience working as a classroom teacher, principal, and instructional and leadership coach. In her two placements as a principal, the academic performance improved significantly for students. For the past 10 years, she has coached administrators, directors, principals, vice principals, and school leadership teams for equity and sustainable school improvement in 3 school districts in Washington state. She has teamed with Gary Howard to facilitate equity workshops throughout the country. Victoria co-authored The African American Experience for Howard's REACH program and the study guide in the 3rd edition of his book, We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools. She is a certified consultant for Corwin, facilitating workshops for school districts using Howard's We Can't Lead Where We Won't Go: An Educator's Guide to Equity.

Ricky Robertson has had the privilege to work with students from Pre-K to 12th grade who have persevered in the face of adverse experiences and trauma. Drawing from his experiences as a teacher and Behavior Intervention Specialist, Ricky coaches educators on more than just managing behavior. With compassion, humor, deep listening, and "real talk," he seeks to reconnect the hearts and minds of students and teachers through a relationship-based approach to teaching and learning.

Amber Warner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience. She has had the privilege of serving as an outreach case manager, school social worker, medical social worker and clinical mental health therapist. The majority of her experience has been school-based social work service. In this role she led support groups, provided student counseling, and facilitated classroom discussions. She was a member of the faculty Leadership team and was instrumental in coordinating community and parent involvement. She served as the Project Coordinator for the local Children's Defensive Fund's Freedom School program for children in foster care and/or low income families.Trained by Marian Edelman Wright, founder of the Childrens Defense Fund, Amber was responsible for hiring staff and providing professional development for them. She networked with businesses and other community agencies to arrange field trips and provide public service projects for the children. As a therapist she utilizes Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and System Theory to support individuals coping with trauma recovery, mental and physical health challenges, and grief and loss. Her approach helps her clients to learn new strategies to live their best selves and improve their overall quality of life.

Foreword by Gary R. Howard
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1 ACEs and the New Normal
ACEs Are an Equal Opportunity Occurrence
Lost in Translation
The New Normal
Chapter 2 Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask Before Helping Others
Burnout or Compassion Fatigue?
The New Normal: A Case Study Intervention
Self-Care Is an Ethical Imperative
WWAD?
Chapter 3 It's Easy to Have High Expectations-Hard to Grow a New Mindset
Knowing Myself Precedes Teaching Students
Knowing My Students and Knowing Pedagogy-Growing Mindset
Knowing My Strengths, Knowing the Strengths of My Students Fosters Resiliency
"I Can't Learn From You Because You're White"
Progress Not Perfection
Knowing Myself and Responding to Change Are About Self-Care
Knowing Myself Matters-Because When Negative Bias Shows Up, Students Are Miseducated
Good Teaching Is Not Enough-The New Normal Warrants Transformationist Teaching
Chapter 4 The Effects of Trauma on the Brain
Acknowledging That Trauma Is Sitting in the Classroom Is Transformational Teaching
ACEs and Learning
ACEs and Behavior
Trauma Has Many Forms
If I Knew Then What I Know Now
Chapter 5 Teaching Behaviors, Differentiating Interventions, Changing Pedagogy
Relationships Precede Learning
Talk, Trust, Feel, Repair
Schools and Classrooms Have a Culture and Culture Is Learned
Response to Intervention (RTI)
Looking at Behavior Management Through a Trauma-Informed Lens
Change Is Hard and Leadership Matters
Talk, Trust, Feel, Repair: My Rookie Year
Schools Are Ideal for Social Working
Chapter 6 Plan With the End in Mind: Visioning a Compassionate School
The Innovative School District PreK-12th Grades
SEL Data Team/Self-Assessment Checklist
Case Study: ISD's Response to Behavior Interventions
Changing Positions to Change Lives
What Does It Mean to Work in a Trauma-Informed School or School District?
Chapter 7 From Theory to Practice: Transformationist Actions Convert ACEs to Aces
Transformationist Schools and School Districts
Transformationist Instructional Staff
Transformationist School Counselors and School-Based Social Workers
Transformationist School Psychologists and School Nurses
Transformationist Support Staff (Office, Cafeteria, Custodial, Bus Drivers)
Chapter 8 The Process, the Plan, the Transformation
The Process
Step 1: Assessing Capacity
Step 2: Building Capacity
Step 3: Implementation
Step 4: Evaluating Program Effectiveness
Where Is Our Sense of Urgency?
The Plan: Implementation Guide to Transformation
Implementation
Evaluation and Planning
Chapter 9 In Their Own Words
Antwone Fisher
Cleressa Brown
Conor Black
Maria Gonzales
The Salomon Martinez Family
Additional Reading and Resources
Glossary of Terms
References
Index