Healing Centered School Communities
Portland Public Schools provides comprehensive support to students facing mental health or social-emotional challenges. As a school district that embraces trauma-informed practices, Portland Public Schools understands that many students have endured adverse experiences that can significantly impact their overall well-being and academic success.
Both trauma and healing are collective experiences. Our commitment to collective wellness is the foundation for our focus as a healing centered school community.
Healing is central to Teaching and Learning. The goal of a healing centered community school is radically simple: High quality teaching and learning that supports individual students well being. This is reached through integrated social emotional learning, accessible support and these three essential tenets:
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Trauma-Engaged: Not only understanding and being aware of trauma, but proactively promoting collective healing as a whole school system while responsively meeting the individual wellness needs of each student.
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Culturally-affirming: Centering equity in healing through recognizing systems of oppression and the harms they cause while intentionally challenging assumptions and beliefs to reimagine those systems toward collective freedom, through recognizing a broad understanding of trauma (including historic and generational trauma) and affirming all cultures in the healing process.
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Embracing shared responsibility: Collective responsibility for the physical, emotional, and psychological safety of all students.
Portland Public Schools supports all students’ access to high quality teaching and learning through safe and affirming environments for all students supported by embedded social emotional learning, restorative justice and strategic partnerships with organizations such as The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health. Portland Public Schools recognizes the importance of addressing trauma and remains committed to providing the necessary resources and strategies to help students succeed in all aspects of their educational journey.