Many leaders and educators are working in communities that are contending with educational inequity. Students are presenting at school with significant unmet learning and social-emotional needs. This trend has only been exacerbated during COVID-19 with socio-economic inequalities being further entrenched in communities experiencing disadvantage

One direction currently gaining traction in schools is trauma- informed positive education (TIPE) (Bruzell 2017, 2021). TIPE provides a narrative towards practice development that simultaneously addresses increasing complexity within communities (i.e., concerns with increasing youth mental ill health, childhood adversity, behavioural escalation and disruption, disengagement and school refusal; and concerns of staff retention and staff wellbeing) and underpins positive behaviour management while supporting an orderly learning environment. Trauma informed positive education (TIPE) was developed to meet dual concerns within the classroom for healing and growth (Brunzell 2017, 2021). The development of the TIPE model draws from trauma-aware practice models (de Arellano et al., 2008; Perry, 2009) and student wellbeing frameworks (Peterson and Seligman, 2004; Cornelius-White, 2007; Waters, 2011).

The TIPE model is based on developmental strategies focused on three trauma-informed positive education aims: (1) to build the self-regulatory capacities of the body and emotions, (2) to support students to build their relational capacity and experience a sense of relatedness and belonging at school, and (3) to integrate wellbeing principles that nurture growth, identify strengths and build students psychological resources (Stokes & Brunzell 2019).  

TIPE is envisioned as a pedagogical practice model for teaching and learning along with the delivery of academic curriculum. To develop an understanding of trauma- informed educational leadership which informs how TIPE is implemented in the school, we draw on the field of instructional leadership as well as leadership practices which provide guidance to leaders as they lead their schools both academically and socially. As the quality of teaching and learning is one of the key determinants when improving student outcomes (Leithwood et al., 2019), how leaders undertake this work is pivotal to bringing about change. As noted by Overstreet and Chafouleas, (2016) the alignment of trauma-informed practices with ongoing instructional practices can bolster teacher implementation of trauma-informed practices into the school.

To be an instructional leader there are some key practices to enact. Leithwood et al (2019) discuss the need to improve the instructional program through the provision of appropriate staffing and support, with the need to buffer staff from distractions to their instructional work. Robinson et al (2008) concur with this, discussing the need for an orderly and supportive environment both inside and outside the classroom. Leithwood et al (2019) emphasise monitoring of student learning and school improvement progress while Day and Sammons (2013) note the need to enhance teacher quality.

Responding to times of turbulence and acknowledging the need for reform and development in challenging schools, our research question is twofold: How have leaders supported teachers in their classrooms to implement TIPE across the whole school and what is the impact on academic and student wellbeing outcomes?

The mixed methods research was conducted in two schools (a secondary school in Australia and a primary school in Ireland). The secondary school was experiencing difficulty with their delivery of learning and wellbeing outcomes for students while the primary school was experiencing a rapidly changing demographic. In each case leaders recognised there needed to be a significant change to teaching practices. Using a mixed methods longitudinal approach, the research recorded the implementation of TIPE by leaders and subsequent changes to teaching practice from 2019- 2023 in the secondary school and from 2022-2024 in the primary school. In late 2019 all staff at the secondary school began professional development in TIPE facilitated face to face and online through outside expertise. In 2022 all staff at the primary school in Ireland started professional development in TIPE. Simultaneously the leaders in both schools developed practices to embed TIPE strategies across their school. We conducted over 70 interviews face to face and online during COVID with school leaders and teachers in both Australia (2020-2024) and Ireland (2022-2024). Based on a series of questions, school leaders and teachers provided their observations about the implementation of TIPE and how TIPE was translated into strategies that worked for the primary (Ireland) and secondary (Australia) contexts. In addition, from the Australian school we will provide school -based data from student attitude to school surveys (VIC DET, 2022) (conducted over 2019-2023) to outline the impact of TIPE for the students. Staff surveys conducted over 2019-2023 will be provided to discuss the impact of the change on collective teacher efficacy and their perceptions of the classroom environment (VID DET 2021). Finally, while the slowest to change, we will provide effect size data using two years of reading tests to show growth in academic outcomes (NAPLAN and PAT R). We used Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to analyse the data to develop themes related to leading the implementation of the strategies in the schools.

From the research conducted we identified themes for implementing trauma-informed strategies. This includes creating an environment of trauma-informed learning and teaching and supporting trauma-informed staff wellbeing. These practices are underpinned by enabling a TIPE leadership team who facilitate whole school professional development; developing a TIPE instructional model: developing and maintaining a non-punitive behavioural management system and engaging parents and the community to understand TIPE instructional practice and strategies. In Australia, significant change has occurred in student wellbeing and staff morale and collective teacher efficacy, while academic achievement has improved for the most disadvantaged in the school. In the Irish primary school, while starting the journey at a later date, leaders and teachers are reporting similar changes to student wellbeing. The leaders in both schools continue to promote equity, diversity and social justice as they move their schools and their communities from trauma-affected to trauma-informed.

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