Researchers from Boston University studied the impact of Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLP). TLPI’s theory of change states that a deep understanding of trauma’s impact on learning and participating in an Inquiry-Based Process of educator empowerment related to school-based priorities, will lead to shifts in thinking and practice. These shifts can become part of the school culture. The aim of the research was to determine from participant reports whether and how changes became part of the schools’ cultures. Researchers found that leadership and staff reported cultural and organizational shifts in schools around four themes: (1) facilitating empowerment and collaboration; (2) integrating whole-child approaches; (3) affirming cultural identity; and (4) re-envisioning discipline toward relational accountability. Within each theme there were numerous outcomes that leadership and staff attributed to implementation of the Inquiry-Based Process. This evaluation provides evidence that schools’ engagement with TLPI’s Inquiry-Based Process, with level of commitment and focused effort, can have profound impacts for leadership, staff, students, and families. While this transformation may take time and effort, the outcomes may be more sustainable than other education reform approaches.
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