Daily Gazette, July 20 2017
Schenectady schools to focus on student trauma

Educators are trying to think differently about their students’ academic and behavioral challenges, eyeing stress and trauma as the root of much that troubles the city’s schools.

“When you see a kid’s (poor) behavior, instead of thinking, 'What’s wrong with you?' you should be thinking, 'What happened to you?'” said Andrea Tote, district director of pupil personnel services.

That subtle semantic difference could be the key to a much broader shift toward a district climate more tuned into the lives and needs of students — and one better able to respond to those needs. Schenectady school leaders are calling it the “trauma-sensitive” model.

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