I'm Tired of the "Achievement Gap" U?

    Our kids (many of them…many, many more than you care to imagine) are in crisis.  This is going to be a short working 2gether Tuesday.  There’s no need to be clinical about what I am going to present.  I’ve seen it, witnessed the effects, and seen how some real counseling affects kids in a positive way.  
     CBITS stands for Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools.  Fancy for some smart people that care, came up with ways to help students that have seen too much…experienced too much…dealt with too much and suffer each day with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Public health officials have identified for decades violence as one of the most significant public health issues facing America.  Dr. Bradley Stein wrote in 2003, “…for many (children), personally experiencing or directly witnessing multiple incidents of community violence is the norm…the majority of youth exposed to community violence display post traumatic stress symptoms, with a substantial group developing clinically significant PTSD.”   Dr Marlene Wong (a USC grad and a UCLA psychology/school crisis Director) writes, “Despite what we know about the disruptive and distressing symptoms of post-traumatic stress, PTSD, depression, and anxiety, we are not meeting the needs of children who suffer from the negative consequences of exposure to violence.”  
     The CBITS program did a case study at real schools of 2000 kids and up to 60% were experiencing symptoms of PTSD.  Using their Case Formulation Worksheet with 50 of my counseling group students, 90% had experienced multiple types of traumatic incidents at least one time.  Up to 65% experience the symptoms (feeling upset, nightmares, reliving the incident, trying not to think about it) at least some days/nights.  
     The groups I worked with were made up of students that were (in part or in whole) receiving multiple detentions, suspensions, poor grades, poor attendance, fights, negative attitudes.  These students were in middle school.  How many years had they been dealing with the issues that were affecting them?  Maybe some teachers tried to help but lacked skills, maybe some administrators tried but lacked a program, maybe the district level people tried but lacked the vision to institute a district wide mandate that we truly find these students and work with them (and their families).
     Using the CBITS program, motivational videos, and my conflict resolution curriculum students began the journey to success.  The students rated the program a 4.6 out of 5 in terms of how they liked the program.  To show how deep the pain, negativity, and learned patterns of not doing well in school…they gave themselves a 3.6 out of 5 in terms of are they doing better in conduct and academically because of the program.  Clearly, I have to do even better. 
     BUT, even more clearly…school districts need to do better.  I took this program to 4 school districts and dozens of schools showing the data and why we needed to implement it.  Hell, one district I tried to work with was being sued for not doing ANYTHING formally for their students…crickets.  Kids are hurting.  Kids want to do better.  They need to know that the “normal” they experience is anything but and then need strategies to become healthy and forward thinking/feeling.  
That’s it.  This is personal.  I’m sick of the “achievement gap”.  U?