The Mirage Behind Trauma-Informed, SEL, Mindfulness, & PBIS Programs and Frameworks: Why Schools are Wasting Money, Time, and Training on Unproven Programs to Solve Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs

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by Dr. Howie Knoff

NEW:  April, 2021

Electronic Book (Delivered via Download)

All Monograph Updates Received Free

377 pages

   We have known for decades that between 25-40% of all students need mental health services during their school careers. And yet, with the recent pandemic, there are reports of even more students experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma than ever before.

   Unfortunately, in the rush to help students, many schools have fallen prey to “old” stories of programs, interventions, and frameworks that, while heavily promoted, do not have the objective research to demonstrate their sustained effectiveness. This includes trauma-informed school programs, mindfulness interventions, and the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) frameworks.

  This monograph organizes over 25 published Blogs that critique the programs above, providing clear evidence that their implementation in schools must be questioned. Research-based and field-tested alternatives are provided to address the multi-tiered social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of student from preschool through high school.

   The Monograph's five sections are:

  • Section I:  Differentiating Between Stress and Trauma, and Problems with Trauma-Informed Programs
  • Section II:  Understanding Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges, and Implementing Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports
  • Section III:  The History and Hype of Social-Emotional Learning
  • Section IV:  Teaching Students Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Self-Management from Preschool through High School
  • Section V:  Being Mindful of Mindfulness

   This is a "living" monograph that is periodically updated with the newest information, research, and results.  When you purchase this Monograph, you automatically receive ALL updates free.

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Trauma, Stress, Mindfulness, SEL, & PBIS: Why Schools Need to Validate the Science Before Selecting their Solutions for Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs

Section I. Differentiating Between Stress and Trauma, and Problems with Trauma-Informed Programs

August 8, 2020 Why Stress-Informed Schools Must Precede Trauma-Informed Schools: When We Address Student Stress First, We Begin to Impact Trauma. . . If It Exists

May 16, 2020 Why is Education Week Sensationalizing Student Trauma During this Pandemic? Will Schools Re-Open Without Pathologizing their Students' Emotional Needs? (Part I)

January 11, 2020 Trauma-Informed Schools: New Research Study Says “There’s No Research.” Schools “Hitch-Up” to Another Bandwagon that is Wasting Time and Delaying Recommended Scientifically-Proven Services (Part I)

October 12, 2019  The Traps and Trouble with “Trauma Sensitive” Schools: Most Approaches Are Not Scientifically-Based, Field-Tested, Validated, or Multi-Tiered. A National Education Talk Radio Interview Puts it All into Perspective

August 17, 2019  Aren’t Schools with Positive, Safe Climates Already “Trauma Sensitive”? Unmasking the ACEs, and Helping Students Manage their Emotions in School

Section II. Understanding Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges, and Implementing Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports

February 6, 2021 Implementing Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports during a Pandemic: Upgrading Your Academic and Social-Emotional Prevention, Assessment, and Interventions. It’s Not Your Fault...

January 9, 2021  Analyzing, Understanding, and Changing Extreme Behavior: In the Capitol and In the Classroom. It’s Never as Easy as We Think or Want

September 26, 2020 The Seven High-Hit Reasons for Students’ Challenging Behavior: Functional Behavioral Assessment and Why Schools Don’t Climb into the 21st Century. When Personal Agendas Overrule Effective Professional Practices

July 25, 2020 Identifying Students with Back-to-School Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs: How to Screen Without Screening. In Uncommon Times, Uncommon Sense is Best

May 30, 2020 Preparing NOW to Address Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs Before They Transition Back to School: Let’s Use Caring and Common Sense as Our Post-Pandemic Guides (A Bonus Podcast Included) (Part II)

Section III. The History and Hype of Social-Emotional Learning

March 20, 2021 A Consumer Alert: Student Awareness Does Not Usually Change Student Behavior. Do We Need to Dig a Moat Around CASEL’s Approach to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?

August 22, 2020 How Would Covey Organize an SEL School Initiative? Strategically Planning for the Usual and the Unusual

June 3, 2019 Analyzing Your School Discipline Data and Your SEL (PBIS or School Discipline) Program: Students’ Discipline Problems are Increasing Nationally Despite Widespread SEL/PBIS Use (Part I)

March 30, 2019 The Art of Doubling Down: How the U.S. Department of Education Creates Grant Programs to Fund and Validate its own Frameworks. Call Congress: The Tainting of RtI, PBIS, MTSS, and SEL

November 10, 2018 The SEL-ing of Social-Emotional Learning: Education’s Newest Bandwagon. . . Science-to-Practice Goals, Flaws, and Cautions (Part II). Why Schools Need to Re-Think, Re-Evaluate, Re-Load, and Re-Boot

October 13, 2018 Social-Emotional Learning: Education’s Newest Bandwagon. . . and the History of How We Got There (Part I). Why Most Schools are not Implementing Scientifically-Sound Practices—Wasting Time and Resources

Section IV. Teaching Students Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Self-Management from Preschool through High School

October 24, 2020  Classroom Management and Students’ (Virtual) Academic Engagement and Learning: Don’t Depend on Teacher Training Programs. Districts Need to Reconceptualize their School Discipline Approaches—For Equity, Excellence, and Effectiveness

July 7, 2018  Elementary School Principals’ Biggest Concern: Addressing Students’ Behavior and Emotional Problems. The Solution? Project ACHIEVE’s Multi-Tiered, Evidence-Based Roadmap to Success

November 18, 2017  Teaching Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Self-Management Skills to All Students: The Cognitive-Behavioral Science Underlying the Success of The Stop & Think Social Skills Program. . . Don’t We Really Just Want Students to “Stop & Think”? [Part II of III]

December 2, 2017  Teaching Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Self-Management Skills to All Students: The Cognitive-Behavioral Science Underlying the Success of The Stop & Think Social Skills Program. . . Don’t We Really Just Want Students to “Stop & Think”? [Part III of III]

November 27, 2016  When Character Education Programs Do Not Work: Creating “Awareness” Does NOT CHANGE “Behavior” . . . TEACHING Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills Requires Behavioral Instruction

July 9, 2016  Teaching Students Self-Management Skills: If We Want Them to Behave, We Need to Teach Them to Behave

November 1, 2015  Research to Practice: How do Teachers Influence Students' Classroom Self-Management? New Report says that Positive Classroom Climates and Relationships Most Influence Student Motivation

Section V. Being Mindful of Mindfulness

January 25, 2020 Mindfulness & Meditation Will NOT Change Students’ Emotional Volatility or Immediate Reactions to Trauma. The Neurological Science Does Not Add Up—Another Fad & More Wasted Time in Pursuit of a Silver Bullet (Part II)

June 4, 2018  Making Mountains Out of Molehills: Mindfulness and Growth Mindsets. Critical Research Questions the Impact of Both

November 4, 2017  New Article Again Debunks “Mindfulness” in Schools: Teaching Emotional and Behavioral Self-Management through Cognitive-Behavioral Science and The Stop & Think Social Skills Program. . . Don’t We Really Just Want Students to “Stop & Think”?  (Part I of III)

February 13, 2016  Reviewing Mindfulness and Other Mind-Related Programs (Part II).  More Bandwagons that Need to be Derailed?

January 30, 2016  Reviewing Mindfulness and Other Mind-Related Programs:  Have We Just Lost our Minds? (Part I). Why Schools Sometimes Waste their Time and (Staff) Resources on Fads with Poor Research and Unrealistic Results.

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Electronic Book (Delivered via Download)