Date of Award

Summer 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Michelle Bennett

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) influence students’ academic achievement, behavior, and social-emotional development. Because of the significant impact, there is a need for educators to understand and implement trauma-informed strategies and practices within the classroom. The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the initial implementation of the professional learning module (PLM) entitled “Compassionate Care: Working With Students With ACEs.” The PLM was implemented at two Title 1 elementary schools in North Carolina. The Kirkpatrick Model’s four levels of evaluation, as expanded upon by Kirkpatrick Partners (2024), served as the evaluation tool, and the qualitative program evaluation examined participants’ reactions to the PLM, learning outcomes, changes in classroom practice, and perceived impact on students. Data were collected through questionnaires, journals, observations, and interviews with participating educators. Findings indicated participants perceived the PLM as engaging, relevant, and applicable to daily practice. Educators demonstrated increased knowledge of ACEs, trauma-informed strategies, and the effects of trauma. Educators also reported they were more confident supporting students who had experienced trauma. Participants described meaningful changes in instructional practice, focusing on grounding techniques, calm-down spaces, and relationship-building practices. While direct measures of student achievement and discipline were not collected, educators consistently reported improvements in classroom climate, student self-regulation, teacher-student relationships, and reductions in disruptive behaviors. The findings suggest the PLM was effective in achieving its intended outcomes. Continued evaluation using longitudinal and quantitative measures is recommended to examine the long-term impact of trauma-informed professional development on student academic and behavioral outcomes.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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