Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) Statewide Initiative
REACH supports school districts and schools throughout Illinois to better understand and address the needs of the whole child through the creation of healthy learning environments that protect, support and heal. These learning environments ensure optimal levels of academic success for students and staff.
As part of this initiative, participating school districts and schools form school level REACH teams, attend professional learning collaboratives, complete a Trauma-Responsive Schools needs assessment, and develop a trauma-responsive school action plan. Teams receive coaching support to implement their action plan.
Schools participating in REACH also have an opportunity for school staff to join a REACH Community of Practice (CoP). In these communities, participants share ideas, challenges and successes and engage in meaningful collaboration.
Through the REACH Learning and Resource Hub, all Illinois educators have access to free on-demand learning experiences. Through this Hub, people may receive training in trauma-focused topics.
If you are interested in becoming a REACH school, please visit www.childhoodresilience.org/participate and complete the participation form. This form acknowledges your intent to participate in the REACH Statewide Initiative for the Fall Semester, SY 2022 – 2023. The deadline for completing the participation form is November 30, 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact REACH@luriechildrens.org
Partnership for Resilience leads the REACH Communities of Practice component. As part of REACH, schools and districts can dive deeper into trauma-responsive schooling policies and practices with groups of their peers. Learn more about our REACH Communities of Practice below.
A REACH Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of school community members from across the state who share a common interest in a topic related to trauma-responsive practices in schools and come together regularly to fulfill individual and group goals related to trauma-responsive practices. CoP facilitators support members in applying knowledge and insights gained through participation directly to their school community.
A CoP is not a class, training, series of trainings, professional learning community, nor an opportunity for a passive learning experience. Learning happens through shared exchanges of knowledge, information and activities. Learn-Share-Grow is the core of REACH CoPs, and facilitators encourage and make space for the shared learning process among members.
Members will learn from each other, have an opportunity to develop themselves personally and professionally, hone their professional practice and intentionally develop knowledge and/or skills to apply to their schools’ development of trauma- responsive policies, practices and procedures. Members will gain new colleagues and a sense of belonging in a community that fosters trust, collaboration and connection. Collective learning and collective action leads to creating environments of collective care.
REACH CoPs actively engage through regular live, virtual gatherings and the use of the REACH Learning and Resource Hub. Sessions range from 90–120 minutes and, depending on the topic, meet four to six times per semester.
CoP topics align with one or more domains of the Trauma Responsive Schools Implementation Assessment (TRS-IA) and include topics, such as:The Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) Statewide Initiative is supported by Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER II) from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, please visit oese.ed.gov. Additional support has been provided by Grand Victoria Foundation and other philanthropic partners