The impact of trauma-informed practices on academic outcomes of First Nations children: a pilot study of culturally responsive supports in Australia

The study addresses persistent educational disparities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) students in Australia, rooted in the intergenerational trauma of colonization, dispossession, and discriminatory schooling practices. First Nations students face higher rates of suspension/expulsion, lower attendance and engagement, and poorer literacy and numeracy outcomes relative to non-Indigenous peers. The paper explores whether integrating trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices into school-wide behavior support (the TIBS program) can improve academic outcomes. Research questions/hypotheses: (1) literacy and numeracy will improve from pre- to post-implementation of TIBS; (2) reductions in flagged behavioral incidents will be associated with greater gains in literacy and numeracy.

Prior work links punitive disciplinary practices to disengagement and poorer academic outcomes for First Nations students, contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline. System-level efforts like Closing the Gap have had limited success in improving literacy and numeracy. Trauma-informed approaches that create safe, supportive, healing-centered environments and culturally responsive pedagogy that integrates students’ cultural knowledge and identities have shown promise for improving behavior, engagement, and academic performance. A 2021 systematic review found trauma-informed practices can improve literacy and academic outcomes for First Nations students. The TIBS program integrates trauma-informed care with culturally responsive pedagogy and behavior support, co-designed with First Nations communities. Preliminary research showed improvements in behavior and implementation feasibility, but limited evidence exists on academic impacts in Australian settings, motivating the current study.

Design: Pilot observational cohort study with pre-post assessments over approximately two academic years (2017–2018). Setting: Regional primary school in the Northern Territory, Australia; school population ~230 (2017); ~92% First Nations; 68% identified as having a disability; ~40% in public housing. Staff: 10 classroom teachers and five teacher aides (one additional aide appointed in 2018). Researchers included Aboriginal and non-Indigenous team members. Participants: 134 eligible students attending in 2017 and 2018; analytic sample n=53 who completed all required assessments (ages 5–11, M=7.0, SD=1.4). Demographics: 62.3% male; grades Prep–5 in 2017; 92.5% First Nations; ~20.8% ESL. Exclusions: 2017 Grade 6 (no 2018 data) and kindergarten (no 2017 baseline). Attrition related to transience and absences. Intervention: Trauma-Informed Behaviour Support (TIBS), a co-designed, multi-tiered (MTSS) program implemented 2017–2019. - Tier 1 (whole-school): staff training in trauma-informed care and culturally responsive practices; culturally significant morning assembly, celebration of achievements; regulation via culturally significant song/dance; school bell replaced with local Indigenous songs. - Tier 2 (classroom): training on curriculum modification and pedagogy; integration of cultural/linguistic diversity in SEL; sensory environment management; movement integration. - Tier 3 (individualized): trauma-informed functional behavior assessments; wrap-around supports with teachers, leadership, and First Nations cultural brokers. Program champion supported classroom implementation and meetings. Cultural responsiveness: Ongoing consultation with First Nations staff, elders, and community; emphasis on cultural safety; inclusion of First Nations languages, artwork, culturally relevant play-based learning. Implementation used blended learning, guided analytics for staff, and regular leadership meetings. Fidelity supported via regular reviews with leadership and the program champion. Measures: - Academic outcomes: ACER Progressive Achievement Tests—PAT-Reading (literacy) and PAT-Maths (numeracy), non-adaptive version; administered Term 1, 2017 (baseline) and Term 3, 2018 (post). Scaled scores used. Tests have good reliability (alpha ~0.88–0.90) and validity. - Behavior: School-wide database of flagged behaviors (minor classroom-managed vs major office-managed). Frequency recorded consistently across 2017–2018. Procedure: Baseline PATs in Term 1, 2017 before program; Tier 1 implemented Term 4, 2017; Tier 2 in Term 1, 2018; Tier 3 from Term 3, 2017 into Term 3, 2018. Post-program PATs in Term 3, 2018. Ethics approved (USQ H15REA191); parental informed consent obtained. Analysis: Paired-samples t-tests for pre-post changes in PAT literacy and numeracy; Wilcoxon tests as non-parametric checks. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon for pre-post changes in behavior frequencies. For association between behavior change and academic gains, participants dichotomized into improved vs not-improved flagged behavior groups; independent-samples t-tests and Mann–Whitney U compared pre-post score differences. Power analysis indicated n=24 needed for 0.80 power at alpha 0.05 for small-moderate effects; final n=53 deemed sufficient.

- Pre-post academic gains: Significant increases from 2017 to 2018 in both literacy and numeracy. • Literacy mean increased from 63.02 to 78.71 (Δ=15.69). Paired t-test significant (p<0.001); Wilcoxon Z=-5.006, p<0.001. • Numeracy mean increased from 69.90 to 87.29 (Δ=17.39). Paired t-test significant (p<0.001); Wilcoxon Z=-5.77, p<0.001. The magnitude of gains exceeded typical normative yearly gains (~5–10 points, depending on grade). - Flagged behaviors (overall sample): No significant pre-post change in minor, major, or total behavior referrals (paired t-tests all p>0.40; Wilcoxon for minor, major, total all p=0.60). - Behavior change and academic gains: About 50% of students showed reduced flagged behaviors. • Numeracy: Students with improved flagged behaviors had significantly larger numeracy gains than those without improvement (Table 4 means: 29.30 vs 6.46; independent t-test t=3.77, df=49, p<0.001; Mann–Whitney U=168, Z=-2.94, p=0.003). • Literacy: Gains were similar between groups (Table 4 means: 17.80 vs 15.73; Mann–Whitney U=237, Z=-0.21, p=0.82; non-significant).

Findings support that a co-designed, trauma-informed and culturally responsive multi-tiered program (TIBS) can improve literacy and numeracy among predominantly First Nations primary students. Potential mechanisms include: (1) culturally responsive curriculum and school practices that enhance relevance, engagement, and belonging, countering experiences of othering and racism; (2) trauma-informed practices that reduce re-traumatization and build social-emotional competencies, improving capacity for academic learning; and (3) improved school climate and teacher-student relationships through whole-school implementation, leadership support, and educator wellbeing, fostering cultural and psychological safety. The association between reduced flagged behaviors and larger numeracy gains suggests that decreased behavioral incidents may increase instructional time and effective engagement, facilitating numeracy learning. The lack of differential literacy gains by behavior change indicates a more complex relationship, potentially influenced by distinct learning processes in literacy, curriculum responsiveness, or differing sensitivities of assessments. Overall, results align with literature linking SEL/behavior supports to academic outcomes and underscore the value of integrating cultural responsiveness into trauma-informed education for First Nations students.

This study provides initial evidence that a co-designed, multi-tier trauma-informed and culturally responsive program (TIBS) can yield meaningful improvements in literacy and numeracy for First Nations primary students. It highlights the importance of cultural safety and flexible, engaging, and relevant curricula. Educational leaders and policymakers should prioritize evaluation and scaled implementation of such approaches. Future research should replicate with larger, diverse samples; examine mediators and moderators (e.g., social-emotional skills, school climate, teacher-student relationships); and track implementation fidelity and individual exposure to determine which elements drive academic gains. Incorporating student perspectives and longitudinal outcome tracking (e.g., NAPLAN) will strengthen evidence for effectiveness and equity.

- Measures: Used non-adaptive PAT-Reading and PAT-Maths; while suitable for First Nations students, adaptive PAT-A may offer fairer assessment across diverse abilities and cultural/linguistic backgrounds. - Implementation dose and fidelity: Individual student exposure to tiers and fidelity of implementation were not systematically tracked. - Data scope: Lacked comprehensive measures of classroom environment, teacher-student relationships, SEL skills, and exposure to adversity/trauma. - Design and sample: Pilot with small analytic sample (n=53); pre-post observational design limits causal inference. Cross-sectional analyses of change scores; attrition due to transience. - Generalizability: Single regional school context; results may not generalize across settings. Future longitudinal evaluations and use of national assessments (e.g., NAPLAN) are recommended, along with inclusion of student voice.