Provide names of other journalists involved.
No other journalists were involved in this story.
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
23-Apr-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
The students who attend Lincoln High School, an alternative high school, are the community’s “throw-away” kids — the most difficult students in the Walla Walla, WA, community. After its principal learned about the CDC’s Adverse Childhood Experiences Study — the largest epidemiological study you never heard of — and neurobiological research, he decided to tackle school discipline as a health issue. He took a revolutionary trauma-informed approach to reduce school suspensions and expulsions. In one year, suspensions dropped 85%.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
ACE Study publications from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data from Lincoln High School, background information about ARC theory, Washington State publications about Family Policy Council and state ACE Study.
Explain types of human sources used.
More than a dozen people were interviewed for this story.
Results:
The 6,000-word story went viral, via Reddit, Facebook and Twitter — 375,000 page views so far. Many teachers, administrators use the article to lobby school boards to consider using social/emotional programs to address school discipline issues and improve student academic achievement.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
The CDC’s Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, and parallel neurobiological research on children’s developing brains, has has spawned biomedical and epidemiological research that has stunning impact on individual health, public health, education, business health, and economic costs to communities in terms of emergency response, social services, juvenile justice, and criminal justice. It informs many types of health coverage.