Examining trauma-informed professional development in schools: A systematic narrative review highlighting culturally responsive, antiracist, and equitable content.

Abstract

Trauma-informed professional development (PD) equips educators with the knowledge and skills to support students affected by trauma while fostering safe and inclusive school environments. However, the variability in trauma-informed PD design, delivery, and outcomes, as well as the inconsistent integration of culturally responsive, antiracist, and equitable (CARE) content, raises questions about its capacity to prevent and address trauma effectively. In this systematic narrative review, 24 peer-reviewed studies were synthesized to examine trauma-informed PD in U.S. K-12 schools and highlight the presence and depth of CARE content in each PD. The findings of this review indicate significant variability in trauma-informed PD characteristics and inconsistent integration of CARE content. These findings underscore the need for more standardized approaches to trauma-informed PD that embed CARE content comprehensively and address the systemic and cultural dimensions of trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).