The Research

West, S.D., Day, A.G., Somers, C.L., & Baroni, B.A. (2014). Student perspectives on how trauma experiences manifest in the classroom: Engaging court-involved youth in the development of a trauma-informed teaching curriculum. Children and Youth Services Review, 38, 58–65. 

Crosby, S.D., Day, A.G., Baroni, B.A., & Somers, C.L. (2015). School staff perspectives on the challenges and solutions to working with court-involved students. Journal of School Health, 85(6), 347–354. 

A Few Key Outcomes:

• Significant decrease in school suspensions over a three year observation period

• Improved student self-regulation & reduction in disciplinary referrals

• Significant decrease in students' post-traumatic stress symptoms

• Average time spent in the Monarch Room, per visit, was approximately 10 minutes

• Students at the intervention school report:

  • More positive student perceptions of teachers and school staff when compared to a comparison school

  • Moderate to high levels of perceived teacher support, school involvement, and school attachment  

  • Viewing the Monarch Room as a positive resource that improves their ability to function

Crosby, S.D., Day, A., Gomez, A., Somers, C., Willis, T., & Tillett, K. (2025). MONARCH: Examining a model for middle level and secondary trauma informed education. Journal of Trauma Studies in Education. 4(3), 58-79. https://doi.org/10.70085/jtse.v4i3.331 

Willis, T., Gomez, A., Vanderwill, L., Flores, L.P., Day, A. (2024). The MONARCH Room Model: Implementation findings from trauma sensory processing rooms in schools. UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. https://transformschools.ucla.edu/research/the-monarch-room-model-implementation-findings-from-trauma-sensory-processing-rooms-in-schools/

Crosby, S.D., Day, A., Somers, C., Baroni, B., Jones, K.V., & Sun Hong, J. (2023). Exploring Trauma-Informed Teaching Through the Voices of Female Youth. The Journal of Trauma Studies in Education. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v2il.4587 

Crosby, S.D., Jones, K., Day, A., Somers, C., Baroni, B., & Feltner Williams, A. (2023). Expect To Be Taken Out of Class: Comparing School Experiences of Trauma-Exposed Black Girls and Boys. The Educational Forum. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2022.2155280 

Crumé, H. J. (2022). The benefits of trauma-informed social and emotional learning curricula among court-involved students living in congregate settings (Doctoral dissertation). ProQuest. 

Crosby, S.D., Somers, C., Day, A., & Baroni, B. (2019). Examining Trauma-Informed Teaching and the Trauma Symptomatology of Court-Involved Girls. The Urban Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-019-00533-2 

Crosby, S.D., Day, A.G., Somers, C.L., & Baroni, B. (2018). Avoiding school suspension: Assessment of trauma-informed intervention with court-involved, female students. Preventing School Failure, 62(2), 229–237. 

Crosby, S.D., Somers, C.L., Day, A.G., Zammit, M., Shier, J.M., & Baroni, B.A. (2017). Examining School Attachment, Social Support, and Trauma Symptomatology Among Court-Involved, Female Students. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0766-9 

Day, A.G., Baroni, B., Somers, C.L., Shier, J., Zammit, M., Crosby, S., Yoon, J., Pennefather, M., & Hong, J. (2017). Trauma and Triggers: Students’ Perspectives on Enhancing the Classroom Experiences at an Alternative Residential Treatment-Based School. Children & Schools. 

Baroni, B.A., Day, A.G., Somers, C.L., Crosby, S., & Pennefather, M. (2016). The adoption of the Monarch Room as an alternative to suspension and expulsion in addressing school discipline issues among court-involved youth. Urban Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916651321 

Day, A.G., Somers, C.L., Baroni, B.A., West, S.D., Sanders, L., & Peterson, C.D. (2015). Evaluation of a trauma-informed school intervention with girls in a residential facility school: Student perceptions of school environment. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 24(10), 1086–1105. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2015.1079279 

Our team created our own psychometrically-developed and research-supported tools to evaluate trauma-informed teaching.

Baroni, B., Vanderwill, L., & Day, A. (2020). A multi-tiered strategy to treat trauma and build social emotional skills among court-involved, at-risk, female students. In Safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments for young people in crisis and trauma. Routledge. 

Somers, C., Day, A., Sepsey, A.M., Allegoet, D., Baroni, B., & Hong, J.S. (2019). Understanding the academic environment within a residential treatment center school context: Perspectives from students and their teachers. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2019.1622167 

Somers, C.L., Day, A., Niewiadomski, J., Sutter, C., Baroni, B., & Hong, J.S. (2018). Understanding how school climate affects overall mood in residential care: Perspectives of adolescent girls in foster care and juvenile justice systems. Juvenile & Family Court Journal, 69(4), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12120 

Somers, C., Day, A., Chambers, M., Wendler, K., Culp, H., & Baroni, B. (2016). Adolescents in residential treatment: Caregiver and peer predictors of risk behavior and academic performance. Current Psychology, 35(1), 131–141. 

Somers, C.L., Day, A., Decker, L.E., Saleh, A.B., & Baroni, B.A. (2016). Adolescent girls in out-of-home care: Associations between substance use and sexual risk behavior. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067828X.2015.1056865 

Weber, N.M., Somers, C.L., Day, A., & Baroni, B.A. (2016). Predictors and outcomes of school attachment and school involvement in a sample of girls in residential treatment. Residential Treatment for Children and Youth. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2016.1188034