TIERS
Trauma Informed Educators Reaching Students
What is TIERS?
TIERS (Trauma-Informed Educators Reaching Students) is a transformative initiative developed by Gap Relief in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation. Designed to address the growing impact of stress and trauma on both educators and students in Northwest Arkansas, TIERS equips schools with the tools to create supportive, responsive learning environments for all stakeholders.
Grounded in neurobiological research and informed by evidence-based practices, TIERS delivers innovative programming that meets schools where they are. Originally launched as a 1–2 year integrative model, the initiative has evolved into a flexible framework that can be tailored to the unique needs, goals, and funding capacities of individual schools and districts—ranging from targeted professional development to comprehensive, full-scale implementation. Our team would love to meet with you to see how TIERS can meet your needs.
Gap Relief's TIERS team can provide group training, one-on-one consultation, and leadership development to support every level of the educational system.
Our trauma-informed approach equips educators with practical strategies to address student needs, strengthen staff resilience, and reduce the impact of stress and trauma. By fostering healthier school communities, TIERS helps students thrive and lays the foundation for lasting educational excellence in Northwest Arkansas.
TIERS Impact
The TIERS program is built for sustainability
empowering participants to carry this work forward independently without ongoing external support. Our experience shows that smaller, more immersive training cohorts foster deeper learning and more lasting change than large-scale, lecture-based approaches.
The program focuses on educators and school administration:
All aspects of TIERS are designed to support educators and school administrators. The program helps educators understand the role of the nervous system, how it is impacted by pain, stress, and trauma, and how it influences regulation, learning, and classroom dynamics—for both themselves and their students. It also equips them with practical strategies to support student learning in the midst of these challenges.
In addition, TIERS guides school leaders in adopting trauma-informed approaches to leadership, helping them navigate real-world challenges through resilience-based, human-centered practices.
Learn more about what TIERS offers
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TIERS offers both a la carte training modules and customized training plans tailored to your building’s needs and available funding.
Available topics include (but are not limited to):
Education and the nervous system: supporting the “learning brain”
Introduction to trauma and its impact
Pathways to resilience (burnout prevention)
Restorative practices
Trauma-informed mission, vision, and values
Nervous system regulation
Building trauma-informed classrooms
Trauma-informed 504s and IEPs
Strategic planning to mitigate stress and trauma
Critical incident response and debriefing
We also offer custom training development based on your team’s specific needs.
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In addition, TIERS provides one-on-one and small group consultation for educators and administrators. These sessions can support areas such as:
Personal wellness in high-stress roles
Navigating a changing educational landscape
Resilient leadership
Building a culture of safety and support
Team dynamics and conflict navigation
Trauma-informed feedback practices
Integrating trauma-informed approaches into existing systems
Learn about TIERS program goals
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Equip educational staff to actively share trauma-informed and regulation resources with parents and families, ensuring consistent communication and support to enhance student and family success. Promote a strength-based approach to family engagement by training staff to focus on families' strengths, encouraging a culture of empowerment and positive support in all interactions.
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Continue to expand upon traditional classroom management methods by addressing the root causes of behavior, rather than focusing solely on the behaviors themselves. Develop proactive strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism, offering targeted support that promotes student well-being and engagement.
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Move beyond the philosophy of Conscious Discipline to provide practical, actionable strategies that align with brain-based research. This will allow educators to move from the “why” to the “how” as they work to create classroom environments that foster success.
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Equip administrators with the knowledge and strategies to prioritize academic excellence while creating space for the holistic development of students. Empower them to cultivate school cultures that support staff well-being, resilience, and burnout prevention, recognizing these factors as essential to long-term success and student growth. Expand the educational mindset to value both resilience and holistic development alongside academic achievement, ensuring both are integral to the school's mission.
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Create actionable steps that are reproducible, realistic, and achievable within the constraints of school systems. Continuously evaluate and refine strategies based on ongoing feedback and outcomes to ensure long-term effectiveness and adaptability. Empower program participants to independently apply and sustain the strategies they’ve learned, ensuring continued progress without the need for ongoing program support.