Firestorm Expert Council Member Carolyn Lunsford Mears, Ph.D., wrote the following essay for Education Week in light of the tragic shootings in Newtown, CT.  I have been fortunate to speak with Dr, Mears at length regarding this and like-tragedies, and believe she brings a unique, empathetic yet practical point-of-view, helpful to all touched by this immensely appalling event. I have read Carolyn's anthology, Reclaiming School in the Aftermath of Trauma: Advice Based on Experience, that provides real-life stories of traumatic events, and encourage any invested in this subject to do so as well. Each chapter describes approaches that educators, administrators, students, and staff found helpful as they returned their school or university to the business of teaching and learning.   After the Tragedy, What Next? By Carolyn Lunsford Mears Comment on and read the full essay here ...

Firestorm Expert Council Member Carolyn Lunsford Mears, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver. As a parent of a Columbine High School student exposed to the shootings, she conducted dissertation research into the impact of the tragedy on schools and families. Her research, Experiences of Columbine Parents: Finding a Way to Tomorrow, was recognized as the Outstanding Qualitative Dissertation of the Year by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). In response to requests for information about the distinctive research approach she developed for her dissertation, she authored Interviewing for Education and Social Science Research: The Gateway Approach (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), which was selected as a finalist as AERA Book of the Year 2010. Her anthology, Reclaiming School in the Aftermath of Trauma: Advice Ba...

Firestorm Expert Council Member Carolyn Mears, Ph.D. Releases New Book and Webinar Series PRESS RELEASE Atlanta, GA, and Colorado May 7, 2012 Firestorm is pleased to announce the release of a new book by Firestorm Expert Council Member Carolyn Mears, Ph.D. titled "Reclaiming School in the Aftermath of Trauma." The Aftermath of Trauma – Reclamation Lessons learned for businesses, organizations, schools, communities and individuals  Firestorm Expert Council Member Carolyn Lunsford Mears, Ph.D., of DU’s Morgridge College of Education, has released a new book, entitled Reclaiming School in the Aftermath of Trauma: Advice Based on Experience (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).  In addition to her book, Firestorm is pleased to host a first webinar in a series featuring Dr. Mears’ work. This work considers the long-lasting consequences of traumatic events and shares strategies that ha...