When Kelsey Sisavath enrolled as a freshman at Lincoln Alternative High School in Walla, Washington, in the fall, her mother was struggling with drug addiction. She was angry, depressed, and suicidal. Her traumatized brain had little room to focus on school. Today, much has changed in Kelsey's life. She graduated from Lincoln this spring with a 4.0 GPA while also taking classes at a community college. She is articulate, confident, and happy. Kelsey believes Lincoln changed her life.
    Neuroscience tells us that the brains of kids regularly facing significant trauma or toxic stress are wired for survival and likely to erupt at the smallest provocation. A major study of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente found that the higher a young person's ACEs score, the greater the risk in adulthood of chronic disease, mental illness, and premature death. These children also have a far greater future likelihood of either inflicting or being the victim of violence.
    Students struggling with this toxic stress are often ill-suited to learn in a traditional educational environment. "Teachers like to tell students that if they work hard they will succeed—that it is in their control to pay attention, do their homework, and perform well in class. But those assumptions don't work for children growing up in high-stress environments, such as those living in poverty," said Jim Sporleder, the former principal of Lincoln.
    At Lincoln, the teachers and staff follow a few deceptively simple rules: Don't take anything the student says personally and don't mirror their behavior with an outburst of your own. The teachers give students time to calm down, often in the principal's office or a special "quiet room." Later, they inquire about what might be bothering them and ask if they want to talk about it.
    Such seemingly straightforward techniques are actually based on hard science. In contrast to the fight-or-flight response triggered by perceived threats, seemingly minor acts of kindness, such as a few caring words from a teacher or a quick hug, can activate a cascade of Oxytocin, sometimes called the "love hormone." In highly traumatized kids, such simple acts can have an outsized impact.
    In the years immediately following Lincoln's adoption of trauma-informed practices, the school saw a fivefold increase in graduation rates, a threefold increase in students headed to college, 75 percent fewer fights, and 90 percent fewer suspensions.  It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that ______.