Topic: Emotional Competency, School Culture, Life Stress, Social Competency
Target Population: Adolescents, Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Providers
Sector: School-Based
This program is for teachers and their students who are in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Mindful Schools©, a school-based curriculum, is designed to integrate mindfulness practices into the classroom, create a safe space for youth to share and explore their inner experiences, and help youth realize how they might use mindfulness in their daily lives.
One pre/post study with no control demonstrated that students who received the Mindful Schools curriculum increased their attention, self-control, participation in the classroom, and respect for others when rated by their teachers. Another group of students received more sessions of the Mindful Schools curriculum; however, there was no difference between the groups. All positive outcomes were maintained during a 7-week follow-up. Posttest results from one randomized controlled trial conducted among kindergarten students indicated that students in the intervention group demonstrated greater improvements in self-regulation and were more prosocial and less hyperactive compared to students in the control group.
Mindful Schools intends to enhance students’ emotion regulation and attention regulation. There are separate curricula for youth in kindergarten through 5th grade (K-5) and 6th through 12th grade (6-12). Lessons teach students practices that progress through the following five applications of mindfulness:
Sessions also focus on topics such as being mindful of making judgments; managing feelings of being overwhelmed or bored; experiencing gratitude; sending kind thoughts to others; practicing mindful eating, walking, and communication; and being mindful of one’s use of technology.
Teachers are encouraged to create a deep, heart-centered relationship with themselves through practice first, so they can be an example of mindfulness as they teach.
Starting in 2007, Mindful Schools has trained more than 50,000 educators and partners and works with more than 500 schools each year.
Teachers facilitate this program, and they must complete a 4-week online Mindfulness Foundations course that costs $195 per person and an 8-week online Mindfulness in the Classroom Course that costs $595 per person. Additional professional development opportunities are available. Please use details in the Contact section to learn more.
Considerations for implementing this program include gaining school administration and teacher buy-in, acquiring parental permission, finding time within an established curriculum to implement program practices, and ensuring the program is delivered with fidelity.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing Mindful Schools, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Lessons are 15 to 20 minutes each. There are 20 lessons in the K-5 curriculum and 24 lessons in the 6-12 curriculum.
All materials, facilitator guides, and student workbooks are provided during the training.
To move Mindful Schools to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation should be performed that uses a comparison group and demonstrates positive effects lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact Mindful Schools by visiting https://help.mindfulschools.org/hc/en-us/requests/new
Black, D. S., & Fernando, R. (2014). Mindfulness training and classroom behavior among lower-income and ethnic minority elementary school children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23(7), 1242-1246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9784-4
Viglas, M., & Perlman, M. (2018). Effects of a mindfulness-based program on young Children’s self-regulation, prosocial behavior and hyperactivity. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(4), 1150-1161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0971-6
Juliano, A. C., Alexander, A. O., DeLuca, J., & Genova, H. (2020). Feasibility of a school-based mindfulness program for improving inhibitory skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 101, 103641-103641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103641
Liehr, P., & Diaz, N. (2010). A pilot study examining the effect of mindfulness on depression and anxiety for minority children. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 24(1), 69-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2009.10.001
Opalinski, A. S., & Martinez, L. A. (2021). Mindfulness and self-regulation in a summer camp setting: An EBP project. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 57, 73-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2020.10.023
Sciutto, M. J., Veres, D. A., Marinstein, T. L., Bailey, B. F., & Cehelyk, S. K. (2021). Effects of a school-based mindfulness program for young children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30(6), 1516-1527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01955-x
