MINDFULNESS

For Schools

InSchools

Mindfulness in Schools for Clarity, Calm, and Connection

InSchools MindEd for K-12 professionals

InSchools MindEd for K-12 professionals delivers in-depth mindfulness training to faculty and staff in public schools. We have been delivering our InSchools mindfulness training program to school divisions in this region since 2017, both in-person and virtually.

Why Mindfulness in Schools?

Mindfulness training has been shown to address several issues facing public education today, including:

  • BURNOUT

    Even before the pandemic, over 50% of teachers were reporting feeling greatly stressed on a regular basis and job satisfaction was at its lowest level in over 25 years (MetLife, 2013). In another study, Herman, et al (2018) found that 93% of elementary teachers experienced high levels of stress. Recent surveys indicate that 55% of educators are considering leaving the profession earlier than they had planned (National Education Association, 2022). The same survey reported, “The top issue facing educators right now is burnout, with 67% reporting it as a very serious issue and 90% a very serious or somewhat serious issue.”

    While it is not a substitute for the major policy changes necessary to properly address these issues, there is “strong evidence for the use of mindfulness practice to reduce job burnout among health care professionals and teachers” (Luken & Sammons, 2016).

  • ANXIETY, DEPRESSION & OTHER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES 

    According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, nearly a third of all adolescents have experienced an anxiety disorder and 17% have suffered a major depressive episode. Mental health “affects a wide range of outcomes, including academic performance, substance use, violence, and obesity” (Greenberg & Harris, 2011). Further, student mental health and wellbeing has been shown to be related to their teachers’ mental health (Harding et al, 2019).

    Mindfulness-based interventions have been found to be helpful for mental health in schools (Carsley et al, 2017). In studies of students, mindfulness has been shown to improve attention, behavior problems, anxiety, and academic performance (Greenberg & Harris, 2011); plus decrease stress and depression, and improve mental wellbeing (Napora, 2013). Meanwhile, a systematic review on the effects of mindfulness on employees’ mental health, found “decreased levels of emotional exhaustion (a dimension of burnout), stress, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and occupational stress….[and] a significant increase in mindfulness, personal accomplishment (a dimension of burnout), (occupational) self-compassion, quality of sleep, and relaxation” (Janssen et al, 2018).

  • BEHAVIORAL ISSUES

    Bullying, substance abuse, and the school-to-prison pipeline are among the significant behavioral issues confronting K-12 educators today.

    Mindfulness has been shown to impact a broad range of behavioral concerns. For example, one study demonstrated that schools utilizing mindfulness-based interventions reported up to a 50% reduction in behavioral referrals (Semple et al, 2016), and a systematic review determined that programs like InSchools can lead to more effective emotion regulation strategies in students (Emerson et al, 2017)

We have also observed the following results from the InSchools program:

  • A threefold increase in the number of participants who have a regular mindfulness practice.

  • An average 10% increase in social engagement with colleagues.

  • An average 10% increase in mindfulness according to the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, with increases in every facet of the scale.

  • An average 5% decrease in perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale).

Retired superintendent and past program participant, Dr. Mark Church, shared:

“I joined our teachers in completing the training myself in 2018, and found that it enhanced my ability to manage difficult situations and relationships effectively and compassionately. This program provides participating teachers, administrators, and staff with greater calm and resilience, and delivers tools for us to incorporate mindfulness practices into our own lives. The teachers have been able to apply what they’ve learned in their classrooms and in our schools, directly benefiting students, colleagues, and families.”

Testimonials

“This was the most valuable program I have ever participated in.”
InSchools Participant
“Peers are noticing the benefits.”
InSchools Participant
“Thank you! You’ve helped me to change my life.”
InSchools Participant
“A breakthrough occurred in me while taking this course.”
InSchools Participant
“I tell everyone at school that this class is Amazing.”
InSchools Participant
“I would recommend it for everyone.”
InSchools Participant
“AMAZING! Insightful, excellent instructors.”
InSchools Participant

Some Past Participating Schools & Districts

Montgomery County Public Schools
Franklin County Public Schools

How It Works

We offer up to 20 hours of InSchools programming, for up to 20 participants per cohort, to be completed during the first semester. The programming is divided into consecutive 10-hour Level I and Level II offerings. Past participants are invited to attend the Level II program, as well as anyone who completes Level I. Classes can be conducted live online or in-person. This is the format to expect in each level:

  • 6 x one-hour sessions; and

  • 1 x half-day workshop

Completion of the program gives participants tools to increase wellbeing and reduce stress through mindfulness, and also provides them with techniques to introduce mindful practices into schools and classrooms, in what can become lasting and effective mindfulness-based interventions. Participants will also be provided with unlimited access to our InSchools Curriculum Guidebook.

In order to deliver this programming, InStill requires the school division to provide 10 Recertification Credits per level to each participant who completes the program, by attending the half-day retreat and at least four of the six one-hour classes. Any participants not completing the course will be able to carry their hours over to the next year’s program and/or make up hours by attending certain InStill offerings.

At least one administrator must also attend as a condition of us delivering this programming.

In recognition of different school divisions’ ability to fund such a program, we are offering sliding scale pricing of $1,750 to $2,750 for each level of the in-person program and $500 to $1,500 for each level of the online program. We are happy to discuss this in more detail with you at any time.

InSchools Graduate, Principal Steven Lin, speaks with InStill Executive Director, Jamie Reygle, about the InSchools program

Get Started Today

To begin developing a plan for implementing this in your school division, contact us by email at inschools@instillmindfulness.org or by phone at 540-227-6377.