hear administrators report on the emotional
challenges presented by students, staff or
families. As I listen to their stories, one
question I always ask is “How do you take
care of yourself?” I hear the different strate-
gies but no reference to mindfulness tech-
niques or practices.
Administrators are pressed to use their
emotional intelligence to listen, empathize
and respond to issues that often have no
“right” answer. While most administrators
rise to the countless challenges in a school
day, the job can be taxing and leave individ-
uals feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and in
some cases, burnt out.
Mindfulness for schools
and school leaders
Mindfulness programs in schools are
growing, and research supports the benefits
for students, staff and overall school climate.
In 2014 Lidia Tilahun, M.A., and Lucy
Vezzuto, Ph.D., compiled a document for
the Orange County Department of Educa-
tion Instructional Services Division, titled
“Mindfulness Practice in K-12 Schools:
Emerging Research on Stress, Well Being
and Achievement.”
In a review of the research they reported
that factors essential to learning and school
engagement such as attention, emotional
regulation and social functioning could be
improved with mindfulness practices. Stud-
ies cited also reported that teachers prac-
ticing mindfulness showed lower levels of
stress and burnout.
The degree to which schools can access
programs for mindfulness will vary accord-
ing to needs and resources. Although mind-
fulness practices can benefit all learners,
the skills acquired can be most beneficial to
those students requiring Tier 2 and Tier 3
interventions.
The Rockland County, N.Y. Board of
Cooperative Educational Services received
a $1.2 million grant in 2015 from the U.S.
Department of Education to pilot a program
incorporating mindfulness for students
with severe emotional disabilities. Mindful
Schools in Emeryville offers financial assis-
tance to school districts in need, and reports
that it has trained teachers in all 50 states,
helping more than 750,000 students.
Adding new programs in a school is a pro-
cess that requires engagement and support
of all stakeholders. Mindfulness practices
can be part of a daily routine and after time
can become a more natural habitual way of
being. The positive effects benefit learning,
behavior and overall well-being. Developing
habits take time and intention and the pros-
pect of adding “one more thing” to an educa-
tor’s schedule can meet with resistance.
James Clear is an author who writes about
the science of self-improvement and sug-
gests that new habits have a greater chance
of sticking when they are added to already
established routines. He uses the term
“habit stacking” to describe this process.
Most schools have programs that support
social and emotional growth for students.
Frameworks such as the Multi-Tiered Sys-
tem of Support (MTSS) offer a model and
guidelines for incorporating complementary
programs within a school system.
Educators become administrators for var-
ious reasons. A common theme is a passion
for learning and improvement and a belief
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