Mindful Studies Partnership Program

Mindful Studies invites students to engage in movement practices, short meditations, experiential activities, sharing with peers, and community discussions. Throughout the class, students learn how to consciously direct their attention to the present moment, explore individual and collective conditioning, and cultivate compassion for themselves and others. Learn more here.

All teens can benefit from the Peace in Schools Mindful Studies™ curriculum. This class provides evidence-based practices, including mindfulness meditation, conscious communication, and self-compassion, which empower teens to lead healthy, courageous, and joyful lives both in and out of the classroom. See student evaluation data and testimonials to learn more.

The Mindful Studies class is designed for students in grades 10 to 12.

The Mindful Studies curriculum is designed as a standalone, for-credit course. It can be offered as an elective or in the first semester of an existing course (Eg: PE or health), so long as the fidelity of the curriculum can be ensured.

Mindful Studies is a secular, research-backed, for-credit elective class. We acknowledge the roots and history of these ancient practices while ensuring that students also know that mindfulness is not something new or something that one group of people own. Our comprehensive curriculum centers relationship and supports students in cultivating self-knowledge through direct experience so that they can practice discernment and exercise agency. Our class introduces students to mindfulness practices that are accessible to all types of people, regardless of belief systems, faith background, and ethnicity.

Our Mindful Studies curriculum includes up to 55 lessons, to be delivered as a semester or year-long, for-credit course. It has been created to adapt to each school’s unique culture and community, so that our innovative curriculum and student-centered pedagogical approach remain effective and responsive.

The Mindful Studies Curriculum is not available for purchase. To access the curriculum, a teacher must complete the Mindful Studies Teacher Certification through Peace in Schools (which is Year 1 of the Mindful Studies Partnership Program).

Mindful Studies Teachers come from diverse academic backgrounds and specialties. To become a Mindful Studies Teacher, candidates must obtain approval from the head of their school, submit an application to Peace in Schools, and provide two recommendation letters from both a colleague and a student. Once received, applicants then meet with Peace in School’s staff for an interview.

We require that 2 teachers from each high school are trained in the Mindful Studies curriculum and Peace in Schools philosophical approach.

The year-long, 150 hour Mindful Studies Teacher Certification includes 2 in-person retreats in Corbett, OR as well as virtual sessions. After becoming certified, each teacher is paired with a Peace in Schools Mentor for individualized support and one-on-one check-ins. They will also receive support from their cohort during monthly meetings, providing opportunities to share experiences and insights for group support.

As we are launching this new program, we are fundraising so we can offer this 3-year program FREE of charge. Peace in Schools will purchase classroom materials (yoga mats, cushions) for the school. We welcome fundraising leads and grant opportunities from our partners. The costs high school partners can anticipate include:

• Teachers’ time for taking the training and teaching the class

• Substitutes while teachers are in training (1 week in January)

• Classroom space for Mindful Studies

Peace in Schools will facilitate a 2-4 hour virtual or in-person professional development training for your staff and high school community. We will use what we’ve learned about your community in Year 1 to tailor the training to meet the needs of your staff and community in Year 2. Peace in Schools will provide a monthly offering in Year 3 that provides all staff with the same practices students are learning in the Mindful Studies class.

Yes. Our deepest intention in this partnership is to provide your school site with resources to strengthen students’ and adults’ social and emotional learning and engagement for academic and professional growth - bringing transformative mindfulness to the entire high school community, not just the students taking the class. Research confirms that this powerful combination of evidence-based, high quality social-emotional learning curricula along with sustained, reflective, supportive, job-embedded professional development is key to improving and sustaining effective teacher practice and realizing district expectations for all students. This focus on social-emotional learning is integral toward supporting the ongoing mental health of students and staff while building on the school culture.

We acknowledge that for many school staff, ongoing professional development opportunities, while important and often supportive, are often experienced as just another task to complete that can feel burdensome and even overwhelming at times. Peace in Schools has been offering in-depth, mindfulness-based professional development trainings since 2017, with each course providing tools and practices that directly impact the mental health of those working in the field of education. Our trainings are deeply nourishing and contribute to sustainability and overall well being. With hundreds of youth-serving professionals having taken our trainings, we have seen firsthand the ripple effect that occurs when they are given the tools to tend to their nervous system and care for themselves.