---

---

“The Mindful School presents us with an abundance of information on school transformation that is both refreshing and hopeful….Transforming school culture through mindfulness and compassion will not happen overnight. This book provides a wonderful basis for you to review the evidence and reflect upon case studies that demonstrate the benefits of mindfulness for educators, parents, and students preK–12.”

—NASP Communiqué


“An excellent resource for teachers, parents, administrators, policymakers, and any stakeholder invested in education….This book marries current, evidence-based content and models with highly practical information and case studies that render this compendium useful for a variety of professionals and laypeople. The description of the various roles that different professions (e.g., school counselors) may hold while integrating mindfulness into school systems provides a compelling vision for a school environment characterized by compassion, support, and mindfulness. The book is filled with strategies, wisdom, and knowledge to allow individuals to apply the models and programs that are desperately needed in today’s schools. Here, school-based professionals will benefit from the decades of research and clinical experience from leading scholars and professionals in the field. Further, readers will emerge with a comprehensive understanding of the proposed transformation while receiving concrete information about the next steps he or she can take regardless of their role within the school system. This authentic collection of chapters from leading educational mindfulness scholars should be considered required reading for any school-based personnel seeking to implement mindfulness-based practices effectively into the contemporary school system.”

—Mindfulness


“A powerful compendium of wisdom, strategies, and practical approaches to bringing resilience and well-being into the culture and curriculum of contemporary schools. Chapter by chapter, the contributors to this fabulous book draw from their own direct pedagogical experience to share insights into how to transform the emotional and social intelligence of both teachers and students. Accessible and research supported, this book is a wonderful contribution for us all!”

—Daniel J. Siegel, MD, Clinical Professor, UCLA School of Medicine; Executive Director, Mindsight Institute; author of Aware


“In my more than 20 years in school leadership, I have never run across a book with so much information on school transformation through the lens of mindfulness. This book is chock-full of research, case studies, and strategies. It is a guidepost that I will return to again and again.”

—Lana Penley, MEd, Principal, Marysville School, Portland, Oregon


“This book provides a compelling rationale for igniting and sustaining educational transformation through the integration of mindfulness- and compassion-based practices in schools. The exceptional contributors include well-established pioneers in the field alongside emerging scholars. Groundbreaking research is coupled with engaging case studies and practical strategies. A 'must read' for preservice and inservice teachers, school administrators, and teacher educators.”

—Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, PhD, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, University of British Columbia, Canada


“This is a jewel of a collection of practical, research-based tools for designing mindfulness-based programs for students as well as school staff. Evidence-based programs for a diversity of learners are presented by experts in the field. While acknowledging that mindfulness and compassion practices are not a panacea, the book shows how these programs can indeed make a significant contribution to meaningful school reform, shifting us toward a much-needed holistic educational approach.”

—Rebecca Alber, EdD, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles


“A unique and welcome addition to the school-based mindfulness literature. This book will help close the gap between the intention to bring mindfulness into schools and the practice of creating this change. It is required reading for anyone who hopes to incorporate mindfulness into 21st-century educational systems.”

—Joshua C. Felver, PhD, ABPP, School Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, Syracuse University

---

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

1. Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going?: Preparing Our Students for an Uncertain Future, Patricia A. Jennings, Anthony A. DeMauro, & Polina P. Mischenko

2. A Selective Review of Mindfulness Training Programs for Children and Adolescents in School Settings, Rebecca N. Baelen, Michael V. Esposito, & Brian M. Galla

II. Examining Roles and Responsibilities for School Transformation

3. Turn and Listen: Strengthening Compassion and Leadership in the Adult Community in Schools, Pamela Seigle, Chip Wood, & Lisa Sankowski

4. Modeling Mindfulness: Principal Leadership and Development for Personal and Organizational Growth, Eleanor Drago-Severson & Jessica Blum-DeStefano

5. Embodied Teacher Mindfulness in the Classroom: The Calm, Clear, Kind Framework, Cynthia Taylor, Patricia A. Jennings, Alexis Harris, Deborah L. Schussler, & Robert W. Roeser

6. Cultivating Passion for Practicing and Teaching Mindfulness: A Multiple-Case Study of Compassionate School Project Teachers, Polina P. Mischenko & Patricia A. Jennings

7. The School Counselor: Change Agent and Collaborator for Holistic Student Well-Being, Rebecca L. Tadlock-Marlo & Meghan Damler

8. Creating Mindful and Compassionate Schools: Including Parents as Partners, J. Douglas Coatsworth, Melissa Ward George, & Aimee Kleisner Walker

III. Looking to the Future

9. Finding Peace in Chaos: Mindfully Prepared Public School Teachers, Richard C. Brown & Elizabeth Grassi

10. Being in School Transformation: Toward Equity and Social Justice, Velma L. Cobb

Index

---

About the Editor

Patricia A. Jennings, PhD, is Professor of Education in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. She is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of social–emotional learning and mindfulness in education. Dr. Jennings received the Cathy Kerr Award for Courageous and Compassionate Science from the Mind and Life Institute and has been cited by Mindful magazine as one of "Ten Mindfulness Researchers You Should Know." She has published on topics including mindfulness for teachers and compassionate teaching. She spent over 22 years as a teacher, school director, and teacher educator.

Anthony A. DeMauro, PhD, is Associate Director of Dalai Lama Fellows and Assistant Director of Student Initiatives at the Contemplative Sciences Center of the University of Virginia. In these roles, he works with young leaders around the world and university students to deepen connections to themselves and others through contemplation and holistic approaches to well-being. Dr. DeMauro’s scholarly work, emerging from years of experience in K–12 schools, focuses on how teachers’ personal mindfulness practices influence their teaching practices. He has taught courses in classroom management and mindfulness for preservice and inservice teachers. Additionally, Dr. DeMauro delivers professional development programs to educators through Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education and cofacilitates mindfulness retreats for teenagers with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education.

Polina P. Mischenko, MEd, is a doctoral candidate in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. She conducts research on the experiences of teachers delivering mindfulness-based curricula and on approaches to teaching mindfulness in elementary school settings. She also facilitates mindfulness-based programs and workshops for school faculty and students, and assists local organizations and school districts with their mindfulness-based initiatives. Ms. Mischenko has worked in school settings and education organizations in the United States, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland.

---

Contributors

Rebecca N. Baelen, MSEd, Education Policy Division, Graduate Schoolof Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jessica Blum-DeStefano, PhD, Education Leadership, Bank Street GraduateSchool of Education, New York, New York

Richard C. Brown, MA, Contemplative Education Department,Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado

J. Douglas Coatsworth, PhD, Department of Human Development and FamilyStudies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

Velma L. Cobb, EdD, Lander Center for Educational Research, Graduate Schoolof Education, Touro College, New York, New York

Meghan Damler, MS, Crestwood School, Paris Community Unit School District4, Paris, Illinois

Anthony A. DeMauro, PhD, Contemplative Sciences Center, Universityof Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Eleanor Drago-Severson, EdD, Education Leadership and Adult Learningand Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York,New York

Michael V. Esposito, MA, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Brian M. Galla, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Melissa W. George, PhD, Department of Human Development and FamilyStudies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

Elizabeth Grassi, PhD, Department of Education, Regis University, Denver, Colorado

Alexis Harris, PhD, Youth-Nex Center, Research Faculty, Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Patricia A. Jennings, PhD, Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education, School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Polina P. Mischenko, EdM, Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education, School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Robert W. Roeser, PhD, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Lisa Sankowski, EdM, Center for Courage and Renewal Northeast, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts

Deborah L. Schussler, PhD, Department of Education Policy Studies, College of Education, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Pamela Seigle, MS, Center for Courage and Renewal Northeast, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts

Rebecca L. Tadlock-Marlo, PhD, Department of Counseling and Higher Education, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois

Cynthia Taylor, PhD, Department of Psychology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Aimee Kleisner Walker, PhD, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

Chip Wood, MSW, Center for Courage and Renewal Northeast, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts

---

Audience

School professionals working with children ages 4–17 (grades PreK–12), including principals and other administrators, school counselors and psychologists, teachers, and intervention specialists; teacher educators and graduate students.

---

Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.