Learning from the experiences of other educators, counselors, and administrators is a great way to explore what’s possible in your own classroom, school, or district. In the spirit of collaborative learning, we are thrilled to share the accomplishments of two schools using daily mindfulness through Inner Explorer to improve the academic achievement, mental health, and well-being of
their school communities.
English Teacher Melissa Conceicao saw the need to address youth mental health in her school. Initially, she started by practicing Inner Explorer's MBSEL programs in her classroom. Over time, students were inspired to lead mental health and well-being initiatives of their own, including the development of the Project Happiness Club, a student-run club on a mission to empower their school community to recognize and prioritize mental health. Their mission aligns with a nationwide initiative to integrate mental health and well-being resources into education following the pandemic; a portion of the most recent COVID relief funding for schools can be dedicated to mental health resources, including MBSEL programs such as Inner Explorer.
One of the club's first initiatives was promoting the Inner Explorer 21-Day Quest, with the goal of instilling the habit of daily mindfulness practice as a preventative mental health tool. When practiced daily, Inner Explorer has been proven to reduce stress, as well as improve average G.P.A. and reading, math, and science grades. Dwight Morrow High School’s 21-Day Quest participants increased their engagement with the Inner Explorer program by an average of 371% after its completion. This change demonstrates an improvement in practice habits on average from once a week to three or four times a week.
To find out how you can start a youth well-being club at your school, click here.
“Our team, our students, and their families are experiencing a lot of trauma. The best way to help is to ensure people feel safe, acknowledged, and heard. Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional learning teaches us skills we can use to make that happen.”- Ben Suro, School Principal
English teacher Melissa Conceicao was recognized as an LG Electronics Superhero Teacher for her efforts to promote mindfulness (May 2021).
Sixth-grade teacher Amber Charbonneau was recognized as an LG Electronics Superhero Teacher for her efforts to promote mindfulness (May 2021).
Goddard Middle School serves students in grades 6-8. With the highest percentage of struggling students in the school district, Goddard began implementing the Inner Explorer program as a way to augment its existing SEL program. Within two years, they saw a substantial increase in school-wide academic performance. Between 2016 and 2018, the average percentage increase of 6th-8th grade students who met or exceeded expectations in English Language Arts and Math was three times higher than the average percentage increase for Colorado as a whole. Science was five times higher. In addition, the percentage of students who met or exceeded expectations in 8th-grade English Language Arts was eight times higher than the state. The results were so significant that the Colorado State Department of Education contacted the school principal to find out what they were doing – Goddard was outperforming most middle schools in the state with the same demographic profile. The principal credited the results to practicing mindfulness through Inner Explorer.
Before Inner Explorer, staff at Goddard Middle School were already facilitating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. After Inner Explorer was introduced, the focus shifted to incorporating Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Learning (MBSEL) into every classroom to support student and educator well-being. Goddard began implementing 5-10 minutes of daily MBSEL practice through Inner Explorer, either before or after teaching a lesson on SEL. This allowed students to either calm down and prepare for learning before the lesson, or enhance what they had just learned by reflecting on it during mindfulness. One of the keys to their success was adapting the program to meet the needs of their students.
To learn how to successfully integrate MBSEL into your school day to support other school initiatives click here.