The aim of this project was to complete the development and evaluation of the Learning to BREATHE (L2B) program, a curriculum designed to facilitate the development of attention and emotion regulation skills within the context of public high schools.
The Learning to BREATHE program is designed to be presented in twelve class sessions linked to standards for health education and may be presented as a unit within regular classroom health curricula. The themes and practices in the curriculum are supported by a body of research that identifies emotion regulation skills and executive function as fundamental to personal, social, and academic success. Learning to BREATHE fills a major gap in social-emotional learning (SEL) programs by providing a developmentally appropriate curriculum for high school students that can be used in the classroom and by exploring how to integrate SEL programs into the existing structure and curricula of high school.
This project was conducted in two public high schools in Central Pennsylvania with a sample of students (N=320) that represents the diverse socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the general population in the area. The main objective was to develop an extensive training model for teachers and/or counselors to deliver the program within regular high school classes.
Duration: 2014 - 2018
Partners: American Mindfulness Research Association, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, Center for Mindfulness at UMASS Memorial Medical Center, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Garrison Institute, Mind and Life Institute, Mindfulness in Education
Project Funders
U.S. Department of Education
Project Focus Area
Developing and Testing Innovative Interventions
Developmental Period(s) Studied
Adolescence
Levels of Analysis
Schools
Keywords
mindfulness, social and emotional learning (SEL)
The aim of this project was to complete the development and evaluation of the Learning to BREATHE (L2B) program, a curriculum designed to facilitate the development of attention and emotion regulation skills within the context of public high schools.
The Learning to BREATHE program is designed to be presented in twelve class sessions linked to standards for health education and may be presented as a unit within regular classroom health curricula. The themes and practices in the curriculum are supported by a body of research that identifies emotion regulation skills and executive function as fundamental to personal, social, and academic success. Learning to BREATHE fills a major gap in social-emotional learning (SEL) programs by providing a developmentally appropriate curriculum for high school students that can be used in the classroom and by exploring how to integrate SEL programs into the existing structure and curricula of high school.
This project was conducted in two public high schools in Central Pennsylvania with a sample of students (N=320) that represents the diverse socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the general population in the area. The main objective was to develop an extensive training model for teachers and/or counselors to deliver the program within regular high school classes.
Project Funders
U.S. Department of Education
Project Focus Area
Developing and Testing Innovative Interventions
Developmental Period(s) Studied
Adolescence
Levels of Analysis
Schools
Keywords
mindfulness, social and emotional learning (SEL)
Partners
American Mindfulness Research Association, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, Center for Mindfulness at UMASS Memorial Medical Center, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Garrison Institute, Mind and Life Institute, Mindfulness in Education
Duration
2014 - 2018
Project Team
Mark T. Greenberg (PI) Emeritus Bennett Chair of Prevention Research and Founding Director, Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center
Jennifer Frank Associate Professor, Education
Patricia Broderick Assistant Research Professor
Deborah Schussler Professor, Education
Elaine Berrena Prevention Educator
Related Publications
- The effectiveness of a teacher delivered mindfulness-based curriculum on adolescent social-emotional and executive functioning
Frank, J. L., Broderick, P. C., Oh, Y., Mitra, J., Kohler, K., Schussler, D. L., Geier, C., Roeser, R., Berrena, E., Mahfouz, J., Levitan, J., Greenberg, M. T. (2021). . Mindfulness, 12.
- Stress and well-being: A systematic case-study of adolescents’ experiences in a mindfulness-based intervention
Schussler, D. L., Oh, Y., Mahfouz, J., Levitan, J., Frank, J. L., Broderick, P. A., Mitra, J. L., Berrena, E., Kohler, K., Greenberg, M. T. (2021). . Journal of Child and Family Studies 30, 431-446.
- Evaluating the quality of mindfulness instruction delivered in school settings: Development and validation of a teacher quality observational rating scale
Broderick, P. C., Frank, J. L., Berrena, E., Schussler, D. L., Kohler, K., Mitra, J., Khan, L., Levitan, J., Mahfouz, J., Shields, L., & Greenberg, M. T. (2018). Mindfulness.
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