Educators

Our Greater Good Education Program brings "the science of a meaningful life" into the lives of education professionals and the students they serve.

Research suggests that developing students’ social and emotional intelligence improves their academic achievement and overall well-being. Our work goes one step further: We believe that cultivating positive qualities such as compassion, gratitude, and mindfulness will lead to a wider transformation, as children mature into young adults who place care, empathy, and social connection at the center of their lives and society. The seeds of these qualities are present from early in life; we often just need to nurture them. 

One of the most important factors is a caring teacher, who can model these qualities and weave them into classroom lessons. Indeed, one of the keys to successfully implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in schools is the degree to which teachers and school leaders understand the value of SEL and develop their own social and emotional intelligence—which might also reduce their risk of burnout. Studies show that while 83 percent of teachers want training in SEL, relatively few of them actually receive it. We are helping to fill this gap.

The Greater Good Education Program uses a variety of methods to help education professionals understand the science behind social-emotional learning, mindfulness, ethical development, mindsets, purpose, and related topics—then apply those insights to their schools, classrooms, and other educational settings.

To support this work, we recently launched Greater Good in Education, a free online resource offering hundreds of research-based strategies to support the social, emotional, and ethical development of students and the adults who work with them.