Applied Developmental Psychology Program

Department of Psychology

Improving Teacher Well-Being to Promote Classroom Quality and

Children’s Social and Emotional Learning

Joshua L. Brown, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Starting Early: Creating a Comprehensive P-3 Approach to Achieve Quality and Continuity

Princeton UniversityJune 20, 2017

Agenda

Stress and Well-Being of Teachers: Causes & Consequences

Intervention Designed to Support Teachers and Improve Classroom Climate and Student Social-Emotional and Academic Outcomes

CARE (Cultivating Awareness & Resilience in Education)

Effects on Teachers, Classrooms & Students

Effects for students and teachers with initial risk

Mechanisms of effects

Conclusions & Next Steps

COGNITIVE & EMOTIONAL DEMANDS

National survey found 46% of teacher’s reporting high daily stress during the school year. Highest among all occupational groups, including physicians (Gallup, 2014)

Chronic teacher work stress and exhaustion associated with higher biological indicators of overall stress (allostatic load) and daily stress reactivity (cortisol) (Bellingrath et al, 2009; Wolfram et al, 2013;

Katz et al, 2016)

A study of high school teachers found 46% diagnosed with excessive daytime sleepiness and 51% with poor sleep quality.

Evidence that stress may compromise teacher health and quality of life.

Teacher Stress & Health

Evidence among elementary school teachers…

Teachers who report higher burnout have students with higher morning stress hormone levels (cortisol) (Oberle & Schonert-Reichl, 2016)

Higher teacher depressive symptoms linked to lower end-of-year math scores, partly because of poorer classroom interactions. Worse for students with low initial math scores (MacLean & Connor, 2015)

Higher Teacher burnout early in school year linked to more classroom behavior problems, and burnout and classroom behavior problems linked to poorer social and academic adjustment (Hoglund

et al., 2015)

Higher Teacher emotional exhaustion linked to lower classroom reading achievement and lower perceptions of teacher support (Arens & Morin, 2016)

Teacher Stress Tied To Poor Student Outcomes

Sources of Teacher Stress• School organization• Job demands• Work resources• T Social-emotional competence

Teacher Consequences• Low performance• Ill health/Lack of well-being• Increased absenteeism• High turnover

Other Consequences• Lower student achievement• Lower continuity for Ss & Ps• Higher educational costs

Programs & Policies• Mentoring & induction programs• Workplace wellness programs• Mindfulness/stress mgmt prgms• SEL programs

CASEL.org

Social & Emotional Learning

Making Connections

• Helping kids

– Modeling

– Labeling

– Coaching

– Practice

• Requires from adults

– Self-awareness

– Self-regulation

– Empathy, compassion, caring

What is Mindfulness?

9

• A state/trait, and practice

– “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, p. 144).

• Two dimensions (Bishop et al., 2004)

– Directing one’s attention to the present moment

– Cultivating an orientation to one’s experience marked by curiosity, openness, and acceptance.

What Are Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS)?

10

• Formal or informal• Mindfulness

– Focused attention– Open awareness

• Caring Practices– Focus on caring thoughts

for others

• Mindful walking• Body scan• Yoga – mindful movement

11

(Roeser, 2016; Roeser, Skinner, Beers, & Jennings, 2012; Skinner & Beers, 2016)Research support: (Benn et al., 2012; Crain, Schonert-Reichl, & Roeser; Flook et al., 2013; Frank et al., 2015; Jennings et al., 2011, 2013, 2017; Kemeny et al., 2012; Roeser et al., 2013)

MAPs & Teacher Stress

Mindfulness-based training for teachers has shown promise in reducing teacher stress and improving well-being (Harris et al.,

2015; Jennings et al., 2016; Kemeny et al., 2012; Roeser et al., 2013)

Teachers trained to deliver mindfulness practices to students can impact student behavior and social competence (Schonert-

Reichl & Lawlor, 2010)

No study to date has examined how mindfulness-based training focused exclusively on teachers impacts student outcomes

Mindfulness Training: Effects on Teachers, Classrooms and Students

Cultivating Awareness &

Resilience in Education

http://www.CARE4Teachers.org

5 Sessions

• 2 days

• 1 day (2-3 weeks later)

• 1 day (2-3 weeks later)

• 1 day booster

Phone coaching (intersession)

CARE Program Model

CARE Program Elements Self Care

Emotion Awareness• Didactic lessons on nature of emotion

• Emotions in relation to teaching & learning

• Experiential exercises to promote emotional awareness

Mindfulness • Mindful awareness practices

• Mindful walking

Empathy & Compassion for self and other• Caring practice

• Mindful listening exercises

Applications of these to teaching through discussion and role plays

CARE NYC Randomized-Controlled Triel

36 NYC public elementary schools 224 teachers (118 CARE, 108 Control)

93% Female 35% White 33% Hispanic 24% African American

5200 students (2723 CARE, 2477 Control) 49% Female 65% Hispanic 24% African American 3% White 3% Unknown 88% Reduced Priced/Free Lunch

Derived 5 factors from teacher self-reported measures:

Adaptive Emotion Regulation

Teaching Efficacy

Mindfulness

Psychological Distress

Time Urgency

Measures: Teacher Self-Report

CLASS (K-3 version; Pianta, LaParo & Hamre, 2008)

• Emotional Support• Positive Climate

• Negative Climate

• Teacher Sensitivity

• Regard for Student Perspective

• Classroom Organization• Behavior Management

• Productivity

• Instructional Learning Formats

• Instructional Support• Concept Development

• Quality of Feedback

• Language Modelling

Measures: Classroom Observations

Academic Engagement

Academic Motivation

Reading Competence

Mathematics Competence

Social Skills

Measures: Teacher Report on Students

CARE Effects on Teachers (1 school year)Aggregate Factors Estimate SE t p ES

Adaptive Emotion Regulation .22 .08 2.98 .005** .35

Teaching Efficacy .07 .11 0.59 .556 .07

Mindfulness .13 .05 2.71 .007** .28

Psychological Distress -.13 .06 -1.99 .047* -.18

Time Urgency -.10 .04 -2.32 .020* -.20

Jennings, P. A., Brown, J. L., Frank, J. L., Doyle, S., Oh, Y., Davis, R., Rasheed, D., DeWeese, A., DeMauro, A. A., Cham, H., & Greenberg, M. T. (2017). Impacts of the CARE for Teachers program on teachers’ social and emotional competence and classroom interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000187

• Teachers trained in CARE showed continued benefits one year later in psychological distress, mindfulness and adaptive emotion regulation

Jennings, P. A., Brown, J. L., Frank, J. L., Doyle, S., Oh, Y., Davis, R., Rasheed, D., DeWeese, D. DeMauro, A. A. & Greenberg, M. T. (April, 2017). The long-term effects of the CARE for Teachers program on teachers’ wellbeing and classroom quality: Results from a randomized controlled trial. In (R. Roeser, Chair) Teacher, classroom and student impacts of teacher mindfulness programs in elementary and middle school settings. Symposium presented at the American Education Research Association Annual Conference, San Antionio, TX.

Longer Term Effects (1 year later)

(𝛽 = -0.12, 𝑝 < .01)

Psychological Distress

Time0 = Fall Year 11 = Spring Year 12 = Fall Year 2

Longer Term Effects (1 year later)

Mindfulness

(𝛽 = 0.05, 𝑝 < .10)

Time0 = Fall Year 11 = Spring Year 12 = Fall Year 2

Longer Term Effects (1 year later)

(𝛽 = 0.18, 𝑝 < .001)

Adaptive Emotion Regulation

Time0 = Fall Year 11 = Spring Year 12 = Fall Year 2

Longer Term Effects (1 year later)

Construct Estimate SE t p ES

Emotional Support .17 .08 1.96 0.050 0.22

Positive climate .23 .11 2.15 0.031* 0.23

Negative climate .10 .06 1.53 0.125 0.17

Teacher sensitivity .23 .12 1.99 0.046* 0.23

Regard for student perspective .07 .11 0.67 0.502 0.08

Classroom Organization .17 .10 1.68 0.093t 0.19

Behavior management .13 .12 1.13 0.258 0.13

Productivity .22 .11 1.94 0.052 0.23

Instructional learning formats .13 .11 1.23 0.218 0.14

Instructional Support .00 .08 -0.03 0.974 0.00

CARE Effects on Classroom Interactions

Jennings, Brown, Frank, Doyle, Oh et al (2017). Journal of Educational Psychology

CARE Effects on Students

Est SE df t p-value ES

Engagement 0.16 0.07 189 2.10 .037* 0.10

Motivation 0.11 0.08 189 1.41 .159 0.08

Reading Competence 0.07 0.06 193 1.18 .241 0.02

Math Competence 0.01 0.06 182 0.14 .893 0.06

CARE Effects on Students

Students of teachers who received CARE training showed greater increases in academic engagement across the school year than students of teachers in control group.

Brown, J.L., Jennings, P.A., Rasheed, D.S., Cham, H., Doyle, S., J.L., Frank, J.L., Tanler, R., DeWeese, A., &amp; Greenberg, M. (April, 2016). Direct and Moderating Impacts of the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education for Teachers Intervention on Student Outcomes. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.

Baseline Student Social Skills: 3 Latent Classes

Class 1: Low Social Skills (19.9%)

Class 2: Mid Social Skills (48.1%)

Class 3: High Social Skills (31.9%)

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

Pre-test Post-test

Low SSIS

Me

an R

ead

ing

Co

mp

ete

nce

CARE

Control

Students with low social skills whose teachers received CARE showed greater gains in reading competence than

students with low social skills in control group

p = .032*

n.s.

Baseline Teacher Mindfulness: 2 Latent Classes

Class 1: Low Mindfulness (52.1%)

Class 2: High Mindfulness (47.9%)

Students of CARE teachers low in initial mindfulness showed greater gains in reading competence than

students of low mindfulness teachers in control group

2

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8

Pre-test Post-test

Low Mindfulness

Me

an R

ead

ing

Co

mp

ete

nce CARE

Control

p = .015*

n.s.

CARE Effects on Students Related to Changes in Teachers

CARE Training

TeacherMindfulness

TeacherEmotion Regul

StudentAcademic

Engagement

StudentAcademic

Motivation

StudentSocial Skills

Summary of CARE Impacts on Students

Teachers trained in CARE had students with improved academic engagement

CARE training for teachers was particularly beneficial

for students with low social skills (improved reading competence)

For student of teachers with initially low mindfulness (reading competence)

The impacts of CARE on student outcomes (academic engagement, academic motivation, social skills) are caused in part by improvements in teacher mindfulness and emotion regulation.

CARE Effects on Students Related to Positive Changes in Teachers

CARE Training

TeacherMindfulness

TeacherEmotion Reg

StudentAcademic

Engagement

StudentAcademic

Motivation

StudentSocial Skills

Conclusions

Teachers trained in CARE had students with improved academic engagement

CARE training for teachers was particularly beneficial

for students with low social skills (improved reading competence)

For student of teachers with initially low mindfulness (reading competence)

The impacts of CARE on student outcomes (academic engagement, academic motivation, social skills) are caused in part by improvements in teacher mindfulness and emotion regulation.

Next Steps

Exclusively teacher reported, so examine grades 3-5 subpopulation with DOE achievement scores

Examine cumulative student-level risk index, and assess other teacher/classroom-level risks

Test Fidelity of Implementation → Teacher, Classroom, and Student Outcomes

Program sustainability in NYC DOE

Acknowledgements

Participating NYC public schools, teachers and students

Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (R305A120180)

University of Virginia:Tish Jennings (PI)

Anthony DeMauro

Penn State University:Mark Greenberg (Co-PI)

Sebrina DoyleJennifer FrankYoonkyung Oh

Fordham University:Damira Rasheed

Regin DavisAnna DeWeese

THANK YOU

cjobrown@fordham.edu