Evaluation
Peace of Mind has carried out three years of perceived impact studies at 6 schools in the Washington DC area using The Peace of Mind Curriculum. We are pleased to share the results with you here.
Evaluation at Lafayette Elementary School, Washington D.C., our home school.
Minds Inc. carried out an evaluation of the perceived impact of the Peace of Mind Program on students and teachers at Lafayette Elementary for the 2015-2016 School Year. Lafayette is Peace of Mind’s “home school,” where the program has been developed.
“ALMOST UNIVERSALLY, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS REPORT PEACE CLASS HELPS STUDENTS GET ALONG BETTER WITH AND BE KINDER TO OTHERS. IN ADDITION, APPROXIMATELY THREE QUARTERS OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS REPORT PEACE CLASS HELPS STUDENTS BE MORE READY TO LEARN IN THE CLASSROOM.”
Student and Parent Surveys were carried out again in School Year 2017-2018 by Peace of Mind staff, confirming earlier findings.
“THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS FIND THAT THE SKILLS THEY HAVE LEARNED IN PEACE CLASS CONTRIBUTE “A LOT” OR “A WHOLE LOT” TO HELPING THEM PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS, GET ALONG BETTER WITH OTHERS, AND STAY CALM WHEN THEY ARE ANGRY OR STRESSED.”
PILOT SCHOOL EVALUATION: 2016-2017
In 2016-2017, Horace Mann Elementary participated in a pilot of the Peace of Mind Program with their 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders. Analysis and report preparation were carried out by Peace of Mind staff.
“AFTER PARTICIPATING IN WEEKLY PEACE OF MIND CLASSES FOR ONE SCHOOL YEAR, ..STUDENTS PERCEIVED BENEFITS IN THE AREAS OF MINDFULNESS PRACTICE, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, FOCUSING ATTENTION AND MANAGING ANGER.”
PILOT SCHOOL EVALUATION: 2017-2018
In 2017-2018, 3 DCPS public schools, including two TItle I schools and one area college preparatory independent school, introduced Peace of Mind to their students. We carried out pre- and post-pilot surveys with teachers and students. Peace of Mind hired Dr. Laura Feagans Gould, a researcher whose work focuses on school-based mindfulness programs, to provide guidance and analysis for this study and to author the final report. The executive summary of Dr. Gould’s report can be found here below.
“TEACHERS WERE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE USEFULNESS OF THE POM PROGRAM TO THEMSELVES AND THE CHILDREN IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, PARTICULARLY RELATIVE TO OTHER SEL CURRICULA.”
RESEARCH
For research studies that support our work in mindfulness-based social and emotional learning for elementary school, please visit our research page here.