Student and teacher stress is through the roof. Three-quarters of high-school students say they’re dealing with stress, anger, fear, sadness or boredom, and they rate their stress level at 5.8 versus adults’ 3.8 on a 10-point scale, according to the American Psychological Association. Teachers are seeing a marked increase in requests for mental health help in schools.
Teachers themselves are beyond frazzled. A 2024 Rand study shows that double the number of teachers over 2023 admitted to job-related stress and three times as many struggled to cope with it.
Yet a more than 10-year-old program called Calm Classroom appears to be making a difference. A study of 2,259 teachers from 110 schools in the Chicago area reports that more than 80% of teachers say students are calmer and more peaceful with Calm Classroom right from the start. At the same time, 83% say students are more engaged and ready to learn. The participants say it helps students regulate their emotions better, reinforces the need for self-care, provides tools to manage physical and mental stress, and improves focus.
Maura Salisbury, the executive director of training and partner success at Calm Classroom and a 300-hour mindfulness facilitator, explains the program and its reception in schools.
Why we need mindfulness
SmartBrief: Let’s start with the mental health challenges: Why is social-emotional learning more important than ever before post-COVID-19?
Maura Salisbury: The pandemic has led to a significant increase in mental health issues among students, including anxiety and depression, which has had a tremendous impact on student social and emotional well-being and academic success. Students are still coping with the fallout from social isolation, academic disruptions, loss of loved ones and the economic hardship that so many families experienced during that time. Social-emotional learning is one way to help students develop skills that are critical for mental health and well-being like emotional regulation, self-awareness and self-care. When students feel safe and cared for physically, mentally and emotionally within their school community, they are more likely to succeed academically.
SmartBrief: What’s the premise of Calm Classroom? How does it work? How is it different from other social and emotional learning programs?
Salisbury: You know, it’s really tough for educators right now — they’re overwhelmed and burning out at alarming rates. At the same time, our young people are facing significant mental health challenges. But there’s good news: Practicing mindfulness regularly and with intention throughout the day can have a profoundly positive impact on the well-being of students, teachers, staff, parents and other members of the school community.
For over a decade, Calm Classroom has been offering a simple yet effective way to integrate mindfulness into the classroom routine. We provide the materials, training and support that schools and educators need to make mental health a priority, without requiring a lot of prep or interfering with academics.
Teachers guide students through 3-minute scripted sessions that include breathing, movement, focusing and relaxation exercises. They do this two to three times a day during transitions or at other natural moments, like right before a test. Students can also lead the techniques. The goal of Calm Classroom is to make mindfulness a regular part of a student’s daily life. Practices may take place at scheduled times or as needed or as determined by students and teachers. We offer audio recordings to help teachers learn the techniques, but we really encourage them to read the scripts aloud. It creates a stronger connection and engagement with the students.
We also offer online learning and ongoing professional development through our train-the-trainer and direct-to-teacher models. This means school staff get the support they need to implement the program and can even expand their own mindfulness practices. These sessions also offer a chance for them to build their mental and emotional well-being skills in a collaborative environment.
There are many mindfulness programs out there, but they often require a lot of time and resources or are heavily automated and require very little teacher engagement or knowledge to implement. Calm Classroom aims to make mindfulness accessible without sacrificing impact. Our approach emphasizes the teacher-student connection and equips school staff to create a lasting culture of mindfulness and self-care in their classrooms and communities.
Study shows lasting effects
SmartBrief: The results are so high in Year 1 of the Chicago study all the way through Year 3. Many programs take a while to show progress, or progress peaks and then dissipates. How does Calm Classroom break this mold (and make a difference from the start)?
Salisbury: One of the things that makes our partnership with Chicago Public Schools so effective is our train-the-trainer model. We understand that teachers and administrators have a lot on their plates, especially when it comes to professional development. That’s why we’ve focused on making training engaging, fun and easy, eliminating the guesswork. In this model, all staff start with a short e-learning course to familiarize themselves with mindfulness. Participants watch animated videos and practice some techniques to relate to mindfulness on a personal level. After that, they learn the basics of implementing the program in the classroom.
The program is most successful when it’s more than just a “one-and-done” effort. That’s why we train school staff, typically counselors or social workers, to facilitate ongoing professional learning workshops throughout the year. This keeps teachers engaged with the program, strengthens implementation and fosters collaborative problem-solving.
This approach also ensures that someone at the school level is always involved in supporting the program. We’ve found it more effective when school-level experts, who understand their community best, can provide training and sustain the program after the initial training period ends.
SmartBrief: What role does data play in helping students and teachers reach their goals?
Salisbury: We collect teacher viewpoint surveys from staff one to two months after roll-out and again at the end of the school year. After the first survey, we share the data with stakeholders, highlighting successes and providing suggestions for addressing challenges. We encourage administrators to review the data with staff to give them perspective on the program’s impact on the school as a whole, celebrate wins and identify ways to improve implementation in the second half of the year. We consistently see improved outcomes at the end of the year when schools are committed to using the data proactively.
Teacher, student feedback is positive
SmartBrief: What else are you hearing from districts, schools, teachers and even students?
Salisbury: We repeatedly hear from staff who participate in our trainings that they aren’t accustomed to professional development focusing on their own social-emotional needs. Most teacher training is aimed at helping students, so it’s refreshing for them to attend our workshops and feel like their own well-being is the central focus.
Additionally, the workshops leave them feeling more positive about themselves and their work as educators, which is crucial in today’s educational climate.
Teachers who use Calm Classroom tell us that their students are learning to take an active role in their own emotional health, improving the culture and climate in the classroom and throughout the school community. Students also like to take ownership of the program. They remind their teacher when it’s time for Calm Classroom, hold them accountable not to skip it and even remind one another when they need to pause and practice a mindfulness technique. Some parents share that their child teaches them the skills to use at home.
Finally, administrators often report that our team makes the process of launching and implementing the program incredibly easy. Since we schedule training, send out communications, oversee data collection and reporting, and monitor outcomes, they can relax a little and focus on all the other important tasks they have to manage.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.