For Educators

We provide professional development and self-care strategies via adult Brain Breaks, trainings and webinars. We also offer ongoing support for our partner districts and organizations. Continuing ed unit opportunities available.

For Students

We provide a range of free classroom resources that include learner Brain Breaks, health & wellness curricula,  and Virtual PE. Our mission is to promote social, emotional, and academic development for all learners.

D.C. Public Schools Aren’t Afraid to Talk About Love

The district has prioritized a social and emotional education for all learners.

In many schools and districts, it might be rare to hear the word “love” used freely and with intention by educators and administrators. But during a recent visit to Garfield Preparatory Academy in Washington, D.C., we heard from educators and District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) leadership who all shared a common message: Every learner deserves to feel loved. For the district, that simple but vital fact is a nonnegotiable piece of educating the whole child.

But how does a large school district manage to provide a whole-child education for every learner when there are so many to serve? DCPS opted to make educating the whole child an explicit priority within the district’s strategic plan.

It defines educating the whole child as providing “rigorous, joyful and inclusive academic and social emotional learning experiences to ensure all students are college and career ready,” and it aims to embed SEL in its classrooms and overall culture.

But perhaps the most distinctive part of the DCPS approach is that one of the official goals of its strategic plan, listed right between “90 percent of students graduating within four or five years” and “100 percent of schools highly rated or improving,” is “Goal 4: 100 percent of students feel loved, challenged and prepared.”

Treating SEL as a content area is a big piece of reaching that goal. DCPS offers twelve treatment interventions in support of learner mental health. It also employs a School Mental Health Team that promotes healthy relationships and emotional regulation, aiming to increase every learner’s access to mental health services. But the district understands that empowering young people through a comprehensive social and emotional education will provide them with skills they can carry throughout their lives, in and out of the classroom. To do that, educators work to treat SEL the same way schools are accustomed to treating math and reading.

“We are developing a really robust, multi-tier system of supports that includes the work Pure Edge has done with us this year,” said Dr. Deitra Bryant-Mallory, Senior Deputy Chief of Student Supports. Pure Edge continues to visit schools throughout the district to deliver Culture of Care training to educators and staff.

Bren Elliott, Chief Equity Officer, wants to ensure that “every student is in a class where they feel nurtured, supported and challenged to be their very best self.” Chandrai Jackson-Saunders, School Psychologist at Garfield Prep, explained that the challenges with which learners struggle can be academic, financial, medical and social-emotional, and schools must recognize the impact all of those factors can have on learning. This is why Garfield implemented the Behavioral Instructional Leadership Team, introduced “calming centers” into classrooms and developed monthly parent workshops to teach parents stress-management strategies to use at home.

“If you really want a student to be successful,” explained Katie Larkin, Instructional Superintendent for Cluster I, “you have to invest their whole family in their education.”

She assigns much of the credit for Garfield’s success to Principal Kennard Branch, stating that he has “worked to make Garfield a place where kids learn and feel loved.” Garfield Prep stands out as an SEL pioneer in the district, but DCPS leadership champions the cause throughout its schools, determined to reach every single learner.

With Teri Lawler as a Champion, Delaware Commits to Trauma Awareness in Schools and Beyond

The Delaware Department of Education is taking on trauma state-wide through partnerships with organizations like Pure Edge, and Teri Lawler is at the helm.

A decade ago, while Teri B. Lawler was working in one of Delaware’s most vulnerable zip codes, a student told her he had seen a body in the street on his walk to the bus stop. Reluctant at first to believe the story, Lawler called up a friend in law enforcement to confirm. This was the moment she recognized the significant role that trauma was playing for the children growing up in her community. She is now a key part of Delaware’s push for universal trauma awareness, mindfulness practices and social and emotional learning, recognizing that these are all components of creating a whole-child education and compassionate environment for learners.

“Innovation” is Lawler’s favorite word. All of her career accomplishments, she feels, have come from her ability to innovate, problem-solve and enthusiastically experiment with new projects.

She has been fortunate, she said, to work for people “who really appreciated an entrepreneurial spirit.” Now serving as Education Associate for Trauma-Informed Practices and Social and Emotional Learning at the Delaware Department of Education, her commitment to innovation is one of the driving forces of Delaware’s mission to take on trauma state-wide. She is also a member of the Compassionate Schools Learning Collaborative and the Wilmington Advisory Council on Youth Gun Violence, which was formed in response to the Center for Disease Control’s report on youth gun violence and the creation of a predictive tool that worked backward to discover root causes of why children were most at risk for committing gun violence. As it turned out, the tool predicted the same early vulnerabilities that Lawler and colleagues were already monitoring in their early warning systems for school success: third-grade reading levels, school attendance and disciplinary records. Explained Lawler, “School success makes you less likely to commit gun violence, and I believe connection and belonging, as well as hope for the future, are big contributors.”

In 2016, Lawler developed a partnership with the Office of the Child Advocate, and shortly thereafter, Governor John Carney created the Office of Innovation and Improvement. In October 2018, the governor signed an executive order declaring Delaware a trauma-informed state. The Department of Education was the first state agency to create a position to lead that mission, and Lawler was the one who earned the opportunity to jump in and expand the work throughout the state. After state leadership met with Pure Edge, Lawler was tasked with crafting a way to implement Pure Edge’s work into the state’s strategic plan. “I feel strongly that incorporating mindfulness as a universal practice in our schools supports social and emotional learning,” she explained.

After Pure Edge visited the state to host the first Culture of Care training and an all-day session for educators around educator well-being, the mood changed. Lawler described educators and support staff as “more engaged and more hopeful.”

She recounted the many emails she received from educators, telling her what they had learned and how understanding basic neuroscience and mindfulness practices had impacted them.

“Throughout my life, some of my biggest cheerleaders have been family members,” Lawler shared. “My mom and grandmother have helped me think outside the box and realize that I bring a different perspective to education.”

Perhaps that support is one reason for her belief that the state must layer supports around learners through every organization that impacts youth and families, in order to strengthen the sense of family and community. Lawler and her colleagues are working to provide professional learning on trauma awareness for all such organizations. The work of the Wilmington Advisory Council on Youth Gun Violence, for instance, resulted in a handbook for fostering connection, protection and respect in afterschool programs, community centers and other youth-serving organizations. The goal is to engage everyone from bus drivers and facilities employees to hospital systems and faith-based organizations. The team of course seeks to build capacity within the Department of Education, but the vision expands much further, aiming to create learning opportunities that inspire districts to implement mindfulness and make it part of their own practices.

“We realized it doesn’t just stop with us,” stated Lawler. “Schools cannot do this work alone.”

And what will be the ultimate outcome of implementing mindfulness practices in schools through partnership with organizations like Pure Edge? “We believe we will build more resilient children,” she said, “and ultimately more resilient families and communities.”

Pure Edge, Inc. and Health World, Inc. Forge a Partnership

The quest to create a world where all are empowered to live their healthiest lives doesn’t stop at healthy bodies.

Through a mutual belief in the importance of supporting healthy minds and a shared passion for learner well-being, Pure Edge, Inc. (PEI) and Health World, Inc. have forged a partnership. Health World, led by President Peter Rusin, centers its vision around reducing barriers to health education and expanding health literacy. The organization has chosen to provide further support to schools through offering PEI’s free social and emotional learning resources through its website. At www.healthworldeducation.org/pure-edge-brain-breaks, educators and schools are invited to sign up for Pure Brain Breaks, simple and effective strategies to alleviate stress and calm overstimulated minds.

PEI’s Five Principles of Health & Wellness—body, breath, mind, attention and engagement—contribute to a comprehensive health education and the development of social and emotional competencies. Health World’s existing offerings include digital health education programs for elementary and middle school, as well as courses on bullying and conflict resolution and social-emotional health and diversity, among others. PEI is proud to support Health World’s suite of affordable and accessible programs, as well as its ability to increase health literacy nationwide.

 

 

P.E. Teachers Join Pure Edge Team to Present Mindful Movement, Neuroscience of Stress and Simple Strategies at SHAPE America Convention

The Society of Health and Physical Educators, better known as SHAPE America, aims to provide programs and resources to achieve health and physical literacy for all children. Pure Edge & SHAPE America have partnered for a three-year engagement at both national and regional conferences. Most recently, the Pure Edge team with the help of two health and wellness champions from our partner districts, presented two sessions at SHAPE America’s National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Teachers Lisa Hayden and Edwina Soto joined Gill McClean and Anne Contreras to lead participants in mindful movement, the neuroscience of stress and simple strategies for educators and students.

Pure Edge has worked with over 25,000 educators across the U.S., and we have met incredible teachers. Edwina Soto has been a champion since 2016 and has added great insight and authenticity to the sessions. Lisa Hayden joined for the first time in April 2019. “Lisa was so well-prepared and[…]she made me feel like I should be in her classroom on a daily basis,” Edwina shared. Both educators shared their real-world experiences as teachers in physical education settings and hoped to empower others to bring Pure Edge’s mindfulness tools back to their schools.

“Edwina got to share her actual experiences as a teacher and speak with teachers who weren’t sure about how to motivate their students.” Lisa believes that providing a foundation rooted in the neuroscience of stress and the ways mindfulness impacts the mind and body are key to engaging educators. Anne Contreras explained, “Having our guest P.E. teachers present with us has helped our audiences know that SEL implementation has already been taking place and that these specific instructors have also had personal transformation because of being involved in the process.”

At Pure Edge, we provide knowledge and resources, but the real impact comes from educators putting their new skills to use in their classrooms. “Train the mind and the body will follow,” said Lisa. “[P.E. teachers] are always thought of as body-first, and I think we have to shift that. Everything ties together.” Edwina expanded on the importance of making knowledge and resources accessible and easy to implement. “Pure Edge provides a road map for teachers to follow,” she stated. “That means even the least confident educator will be capable of providing standards-aligned lessons for learners.”

This work can impact educators just as much as students. Edwina summed up her experience with Pure Edge with a quotation by L.R. Knost: “When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join their chaos.” She has been open about how her participation in our educator self-care training helped her to understand her emotions in a new way, and how this has transformed her into an even better teacher. “After some self-reflection and self-care, I was able to approach my students with a different perspective on class management and help them identify and deal with their emotions.”

NJ School Districts: Building Resilience Through Integrated SEL Strategies

How can a school district ensure a rigorous academic environment without allowing high expectations to negatively impact its students? The competitive and demanding nature of today’s schools is unlikely to change, but districts can and do choose to equip students with tools to help manage stress and to ultimately develop strategies to ward off the increased anxiety that can lead to depression. Dr. Maurice Elias, Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University, stated that:

“In the schools, we have the ability to create trauma-free environments, and that’s what our kids deserve.”

New Jersey’s West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District (WWPRSD) in Mercer County is doing just that: working collaboratively with student leaders, local agencies and community supporters on a comprehensive set of tools to create trauma-free schools. According to Superintendent Dr. Dave Aderhold, in the past few years, the young people of the Mercer County have experienced “an escalation of suicidal ideation and mental health concerns.” In a community-wide Call to Action, the superintendents of Mercer County held a forum where over 700 parents and community members attended.

The Pure Edge team partnered with the district to offer professional development to educators and student athletes. WWPRSD has since maintained an impressive level of energy and engagement around our trainings and has started to train its own staff. We have also had the privilege of meeting many brilliant kids who recognize the need to manage high stress levels and want to learn and share mindfulness skills. The students in a group called NüYü 2.0 aim to promote mindfulness for themselves and their classmates. Phanisree A., a student active in the group, shared, “Protecting your mental health is just as important as protecting your physical health. You need to understand the basis of empathy, the basis of SEL, and we can create valuable relationships going forward.” Social studies teacher Joe Bossio noted the high standards to which WWPRSD students are held and explained, “Lofty [expectations] are good until they can become potentially toxic.” This truth begs the question of how to foster academic success without sacrificing students’ mental health and how to center students’ well-being without compromising performance in school. At Pure Edge, we believe the answer lies in educating the whole child, and our mission is to provide the free resources to impact as many students as possible.

A popular approach to youth suicide prevention centers anti-bullying as the solution. However, a holistic approach understands that youth suicide cannot be attributed to a single cause. The National Violent Death Data Reporting System analyzed data on suicides of youth ages 11 to 15 and found that from 2003 to 2014, only 9 percent of cases cited bullying as a causal factor. However, over half of cases identified relationship issues as a factor leading to suicide, and over half also noted that the youth had mental health struggles. In 60 percent of cases, multiple causes were found. The many challenges faced by youth can compound and lead to terrible results. To educators and administrators like those in Mercer County, a whole-child approach is the most desirable model for suicide prevention.

Cranbury School District, also in New Jersey, has identified the need for a whole-child perspective as well. Board of Education President Karen Callahan shared that the district has noticed children “exhibiting signs of stress and anxiety at an earlier age.” After witnessing Pure Edge’s presentation on the neuroscience of stress at a national conference, Cranbury enlisted our help in bringing mindfulness practices to its students. We began working with school counselors, administrators, classroom teachers and P.E. teachers. Those staff members are now incorporating the practices they have learned into their own lives and sharing their knowledge with students. Counselor Joann Charwin described Pure Edge as

“Really our introduction at Cranbury School to mindful movement, breathing and rest.” She added, “I think it has changed the lives of our teachers and students a great deal.”

 

Ministry of Public Education (MEP) Costa Rica

Location: Costa Rica

 Potential Impact: 70,000 teachers, 100,000 total staff, 1,000,000 students

Website: https://www.mep.go.cr/

 

The Ministry of Public Education (MEP) is the largest employer in Central America. When the new government instituted fiscal reforms for all public sectors in the spring of 2018, it triggered the largest mass strikes of public employees in Costa Rican history. Teachers were on strike for 89 days, thus forcing the closure of all public schools and the loss of education and jeopardizing of the future of every young person in the country. After meeting with the MEP, we were asked to provide the neuroscience of stress sessions to MEP employees who did not strike and continued to serve communities. Those initial sessions led to MEP requesting Pure Edge to register as an entity to conduct professional development in Costa Rica.

As of February 2019, Pure Edge is now registered as a non-governmental agency in the country and able to offer our services.

The school system educates nearly 1 million children and youth. With over 4,000 schools across the nation, this partnership is a unique opportunity to incorporate social and emotional learning and mindfulness country-wide.

 

 

 

 

 

Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE)

Location: Puerto Rico

Potential Impact: 29,000 teachers, 75,000 total staff, 380,000 students

Website: www.de.pr.gov

 

Reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and still suffering from a lack of resources, Puerto Rico became a vital territory for Pure Edge to support.

We partnered with the PRDE in July 2018. In 2017, legislation, Law 85, passed that every student attending a PRDE school would be required to have 5 minutes of reflection (Fomentar la autoevaluación e introspección en la comunidad escolar al iniciar los trabajos con cinco (5) minutos de reflexión en todos los planteles educativos, conforme a la Ley 60-2009.”). Citing this law, Pure Edge has trained over 15,000 educators in brain breaks, mindful movement, the neuroscience of stress and Pure Power Prevention and Cue Centered Therapy Intervention Tiered System of Supports. Pure Edge has worked with all site principals, teacher leaders, health and wellness teachers, school counselors, social workers and school psychologists. The island continues to rebuild, and we continue to serve its educators.   The teachers on the ground understand the necessity of caring for themselves and their learners.

Due to this ongoing relationship, the PRDE team is now a part of CASEL’s Collaborating States Initiative.

 

 

 

 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CMNI): Saipan

Location: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Potential Impact: 400 teachers, 800 total staff, 10,000 students

Website: https://www.cnmipss.org/

 

In September 2018, we received a heart-rending email from a school counselor in Saipan, the largest island in the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. She sought Pure Edge’s help for Saipan’s students, emphasizing that being an island in the middle of the ocean makes it nearly impossible to convince organizations on the mainland to offer professional development of educators.

Not only was Saipan fighting to recover from a devastating typhoon, but it had recently seen a 17% increase in teen suicides.

When two teenage best friends died from suicide within one week of each other, the close-knit community knew they had to act. They hired the territory’s first ever child psychologist and searched for other resources to support their youth, ultimately leading them to Pure Edge. The commissioner of education invited the team to CNMI to implement a three-day Culture of Care training. Over 250 educators, community members and administrators attended the training days.  Two of the three training days were paid work days for CNMI employees.  Day three was scheduled for a Saturday and would therefore be an unpaid day for the participants.

Incredibly, 94% of participants showed up voluntarily.

The educators of Saipan were highly invested in accessing the knowledge and resources to care for themselves and their students, A ballroom full of educators showed up eager to equip their students with mindfulness techniques and took a proactive approach to caring for the mental health of Saipan’s youth.

 

Why Schools Need Yoga and Mindfulness

Pure Edge supports the development of social, emotional, and academic learning competencies “with an open heart and an open mind,” according to the organization’s mission. It is particularly helpful in school populations impacted by PTSD, student trauma and anxiety, and symptomology related to ADHD.

“Our primary goal is to help foster community success through focus. Building resilience is key,” says Kim. The curriculum, which is the subject of ongoing research conducted by Stanford University, has served more than 300,000 children, grades K-12, across the country. Its mindfulness-based practices encourage students and teachers to deepen their emotional self-regulation, find calm, and manage stress. Movement-based exercises consist of seated twists and body-awareness tech- niques that bring individuals into the present moment.

“When kids feel safe, supported, and calm, they can focus better on the challenging tasks they have to complete,” says Dawn Brooks DeCosta, principal of Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in New York City. The school has been facilitating Pure Edge mindfulness-based practices, such as “brain breaks,” which offer an oasis for kids and teachers, allowing them to foster self-value and resilience.

One of the biggest issues that Pure Edge is working
on now is caregiver burnout and its devastating effects.

“Adults have to manage their levels of stress in order to be their best for the children,” Kim says. Makes sense, but in our cur- rent round-the-clock work culture, caregivers, too often, succumb to burnout, forgetting to practice self-care first. This is often the hardest part of the work—getting parents, teachers, and others to implement the caregiving for themselves. Pure Edge has helped more than 6,000 educators and administrators, most of whom report that the breathing exercises they learned were useful for balancing emotions and self-care.

“Teachers are 110 percent givers, all the time. They feel guilty for taking time to take care of themselves. Our core intention is to bring them calm, and make self-care more socially acceptable,” says Kim. “To be present, you have to feel valued and loved. And once that comes from within, we can share this with others.”

If you are interested in learning more about Pure Edge, the curriculum is available to anyone, free of charge. A simple practice that can help soothe your nerves—as well as your kids—at any time is Mindfulness of Breath, an exercise Pure Edge uses to facilitate connection. Try this easy, four-step balloon breathing technique whenever you need to feel insta-calm.

Balloon Breathing

  1. Find a comfortable seat.
  2. Imagine your belly is a balloon and start to breathe consciously, inflating with air for three counts and gently exhaling for three counts.
  3. Repeat three times, or as many as you wish.
  4. Notice how you are feeling calmer, refreshed, and more at ease.