Project Description:
Special education teachers are at heightened risk for stress and burnout, which negatively impacts teacher effectiveness and well-being. With a 5-year grant from the Institute of Educational Sciences, Penn State and Georgia State University researchers are teaming up with school districts in Georgia to test the effectiveness of the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) professional development program for the first time with special education teachers. The researchers will conduct a randomized controlled trial with more than 220 special education teachers in elementary schools in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Teachers will participate in three days of CARE training to practice skills such as mindfulness, caring and compassion for themselves and others, listening, and managing classroom stress. They will also participate in monthly virtual check-in meetings during the school year. In addition to measuring teacher, student, and classroom outcomes, the study will determine the cost benefit of the CARE program in a special education setting.
Keyword(s):
Special Education; Mindfulness; Mental Health; Burnout
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Health-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
None
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Mulit-County
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
