Did a mindfulness program improve teachers’ well-being and strengthen staff retention?
Teacher stress and burnout remain pressing concerns for school systems striving to retain experienced educators. During the 2021-22 school year, a metro-Atlanta district piloted an eight-week “Mindful Educator” course that taught breath-work, yoga, and trauma-informed health practices. Roughly half of the district’s 3,034 teachers were invited to participate; however, just 5% attended at least one session, and nearly half of those participants joined only once.
Surveys administered before the course, immediately after it, and two months later revealed limited effects. Immediately post-course, invited teachers reported a modest reduction in their intention to leave, yet measures of stress, mood, and burnout showed no significant change, and the turnover-intention advantage disappeared by spring. End-of-year retention remained steady at 81% across both invited and comparison groups.
The pilot underscores a key insight: mindfulness interventions show promise only when educators engage meaningfully. In response, the district has adopted an extended version of the program to encourage higher participation.
To learn more, please download the policy brief and the report and its accompanying appendix below.
An Experimental Evaluation of a Teacher Mindfulness Course in a Metro-Atlanta District Policy Brief
An Experimental Evaluation of a Teacher Mindfulness Course in a Metro-Atlanta District Appendix