Student well-being in school is critical, not only because we care about the well-being of our students but because it’s practically impossible to focus on learning new material when students’ brains aren’t in a condition to do so. Chronically elevated cortisol levels–a stress hormone–decreases our ability to recall information and events. While a surge of cortisol (stress) may help to form a memory, it hinders our ability to recall information over time. This means that when students are feeling stressed, they aren’t likely to remember the information that they’re supposed to be learning in school. 

The goal is for students to be in the best state of mind possible for learning to take place, and being stressed or overwhelmed are not doing students any favors when it comes to learning new content. Thus, it becomes imperative for educators to help students with the social and emotional skill development necessary to be productive in the classroom. Whether we classify these as executive functioning skills, durable skills, or life skills, they’re critical for self-regulation and knowledge acquisition. The following three strategies help educators to become adept in promoting well-being, responding when students need support, and activating students as agents of their own well-being. 

Teacher Professional Development

One of the most important ways to support student well-being–maybe the most important way–is to train teachers to teach the skills that students need, to embed the skills in lessons, and to identify times when students need extra support. On-going and job-embedded training is far more effective than one-and-done scenarios conducted on singular professional development days. It’s important for teachers to make the connection between student well-being and productive learning environments, including the need to teach skills rather than to expect them. 

Many students don’t come to school as ready to learn as we would like them to be, but to ignore their lack of readiness doesn’t translate to a positive classroom environment for anyone, including the students who are ready. If teachers are equipped with the ability to provide direct instruction on skill development, include skills within lessons, and respond when students need help, student well-being improves and so does learning. One goal of a rigorous learning environment is that it should feel good; although learning should be challenging, it shouldn’t be emotionally taxing because of the school environment or the needs that students have that they bring to school.  

Collect Data

Schools that truly support student well-being are committed to collecting data about it. Simple survey data that asks students how they’re feeling can reveal powerful trends. Schools can learn about personal- and school-related reasons that make students happy, sad, or angry. When data are well-organized with easy access, counselors and other support staff can see how often students are participating in short well-being surveys as well as the reasons for their positive and negative mood choices. This data can guide conversations and prompt intervention as needed. 

The frequency of the data collection matters, and schools should decide how often they want to collect well-being data. That said, short easy to use questions can be used quite often and have the potential to indicate peaks and valleys in students’ perceptions of their moods. This helps counselors to monitor changes in responses to make decisions about meeting with students who have dipped or spiked from previous results. Over time, this data can also provide schools with an aggregate about the student population as a whole.  

Ask Students to Reflect 

Data is one thing; the next step is to prompt students to reflect on their responses to the questions we ask about their well-being. Reflections can be short, and all students don’t need to reflect after each survey. Reflection can be in the form of a conversation or it might be a journal entry or assignment. The point is that students are reflecting on their well-being to include the skills they have to respond to their mood or the lack thereof. For example, if a student responds that they’re angry for a particular reason, a quality reflection prompt might ask them what strategies they can use to self-regulate. 

Regular journaling is important, whether that be about students’ perceptions of their mood or other aspects of life and school. When students are prompted to reflect in an ungraded and non-judgmental space, it builds the habit of thinking about their thinking. Metacognitive behaviors like self-reflection are great executive functioning skills for students, and they serve as college, career, and life readiness strategies in the long run. Connecting personal well-being to the ability to reflect triggers the response to be self-aware when our mood changes, and it’s time for introspection. Not all students naturally have or obtain these skills, but they can be taught and learned in an environment where educators are focused on student well-being. 

Conclusion 

Student well-being is critical for learning. When students aren’t ready to learn, all the teaching strategies in the world simply won’t work. It’s not just a nice-to-have in schools anymore; it’s a responsibility of school personnel to ensure both “academic success and well-being” for all students. It’s spelled out as such in every single one of the Professional Standards for Educational Leadership (PSEL). It’s imperative, and it doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentional and strategic professional development for staff, data collection and analysis, and regular student reflection. 

If you’re interested in learning more about tracking student well-being in your school or district, schedule a time to discuss with one of our thought partners here.