The Compassionate Schools Project (CSP) was undertaken as an audacious experiment to develop and study an SEL curriculum built on a foundation of mindfulness, compassion, and whole-child wellbeing. CSP was a partnership between the School of Education and Human Development and the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia and Jefferson County Public Schools, with support from Louisville Metro Government and a tapestry of philanthropic funding. The initial project involved a large-scale randomized control trial, which has provided evidence for positive impacts on children’s social and emotional development. Today, the CSP is an incredible example of a sustained partnership that has grown and evolved to support the wellbeing of students, educators, and other school and district staff through mindfulness and compassion-based practices and community.

This lecture is one of three sessions offered by Alexis Harris in the Contemplation By Design Summit. You are welcome to join one or all three sessions. The other sessions include a workshop taught with Joan Bryant titled Strategies for Educators from Flourish, the Curriculum of the Compassionate Schools Project and a guided practice titled Breathe, Move, and Reflect with the Community Approach to Learning Mindfully (CALM) for Educators also on October 25th. 

Alexis Harris, PhD is the Health and Wellness teacher at Cane Run Elementary School and directs the Compassionate Schools Project (CSP) in Jefferson County Public Schools, Virginia. She received her PhD in 2014 from the Pennsylvania State University, where she developed a contemplative wellness-promotion intervention for educators, the CALM (Community Approach to Learning Mindfully) for Educators program. Alexis co-authored Flourish, the CSP curriculum for elementary schools and its accompanying teacher resources, practice guides, and student workbooks. She leads training and implementation support for Flourish teachers and schools, professional development for educators’ SEL capacities and wellbeing, and an annual retreat for teachers in Jefferson County to support educator flourishing.

This session is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 15-27, 2025.

The full summit schedule is posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stanford-contemplation-by-design-summit-2025-online-oct-15-27-registration-1520413249959