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Social-Emotional Learning

Research indicates that social and emotional wellbeing is crucial to students' holistic development and relates directly to how students perform in school.

More than 50 years ago, Corbett Prep was founded on the premise that students who felt safe, supported and happy at school were more open to learning. The approaches we take to ensure students continue to feel that way have evolved as the world changes, and Corbett Prep has developed a robust social-emotional learning program that builds community and gives students the tools they need to identify and regulate their emotions.

The Four Pillars of Wellbeing, a research-based curriculum that Corbett Prep piloted in 2016, and the RULER program from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence provide a strong foundation for Corbett Prep teachers to draw from in their classrooms.

Students learn tools to manage stress, understand their emotions, resolve conflicts and help others.

A wellbeing specialist and a Middle School student life coordinator are resources for both students and teachers to navigate adolescence, pressures and social interactions. The faculty and staff study and practice wellness skills to develop and maintain their personal wellbeing to better help students, families and colleagues.

For more information, please email Jennifer Jones, Corbett Prep's wellbeing specialist and the implementation director for the Contentment Foundation.

A boy puts his arm around another boy's back as they walk on the boardwalk.

Four Pillars of Wellbeing

Corbett Prep piloted The Contentment Foundation’s Four Pillars of Wellbeing, a social-emotional program that uses “evidence-based early childhood and K-8 lesson plans to empower students with tools to meaningfully understand and process their life experiences.”

The Four Pillars are

  • Mindfulness – Cultivating focused and nonjudgmental attention to the present moment
  • Community – Bringing out the best in one another by bringing out the best in ourselves
  • Self Curiosity – Developing interest in and wonder about all our experiences through curious questioning
  • Contentment and Balance – Unconditionally accepting and appreciating our experiences

Corbett Prep teachers worked closely with The Contentment Foundation to test and refine the curriculum, which now is used by schools internationally with Corbett Prep as its model. The rich research-based program has a vast amount of wellbeing resources for all ages, including adults. Parents and children can also benefit from the foundation's app, provided for free to Corbett Prep families.

About the Four Pillars

The RULER Program

The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence’s RULER program has been a leader in emotional intelligence approaches in schools for more than a decade. RULER – an acronym for recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating emotions – equips students, faculty and parents with four core tools to develop emotional intelligence.

Classes, homerooms and teams of teachers develop charters of how they want to interact with one another and how they can help everyone feel supported. 

Research on RULER shows that students perform better academically, improve their emotional intelligence and social skills, gain leadership skills and experience less anxiety and depression. Teachers report that RULER helps them establish better relationships with students and administration and feel more positive about teaching.


 

Corbett Cares

A large part of Corbett Prep's mission is to have a positive impact on the greater community. 

Corbett Cares, our community outreach initiative, serves as a liaison to build connections for students in the classrooms and arrange volunteering opportunities for parents and children.

Learn More