The Needs We Address

Despite growing research that shows the powerful link between personal development, meaningful learning and social responsibility, political forces have focused on the results of demanding, high-stakes testing as the primary measure of student knowledge and teacher ability, as well as the foremost factor in decisions related to the distribution of school funding and resources. In the midst of this crossfire, the nation is losing more teachers, principals, superintendents and students every day.

Staggering student dropout rates, low student achievement, high incidence of youth risk behaviors and unprecedented teacher attrition…

  • Every school day, nearly 1,000 teachers leave the field of teaching.
  • The cost of replacing public school teachers who have dropped out of the profession is estimated at $2.2 billion a year.
  • The rate of teacher attrition is roughly 50% higher in poor schools than in wealthier schools.
  • Teachers new to the profession are far more likely to leave than are their more experienced counterparts.
  • Nationally, 6 million students are at high risk of dropping out of school or graduating without the skills they need to succeed in college or the 21st century workforce.
  • Each year, more than 1 million students do not graduate with their peers; and 7,000 students drop out every single school day – with an increasing number dropping out in the 9th grade year.
  • The United States is the world leader among developed countries in the proportion of births occurring to teenagers; and one in every three U.S. teenagers is known to be sexually active.
  • Nearly 50% of U.S. teenagers report having used marijuana, and the use of other illegal drugs by youth is increasing – with teen methamphetamine use and arrests showing significant growth.
  • One in three teens report having engaged in binge drinking.
  • Violence involving teens and gang activity is steadily rising –in both rural and urban communities.

PassageWorks provides an essential component in the solution to this crisis by assisting teachers to cultivate a sense of meaning and renewal; and by supporting students to develop personal resilience, and an increased capacity for listening, focus, motivation and connection to school.

Creating Safe and Supportive Relationships

Recent cutting edge research has affirmed the critical importance of creating safe and supportive relationships across the entire culture of schools as a critical component in the prevention of student alienation, failure, high dropout rates and other youth risk behaviors. Research also notes that violence to self and others, drug use, early sexual behavior and even suicide are often expressions of a search for meaning and connection. These student risk factors along with stress and the lack of connection, meaning and satisfaction, are also cited as being critical factors in teacher burnout and attrition.

Through years of implementation and recent research outcomes, we have seen that our model confirms and aligns with these recent reports – the PassageWorks Model creates an environment in which young people are nurtured in their search for meaning, connection and integrity, and teachers feel a greater sense of connection to students and colleagues, experiencing a deeper level of self-awareness and professional renewal and growth.

The non-profit PassageWorks Institute and our model for educational transformation grew out of an innovative approach to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) developed over the past 20 years by the Institute’s founder, Rachael Kessler. Defined in The Soul of Education, this inclusive, and systematic educational model has been endorsed by educators and community leaders across the spectrum of political, religious and social belief.

“PassageWorks provides systematic professional development for teachers in an area too long neglected, that of attending to teaching practices that nurture all students’ learning. The model builds on considerable work on the relationship of social and emotional learning to students’ academic success.”
- Carol Wilson, Past Director, CO Partnership for Educational Renewal

Welcoming the Inner Life to School

We are committed to integrating our practical and systematic method for nurturing the inner life of students and teachers into mainstream public education. By “inner life” we refer to that essential aspect of human nature that yearns for deep connection, grapples with difficult questions about meaning, and seeks a sense of purpose and genuine self-expression. Our model supports the development of compassion and character, humility and excellence, and essential skills for collaboration and dialogue.

The principles, practices and experiences that are the heart of the PassageWorks Model have been shown to improve relationships at every level of the school. Our model is based on development of both the teacher and student and provides professional development and teaching experiences that sustain teachers by reconnecting them to their original sense of mission and their ability to manage stress.

Through careful, methodical cultivation of deep connection to self and others, teachers and students experience a shift of consciousness that opens the mind and heart to a new appreciation for self and others within their community. This helps them to develop their capacities for creating lives rooted in self-awareness, deep connection, responsibility, joy and meaning. Social responsibility and compassion emerge, not as a burden or obligation, but from a sense of connection and empowerment.

Through professional development opportunities, curriculum, ongoing research and outreach, the Institute provides safe and appropriate strategies for bringing “soul” into education. Our model provides educators with practical tools and understanding for building caring classroom and school communities, strengthening learning readiness and supporting the development of authentic identity in students.