What We Do

In order to achieve our mission of nurturing the inner lives of students and teachers, the PassageWorks Institute (previously known as PassageWays) creates and disseminates programs that:

  • Address the “inner life” of students, particularly their yearning for
    meaning, purpose, integrity, deep connection and creativity.
  • Provide PassageWorks curricula for safely supporting students as
    they undergo the vulnerable and critical transitions from
    elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, and
    from high school into the larger world.
  • Cultivate, through the PassageWorks Newcomers Program, a safe
    forum where recently immigrated students can explore the issues,
    feelings and challenges associated with coming into a new school and culture.
  • Provide workshops and courses in the principles, practices and
    theoretical foundations of the PassageWorks model in Colorado and other locations.
  • Offer professional development and coaching to support and
    nurture educators in cultivating their own emotional intelligence
    and personal depth so they can be safe mentors to students and
    also sustain their own job satisfaction and commitment to teaching.
  • Publish written material and provide presentations for audiences of
    educators, youth development workers, policy makers, and parents.

Teachers who infuse the principles and practices of PassageWorks into their classrooms:

  • Work collaboratively with students to build a safe and meaningful
    community.
  • Encourage reflection, questioning, deep listening, and authentic
    speaking.
  • Foster alertness and full engagement through practices both playful
    and serious.
  • Work with symbolic expression and the arts as a safe and accelerated way for young people to discover and express their depths.
  • Provide vehicles for students to discover and create meaning and
    connection between their personal lives and the academic material
    they are studying.

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Major Initiatives

The goal of these initiatives is to transform the culture of classrooms, and ultimately that of schools and districts, so that the inner life of students and teachers is safe, welcome and nurtured. Our model provides educators with strategies and understanding for building caring classroom communities and strengthening learning readiness and the development of authentic identity in students.

Demonstration & Research Projects

Since its inception, the PassageWorks Institute has maintained the goal of establishing multiple demonstration and research sites that implement our model within public school settings. We are now realizing this goal in two settings.

  • The Nurturing Pedagogy Project—serving 1800 students in a large comprehensive public high school in Ft. Collins, CO
  • The East Prairie Project—serving 650 students in two elementary schools in Missouri
    •

Our aims for these projects are:

  • To demonstrate the deep and extensive impact of the PassageWorks model on students, teachers, and school systems
  • To gather the scientific data that is critical for an educational program to broadly enter public education
  • To gather the feedback from teachers in the field that contributes to the refinement of our curricula and professional development models
    •

The PassageWorks-Nurturing Pedagogy Project
(previously called the PassageWorks-Coper Demonstration and Research Site)

“It has been wonderful to watch the collegiality of the 10th grade teacher cohort grow. After going through the trainings, they see one another in a totally different light and have shared deep parts of themselves.”
    -Sandra Lundt, PHS Principal

With the support of the Colorado Partnership for Educational Renewal (CoPER), in 2004 the PassageWorks Institute (PWI) and Poudre High School (PHS) in Fort Collins, Colorado forged a unique partnership focused on integrating the PassageWorks model into the school’s new weekly Advisory program. Serving 600 high school students in 2005-2006 and 1800 students in 2006-2007, the PassageWorks-Nurturing Pedagogy Project at PHS helps young people develop a sense of belonging, meaning and respect for others, thus creating an enhanced context for learning and school culture. PHS constructed advisory classes of 20-25 students from a diversity of backgrounds, including IB students, Special Education students, and English Language Learners. These classes offer students the opportunity to:

  • Establish a close relationship with a teacher;
  • Connect with students from a variety of social groups;
  • Constructively navigate life transitions;
  • Articulate goals, challenges, questions, and dreams;
  • Explore meaning, purpose, integrity, and deep connection; and
  • Develop social and emotional skills.
    •

The Project implements three different PWI Advisory curricula:

  • Journey into High School (10th grade): designed to build community, promote identity definition and resilience, and take students and teachers on an inward exploration
  • Service Learning Curriculum (11th grade): designed to connect the inner search for meaning and purpose with the outer work of service
  • The Senior Passage Program (12th grade): a school-based approach to rites-of-passage designed to help students navigate the major transition at the completion of high school, often characterized by both deep anxiety and exquisite awakening. This course has been used successfully for 20 years in public and private education and has been adapted to a 45-minute class period.
    •

In addition, PassageWays has provided its Newcomers Transition Program, which supports recently immigrated students and English Language Learners to explore the issues, feelings and challenges associated with coming into a new culture and/or living with a bi-cultural identity.

Desired outcomes of the project at the site level:

  • Create a comprehensive small learning community that fosters greater connections for all students
  • Increase healthy relationships between teachers and students and students with their peers
  • Prepare teachers to be student advocates
  • Decrease alienation among students, particularly low income and minority students
  • Increase social skill development
  • “Unlock the learner” to increase learning readiness and academic achievement
  • Decrease the achievement gap between majority and minority students
  • Increase teacher satisfaction and decrease teacher alienation and burnout
  • Foster resilience in students and support students through challenging transitions
  • Create safe school environments in which students can discover meaning and explore life’s most profound questions
    •

Results

As we complete the second year of implementation, teachers and students report powerful results. Students have formed strong relationships with new peer groups, teachers report that students are more engaged in school, and a stronger sense of collegiality and community has emerged amongst staff.

“The whole class, every single student, was really present. They are beginning to really care about and respect each other. Twenty-five 10th graders, from different social groups, really being present and listening to each other…that is powerful.”
  -PHS teacher

“That lesson was awesome! I do not think of myself as a judgmental person, but I would never have believed that those other students had the same questions that I do.”
  - International Baccalaureate student after hearing non-IB classmates’ personal “Mysteries Questions”

“PassageWays shows me new ways of dealing with things. I feel better in school and have more confidence.”
  - Newcomer student

Our PassageWorks-Nurturing Pedagogy Project partners have included:

  • The Colorado Partnership for Educational Renewal (Co-PER): CoPER is a partnership of 16 public school districts (serving over 50% of Colorado students) and nine schools of education (preparing over 80% of the state’s teachers)
  • The National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER), at over 70 schools in 24 states
  • The Poudre School District and Poudre High School (PHS), Ft. Collins, Colorado
  • The Research and Development Center of Colorado State University
  • The Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research of Colorado State University (CSU)
  • The Teacher Licensure Programs at CSU and the University of Northern Colorado
    •

The East Prairie Project

In 2006, upon request from a researcher in the Missouri State Department of Education, we initiated a partnership with two elementary schools in the East Prairie School District to implement the PassageWorks Model for creating a culture of caring, connection, and compassion among faculty and in classrooms. This project has included:

  • Foundation Courses for the full faculty (60 teachers) of each school in August 2006
  • Ongoing coaching with the two principals throughout 2006-07 school year on how to effectively implement the PassageWorks Model in the classroom, conduct further professional development for teachers in faculty meetings, and integrate the spiritual dimension into school leadership
  • Collaboration with school principals on articles and presentations on the PassageWorks model for statewide elementary school principal journals and conferences
  • Implementation of the Making Healthy Transitions out of Elementary School curriculum with 3 sections of 6th grade students.
    •

The East Prairie Demonstration Project is being fully funded and researched by the Missouri State Department of Education and provides another opportunity for meeting our goals for research and demonstration.

One Elementary Principal described her experience with the PassageWays Model when she said, “The PassageWays experience can truly heal broken spirits and inspire each of us to be happy, safe, secure and connected to each other. We CAN feel the strength of self and support of others.”

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Transitions Project

Through these programs PassageWorks incubates and writes curricula designed to provide vital support to students as they undergo the vulnerable transitions from elementary to middle school, from middle to high school, and from a country of origin to the United States.

Our Transitions Project is made up of the following programs:

  • Completing Elementary School
  • Entering the Culture of Middle School
  • Entering the Culture of High School
  • The Senior Passage Program
  • Newcomers Transition Program

We are also developing Transition Programs for:

  • Junior Service Learning
  • Completion of Middle School
    •

Transitions Programs currently serve students, teachers, and parents in a growing number of public and private schools in Colorado, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, and Washington State.

After bringing the PassageWorks model into the classroom, many teachers report a renewed sense of joy, enthusiasm, and connection with their students and with their work.

In my view, this year’s class was more cohesive and demonstrated more caring behaviors towards one another than previous classes. I saw the PassageWorks program as integral to my classroom management system – my overall goal was to create an environment in which kids cared about each other and demonstrated respectful behavior to each other, me, and the physical environment. I really think we accomplished that.
-5th grade teacher

Our Transitions Programs include detailed curriculum manuals plus 10 coaching sessions. Curricula are available for purchase to schools once the lead teacher has completed PassageWorks Level I Foundation Course Training. For information about our Foundation Courses see section below.

Newcomers Transition Program

The PassageWorks Newcomers Transitions Program provides us the welcome opportunity to work with a growing and often overlooked population of students—those who have recently immigrated to the United States. This program provides a safe and supportive forum where new immigrants and refugees are provided the structured opportunity to honor the people, lands, cultures, and personal identities they have left behind, moving far beyond learning to "fit in" toward a place of empowerment.

The Newcomers Transitions Curriculum is designed to increase self-awareness, motivation, language acquisition, academic performance, and to engage a sense of hope. Participants in this program often develop a greater sense of self-worth and purpose and feel more motivated to make positive contributions in their schools, neighborhoods and cities. Teachers discover that students are more motivated to learn English and work towards academic goals when they feel seen and heard in their fullness. Results of the pilot project in Boulder, Colorado have been very powerful—the students report and demonstrate genuine change.

Many students arrive in the Newcomers program resistant to learning English. We need to honor the passage these students are making so that they can be more open to learning. In the PassageWorks classes, students are able to let down their academic guard and assume their authentic personalities. With Transitions Programs in place, students are more likely to embrace learning and language acquisition for themselves.
-Newcomers Coordinator

Students commented on what they liked and how they changed as a result of the program:

Yes, I changed because now I feel more confident to try to do what I want in the future.
-Newcomer Student

They asked us questions that I had never asked myself and I got to know myself better and I am more ready for what is to come.
- Newcomer Student

Its better than recess!
- 5th grade student

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Programs and Offerings

 

The Foundation Course Workshop:
Introduction to the Soul in Education

  • What does a classroom look like when soul is present?
  • How is nourishing the inner life vital for academic success?
  • How do educators address "soul" in education without violating the separation of church and state or the deeply held beliefs of families and students?
  • How can we prepare ourselves and our students to safely invite heart, spirit and community into the classroom?
    •

This two and one-half day workshop introduces participants to the
principles and methods for nurturing soul at school and in other group
settings. It also provides teachers an understanding of key
concepts and strategies behind social and emotional learning and how to
apply them in the classroom.

Participants learn ways to help students

  • Focus, listen and increase their motivation to learn.
  • Create caring in the classroom.
  • Express feelings and develop empathy.
  • Prevent self destructive and violent behaviors.

Counselors and youth development professionals find a rich variety of
tools to add both depth and playfulness to their work with children and adolescents.

Features of this workshop include,

Theoretical frameworks:

  • Social and emotional learning
  • Applications of brain research to emotions and learning
  • Gateways to the souls of students
  • Stages of group development
  • Understanding the elements that make up "emotional literacy"

Strategies for incorporating caring and empathy in the classroom.

Experiential exercises designed to help teachers reflect on their
“teaching presence”, the ellusive qualities of inner life development that define effective teaching beyond technique and curriculum.

Suggestions for using play, art, and stillness in the school setting.

Please note: Methods learned in this workshop can be integrated into any classroom, any subject, and any grade level. These principles and practices do not represent "something else" to teach, but a heartfelt way to breathe new life into what you are already doing. Professionals will find a rich variety of tools to add both depth and playfulness to their work with children and adolescents.

Having gone through the first training…I must say that Rachael is not only a genius at visioning a way of bringing soul as well as mind and heart into the classroom, but she has a knack for finding kindred spirits who are equally dedicated and competent to bringing the vision to fruition… I would suggest that what Rachael is proposing is not only a good thing for the profession and this country, but may be part of a growing movement to radically transform the practice and training of teachers… Whatever support can be give to the PassageWorks Institute at this time will hopefully provide a transformative vision to the world.
- Training Institute Participant

 

See Courses & Events for dates of Foundation Courses.
To download Foundation Course Flyer click here.

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Curricula

The principles and practices introduced in the Foundation Course are at the heart of PassageWorks Curricula.

Only educators who have completed the Foundation Course may purchase a PassageWorks Curriculum Package, which includes a detailed curriculum manual and 10 coaching sessions with PassageWorks coaches.

The following curricula are currently available:

  • Completing the Culture of Elementary School
  • Entering the Culture of Middle School
  • Entering the Culture of High School
  • The Senior Passages Course
  • Newcomer Transitions Course

Curricula being developed:

  • Junior Service Learning

I think that Passages is really great for our health. We get to talk about scary, fun, sad, and helpful stuff that I think changed my life this year.
- 6th grade student

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Upcoming PassageWorks Events

Foundation Course: Level I
Introduction to the Soul in Education

Download Foundation Course Flyer PDF

To Register contact Liz at the PassageWorks office at 303-247-0156

 

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2355 Canyon Blvd. Suite 104, Boulder, CO  80302, Telephone 303.247.0156
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