Flourish: The Compassionate Schools Project Curriculum
Category: Social Emotional Learning
Summary
Flourish, offered by the University of Virginia Compassionate Schools Project, provides lesson-based and teaching practices approaches to SEL. Flourish offers programming for grades K-5 and a CASEL-approved evaluation demonstrates effectiveness across the same grade span. The program incorporates mindfulness and physical activity into competency-focused SEL lessons. Student-facing curriculum materials are available in Spanish.
Strategies supporting educational equity (CASEL)
Flourish features strategies for youth action projects and customizing for context. This includes the “Community Compassion Project” unit, which guides students to reflect on the needs of their community and design and enact a project to address those needs. The program also includes resources focused on adapting lessons and instructional practices to serve student needs, like the “Emotional Safety in Partner Work” training.
Implementation
Below are key implementation details for this program. These specifications help determine if the program is a good fit for your school or organization.
Grade(s)
Elementary (K-5)
Language
English
Cost
Free
# Lessons
6
Program Design
Tier 1 (Universal)
Staffing Requirements
No additional staffing required
Professional Development
Training for educators and community youth leaders is available and encouraged. For information about in-person and virtual training options and to schedule training, contact joan.bryant@virginia.edu.
Outcomes
Advocate for reducing stigma associated with emotional and mental and behavioral health
Compare & contrast emotional, mental-behavioral illness, mental well-being and concurrent disorders
Decreased suicidal behavior
Describe how self-harm or suicide impacts other people
Describe laws related to minors accessing mental health care
Explain how to help someone who is thinking about attempting suicide
Identify school and community resources that can help a person with emotional, mental and behavioral health concerns
Improved Academic Performance
Improved attitude/behavior related to suicide
Improved identification of individuals at-risk for suicide
Improved Identity Development/ Agency
Improved Prosocial Behavior
Improved School Climate
Improved School Connectedness
Improved SEL Skills and Attitudes
Improved Teaching Practices
Increased help-seeking behavior
Reduced Emotional Distress
Reduced Problem Behavior
Evidence of Effectiveness
Results from a randomized controlled trial conducted in the 2016-2020 school years (unpublished report written in 2023) supported the effectiveness of Flourish for public school students. This evaluation included 3,342 students who were in K-5th grade attending urban and suburban schools in the U.S. Southeast region (39% white, 38% Black/African American, 14% Hispanic/Latino; 72% free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL)). The study found that students who participated in the program had significant improvements in self-efficacy and focus compared to students in the control group (outcomes reported 80 weeks after baseline) while controlling for outcome pretest, FRPL, proportion white, and proportion Hispanic.
Published Studies
Refer to the provided CASEL for the most up-to-date published studies.
Tolan, P. H., Harris, A. R., Burchinal, M., & Jennings, P. A. (2024). Promoting 21st Century Health and Wellness Skills in Elementary School Children: a Group Randomized Trial. Prevention Science, 1-15.