Cookie preferences

HundrED uses cookies to enhance user experiences, to personalise content, and analyse our web traffic. By clicking "Accept all" you agree to the use of all cookies, including marketing cookies that may help us deliver personalised marketing content to users. By selecting "Accept necessary" only essential cookies, such as those needed for basic functionality and internal analytics, will be enabled.
For more details, please review our Cookie Policy.
Accept all
Accept necessary
keyboard_backspace Back to HundrED

Wellbeing in Schools

Spotlight 2024

How are schools implementing effective wellbeing innovations? Through this Spotlight on Wellbeing, HundrED will identify impactful and scalable innovations in the area of student wellbeing in schools.

This initiative is undertaken in partnership with the International Baccalaureate (IB), Oxford University, Research Schools International, Harvard University, and the Jacobs Foundation.

The submission period closed May 8, 2024.

The challenge

Research has shown that wellbeing is declining for young people globally, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the need to focus on improving student wellbeing in schools. Although wellbeing initiatives are commonplace in schools, not all of these initiatives are grounded in scientific evidence.

The solution

Schools need to be provided with resources and research to support the advancement of students' wellbeing. By conducting a Spotlight to identify 10-15 impactful and scalable educational innovations that promote wellbeing in schools, HundrED is participating in an extensive initiative launched by the IB in collaboration with its funder and partners.

What is wellbeing?

Wellbeing is defined as students’ subjective experience of being satisfied with their school lives, having positive experiences at school, having positive feelings about school, and believing that what they do at school gives them some purpose and meaning. For definitions of wellbeing see The Wellbeing in Schools in Childhood and Adolescence Final Report, starting on page 34.

What Kinds of Innovations Were We Looking For? 

We were looking to identify and promote impactful and scalable solutions that support the development of innovative educational practices in student wellbeing. In our review of the innovations we will consider those that support: 

  • School climate and ethos
  • Family and community involvement 
  • Participatory involvement / pupil and teacher voice 
  • Incorporating targeted interventions

Who was eligible to submit and how?

Educators, students, researchers and innovators working in:

  • K12 schools
  • Mainstream or Specialised school programmes
  • Organisations, associations or networks

who have scaled their innovation within school settings, for example, from classroom to classroom, school to school and district to district. 

The project recognises the diversity in the application of wellbeing interventions, categorised into three approaches: targeted, universal, and whole school. 

  • Targeted interventions focus on specific populations, such as workshops for students with low self-esteem. 
  • Universal interventions, like mindfulness workshops, are delivered to all students within a specific group, irrespective of their individual needs. 
  • Interventions that take a whole school approach are more comprehensive, engaging with the school as a dynamic ecosystem, and include interventions for students, teachers, policy changes, and community involvement.

Innovations could be submitted by May 8, 2024, to be reviewed by our research team.

 

The Wellbeing in Schools Project Framework

The Wellbeing in Schools project explores, studies and measures student wellbeing in schools around the world to systematically learn and innovate together with both IB and non-IB schools over a three-year period. HundrED’s partners in this project are:

The project aims to turn the rhetoric of student wellbeing into an evidence-based reality, clearly embedded into systemic change through learning and innovation structures in education to support a healthy and flourishing learning environment for all students. 

For more information visit the IB’s website Wellbeing in Schools and watch their online project launch Wellbeing Webinar from June 7, 2023


Useful definitions

  • Wellbeing Definitions (The Wellbeing in Schools in Childhood and Adolescence Final Report, starting on page 34)


Supporting Student Wellbeing: Insights from Global Experts 

As a part of this Spotlight wellbeing experts from International Baccalaureate, the Wellbeing Research Center at Oxford University, the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, and Research Schools International joined a panel discussion on April 3, 2024, and dived into what effective support for student wellbeing looks like. 

Important dates

Keep up-to-date on this project and its key dates

Submission Period Opens

31.1.2024

Discovery Webinar

3.4.2024

Submission Period Closes

8.5.2024

Selected Innovations Notified

13.9.2024

Report Release: January 2024