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Mindful Education Lab

Housed within the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, the Mindful Education Lab, directed by Dr. Joshua Aronson, oversees two parallel but connected programs - research and teacher training. Our Mindful Research Lab looks at the psychological and neurological effects of mindfulness on student learning, teacher effectiveness, and school and classroom climate.

This work, in turn, informs our Mindful Teacher Program (MTP), which offers professional development to schools by training educators (teachers, principals, school staff) in techniques to improve their lives both in and out of school. We also train high school students in mindfulness as part of the College Prep Academy, which prepares urban youth for success in college.

Educational interventions developed by Aronson and colleagues have been successful in boosting student achievement, well being, tests scores, and learning, and have been inducted into the Department of Education’s exclusive “What Works Clearinghouse,” a collection of school interventions of carefully vetted practices deemed worthy of using in America’s schools. 

How We Work

Because every organization is different, we begin by meeting with key stakeholders to gain an understanding of your situation. We then use observational instruments, surveys, records of student achievement and conduct reports, among other methods as appropriate, to gain a deep understanding of the issues you wish to improve. We view this collaborative process as vital to understanding and addressing your needs, so that we can craft the most appropriate, effective interventions. We strive for a mutually respectful collaboration focused on constant improvement for the benefit of all, employees and administrators alike. We look forward to working with you.

The Mindful Education Lab collaborates closely with other leading neuroscience laboratories, including the META Lab at University of California, Santa Barbara, the Yale Center for Stress, and the Neuroscience and Education Lab at New York University, in an effort to combine cutting edge science with service to schools and companies across the country.

Our current projects include the School to Prosperity Pipeline, an initiative that supports children academically from age four through college, with the aim to promote academic, social, and psychological wellness. We are also working on developing the Drug-free ADHD Relief Project, focused on cognitive training that replaces or reduces the need to medicate children with attention difficulties.

News

Metro's MEL Sponsors the Learning and The Brain Conference

Metro's Mindful Education Lab will be a proud sponsor of the forthcoming Learning and The Brain Conference, Schooling Social Brains: Promoting Social Skills, Interactions, and Collaborations in a Digital Age.

NYC Elementary Schools Adopt Mindfulness

A growing number of NYC Elementary schools are adopting meditation and mindfulness programs for their students and teachers.

Our Team

Joshua Aronson

Associate Professor of Applied Psychology

joshua.aronson@nyu.edu

Barry H. Cohen, Ph.D.

Applied Psychology Adjunct Faculty

barry.cohen@nyu.edu

Advisory Board and Collaborators

David E. Kirkland, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Metropolitan Center for Research in Equity and Transformation of Schools
New York University

Jay Van Bavel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Director, NYU Social Perception and Evaluation Lab
New York University

Claude M. Steele, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Psychology
University of California, Berkeley

Tessa West, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Director of NYU Social Psychology and Emotion Lab
New York University

Anil Narang
Chairman, AC Business Media, Inc.
New York, NY

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D.
Scientific Director, The Imagination Institute
University of Pennsylvania

Margaret Honey, Ph.D
President, Chief Executive Officer,
New York Hall of Science

Carol S. Dweck
Lewis & Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology
Stanford University

Peter Propp
Chief Marketing Officer
Stamford Innovation Center

Pedro Noguera, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Education
RossIer School of Education
University of Southern California

Matthew S. McGLone, Ph.D.
Professor of Communication Studies
Research Scientist, Center for Health Communication/Center for Identity
University of Texas, Austin

Charlton Mcllwain, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Steinhardt School of Culture, Development, and Education
Associate Professor of Culture, Media & Communications
New York University

Bob Roth
Chief Executive Officer
David Lynch Foundation

Selcuk Sirin, Ph.D.
Javitz Professor of Applied Psychology
Professor of Applied Psychology
New York University

Mary M. Brabeck, Ph.D.
Dean Emeritus
Professor of Applied Psychology
New York University

Geoffrey Borman, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin

Suzanne Donovan
Executive Director
Strategic Education Research Partnership