Welcome to

the Collaborative

for Spirituality in Education

Welcome to the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education

THE NEXT WAVE OF WHOLE CHILD EDUCATION:

DESIGNING TRANSFORMATIVE SCHOOL CULTURE

What We Do

We are working to transform public and private education by promoting spiritual and moral development within schools and by giving educators tools to build classrooms and schools that nurture the inner life of their students. We do this work through four strategic initiatives:

1.Ā Ā Research. We gather successful practices and lessons learned from master practitioners, develop our process of school change, and share these findings.

2.Ā Ā The Awakened Schools Institute.Ā  We bring educational leaders and teachers from around the country to learn about and reflect together on ways that their schools can develop a more spiritually-supportive culture.

3.Ā  Public Speaking. Through conferences, social media, and outreach, we share our work with schools, universities, researchers, and the public who want to do more to support the inner spirit of our children.Ā 

4.Ā  The National Council on Spirituality in Education. Through our National Conference on Spirituality in Education and other events, we are continuing to build a movement begun at our National Conference in 2019. Our conferences and events gather practitioners and academics to collaborate on ideas and initiatives that will advance the field of Spirituality in Education.

Why CSE was Formed

All human beings are born with a natural capacity for spirituality, which is an integral dimension of full human development. Spirituality fosters a way of being that provides a foundation for a young personā€™s intellectual, emotional, moral, social and physical development. There is mounting empirical evidence that nurturing the spirituality of children supports their health and happiness and helps them be more engaged, higher achievers, and better citizens.

When their spirituality is not nurtured, there is a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, even violence and suicide. This proves to be the case regardless of gender, income-level, ethnic origin, or other background. By neglecting this critically important part of education of the whole child, we are putting our children at risk and leaving them without the resources to navigate the increasingly complex and challenging world they will inherit.

Spiritual and moral development not only benefits the individual child; it is critical for building a society of engaged citizens committed to the common good, the renewal of American democracy, and sustainable development. Fostering spirituality in children before it goes dormant is of critical importance if the nation is to generate the quality of future leadership so urgently needed in all sectors and institutions. The Collaborative for Spirituality in Education (CSE) is planting the seeds of social change and nurturing spiritually aware citizens and leaders for a new generation.

 

Recent Publications

For more information and access to the entire book,

Spirituality and religion are often interrelated, but they are not identical. The universal innate capacity for spiritual development can be nurtured both within and outside the framework of institutional religion. The CSE recognizes that all schoolsā€”public, private, religious, charter– can and should support the healthy spiritual and moral growth of children and adolescents.

The Science of Spirituality

THE COLLABORATIVE FOR SPIRITUALITY IN EDUCATION IS HOUSED AT TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.

IT WAS LAUNCHED IN COLLABORATION WITH ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS AND THE FETZER INSTITUTE.

THE NEXT WAVE OF WHOLE CHILD EDUCATION:

DESIGNING TRANSFORMATIVE SCHOOL CULTURE

What We Do

We are working to transform public and private education by promoting spiritual and moral development within schools and by giving educators tools to build classrooms and schools that nurture the inner life of their students. We do this work through four strategic initiatives:

1.Ā Ā Research. We gather successful practices and lessons learned from master practitioners, develop our process of school change, and share these findings.

2.Ā Ā The Awakened Schools Institute.Ā  We bring educational leaders and teachers from around the country to learn about and reflect together on ways that their schools can develop a more spiritually-supportive culture.

3.Ā  Public Speaking. Through conferences, social media, and outreach, we share our work with schools, universities, researchers, and the public who want to do more to support the inner spirit of our children.Ā 

4.Ā  The National Council on Spirituality in Education. Through our National Conference on Spirituality in Education and other events, we are continuing to build a movement begun at our National Conference in 2019. Our conferences and events gather practitioners and academics to collaborate on ideas and initiatives that will advance the field of Spirituality in Education.

Why CSE was Formed

All human beings are born with a natural capacity for spirituality, which is an integral dimension of full human development. Spirituality fosters a way of being that provides a foundation for a young personā€™s intellectual, emotional, moral, social and physical development. There is mounting empirical evidence that nurturing the spirituality of children supports their health and happiness and helps them be more engaged, higher achievers, and better citizens.

When their spirituality is not nurtured, there is a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, even violence and suicide. This proves to be the case regardless of gender, income-level, ethnic origin, or other background. By neglecting this critically important part of education of the whole child, we are putting our children at risk and leaving them without the resources to navigate the increasingly complex and challenging world they will inherit.

Spiritual and moral development not only benefits the individual child; it is critical for building a society of engaged citizens committed to the common good, the renewal of American democracy, and sustainable development. Fostering spirituality in children before it goes dormant is of critical importance if the nation is to generate the quality of future leadership so urgently needed in all sectors and institutions. The Collaborative for Spirituality in Education (CSE) is planting the seeds of social change and nurturing spiritually aware citizens and leaders for a new generation.

Spirituality and religion are often interrelated, but they are not identical. The universal innate capacity for spiritual development can be nurtured both within and outside the framework of institutional religion.Ā The CSE recognizes that all schoolsā€”public, private, religious, charter– can and should support the healthy spiritual and moral growth of children and adolescents.

 

The Science of Spirituality

GET INVOLVED...

With your help we can make a difference in the way our children experience life and view the world.

A Special Thanks to Our Partners

GET INVOLVED...

With your help we can make a difference in the way our children experience life and view the world.

A Special Thanks to Our Partners