The Garrison Institute’s Initiative on Contemplation and Education

The Garrison Institute’s mission is to apply the transformative wisdom of contemplative traditions to systemic challenges facing our society. During the next three years, the Initiative on Contemplation and Education (ICE) at Garrison Institute will take the lead in promoting the research and implementation of contemplation-based interventions in the American public school setting. Evidence suggests that secular contemplative techniques may enhance the broad range of goals identified for K-12 education.

Preliminary research and anecdotal reports suggest that contemplative techniques that train attention and support emotion regulation will enhance — and be enhanced by — social and emotional learning. Together, these two methodologies will promote academic success and prosocial behaviors. This approach is simple, cost effective and well suited to integration within existing educational methodologies. The time is right for exploring the ways in which developmentally appropriate contemplative techniques can help students succeed.

The Garrison Institute Education and Contemplation Network was developed to provide a forum for a multidisciplinary area of inquiry now emerging within the fields of education, psychology, health and neuroscience. Two emerging themes that contemplative programs as well as mainstream education share the desire to improve are: 1) cognitive/attentional control in students (attention training and academic success); and 2) social/emotion control (emotional balance and pro-social behaviors).

All scientific disciplines and fields are welcome to participate. The network has interest in all styles of meditation and contemplative practice.