Meeting the Moment
Dear Peace in Schools Community,
We are in a new moment of economic, political and social change. I'm writing to share how Peace in Schools is responding to the significant stresses affecting schools and to invite you to join us as we meet this moment.
Today's Strained Education Environment
Since January, school administrators have been urgently responding to policy changes at the federal level. Many schools have placed freezes on new ventures due to uncertainties over their budgets. As a result, schools are struggling to staff all required courses, let alone electives like Mindful Studies. Public schools are also losing government appropriated mental health funding. A $1 billion federal allocation previously promised for mental health resources like counselors and social workers was revoked last month. All this is happening even as teens show signs of increasing stress. For vulnerable teens, such as those who identify as LGBTQ+ or as People of Color, the current conditions raise even greater challenges.
The Impact on Peace in Schools Programs
During the past year we reported tremendous success in implementing Mindful Studies at six new schools, including one in the California Bay Area. In March, I shared our first student outcomes, which indicate that our new in-depth train-the-trainer model (the Mindful Studies Partnership Program) is as effective as our proven, decade-long direct service model. These new partner schools plan to continue their Mindful Studies program next year.
Because of the current environment, we have adjusted our expectations regarding the number of new schools to join the Mindful Studies Partnerships Program in 2025-26. We are grateful that there are still responsive school administrators and teachers eager to opt into the full 3-year program. We anticipate launching partnerships with 5 new public and private high schools from California and Oregon next academic year. As we speak, we are in the process of signing on with our second Bay Area school in Oakland, California.
Regarding our direct service work in Portland; after our 12 year partnership, the Portland Public Schools (PPS) district is no longer able to continue our contract for Mindful Studies. PPS is facing 40 million dollar budget cuts (with more on the way). Despite these major cuts, we plan to continue the Mindful Studies program at Roosevelt High School. Additionally, we are thrilled to serve PPS educators next year by providing our signature 8-week professional development program to staff and educators from two PPS schools.
How We are Meeting this Moment
To expand our impact at a time of need, Peace in Schools is adapting and expanding our methods to engage and serve school communities, recognizing the challenges faced by schools makes it difficult for them to meet the level of commitment we have been seeking from high school partners.
For the high schools who are not able to participate in the full partnership at this time, our team is creating an adapted suite of programs to offer to schools and educators. We are also exploring additional venues within school communities for our research-backed course and adult offerings that can allow us to access more teens, educators, and parents directly.
The Current Financial Landscape for Peace in Schools
Fortunately, Peace in Schools does not rely on federal funding or other government funding sources for core operations. We are currently financially stable thanks to our base of support consisting nearly entirely of private donations. We will closely monitor how the current financial situation is affecting our donors and our financial sustainability.
How You Can Help
With so many unknowns ahead of us, I believe that the support and engagement of our community is going to be vital going into the 25/26 school year. If you feel called to help see us through this time, please consider:
🗣️ Spreading the word about our work and why it's important to you
Share our Heart of Education video with 1 new friend
💰 Giving a one time gift, donating stock, or becoming a sustaining, monthly donor
Donate here: peaceinschools.org/donate
🤝 Connecting us to a community foundation, business sponsorship, or grant opportunity
Nominate us for the Kindness in Community Fund here
🧘 Introducing us to a new school partner or other opportunity for us to work with the parents and adults in your community
Hit reply to this message and let us know who you know!
Gratitude
Truly, thank you for supporting our work with teens. Because we have such a strong foundation, Peace in Schools is adjusting to a fast-changing school environment with creativity and persistence. One of the core values at Peace in Schools is flexibility. Given the maverick and innovative nature of what we do, it’s not the first time we’ve been required to adapt, pivot, and be flexible. It won’t be the last. Fortunately, this is one of our gifts. In a time that can easily be perceived as dark, we continue to turn our attention to the light.
We will keep you informed on what we learn and achieve as we advance opportunities for teens to gain crucial life skills uniquely provided through our in-depth mindfulness education.
In Peace,
Janice Martellucci
Executive Director