The Happier
School Program
The following is a description of a comprehensive,
multi-year educational intervention program
with the purpose of helping an entire school community
—students, school staff, and parents—attain higher
levels of happiness.
The Happier
School Program
The following is a description of a
comprehensive, multi-year educational
intervention program with the purpose
of helping an entire school community
—students, school staff, and parents
—attain higher levels of happiness.
"Children learn best when they are happy.”
~ Nel Noddings
"Children learn best when they are happy.”
~ Nel Noddings
Why a Happier School?
For students to thrive and flourish in the fast-changing, ever-challenging, world, they need to learn more than
reading, writing and arithmetic, more than science, art and the humanities. It is no less important that they learn to
find a sense of purpose, take care of their physical wellbeing, learn to grow from failure and hardship, nurture
healthy relationships, as well as deal with painful emotions and cultivate pleasurable ones.
These skills and abilities will contribute to students’ overall psychological wellbeing—both making them happier, as well as
playing a preventative role, making the present and future onset of mental health issues less likely.
Additionally, students will perform better academically and, later, professionally.
“By education I mean an all-
round drawing out of the best
in the child and man; body,
mind and spirit.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Why a Happier School?
For students to thrive and flourish in the fast-changing, ever-challenging, world, they need to learn more than
reading, writing and arithmetic, more than science, art and the humanities. It is no less important that they learn to
find a sense of purpose, take care of their physical wellbeing, learn to grow from failure and hardship, nurture
healthy relationships, as well as deal with painful emotions and cultivate pleasurable ones.
These skills and abilities will contribute to students’ overall psychological wellbeing—both making them happier, as well as
playing a preventative role, making the present and future onset of mental health issues less likely.
Additionally, students will perform better academically and, later, professionally.
“By education I mean an all-
round drawing out of the best
in the child and man; body,
mind and spirit.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Want to know more?
Why happiness?
Beyond being a worthy end in itself, happiness is also a means towards other ends. Extensive
research points to the fact that increasing levels of happiness leads to the following benefits:
Improved relationships
among children and adults
Better overall performance
in school and, later on in life,
in the workplace
Stronger immune system and
improved physical health
Lower rates of violence, bullying, depression and anxiety
Higher levels of creativity,
productivity and engagement
Higher levels of resilience
and self-confidence
Why happiness?
Beyond being a worthy end in itself, happiness is also a means towards other ends. Extensive
research points to the fact that increasing levels of happiness leads to the following benefits:
Improved relationships
among children and adults
Better overall performance
in school and, later on in life,
in the workplace
Stronger immune system and
improved physical health
Lower rates of violence, bullying, depression and anxiety
Higher levels of creativity,
productivity and engagement
Higher levels of resilience
and self-confidence
What are the components of a Happier School program?
The Happier School Program is online in its entirety, and spans at least three years.
The school receives the following from the Happiness Studies Academy:
“Educating the mind without
educating the heart is no
education at all.”
~ Aristotle
What are the components of a Happier School program?
The Happier School Program is online in its entirety, and spans at least three years.
The school receives the following from the Happiness Studies Academy:
“Educating the mind without
educating the heart is no
education at all.”
~ Aristotle
VIDEO LECTURES
CURRICULUM
ACCESS TO ONLINE
CONTENT AND
COMMUNITY
ACCESS TO YEAR-
LONG CERTIFICATE
IN HAPPINESS
STUDIES
HAPPIER SCHOOLS
BOOKLET
Video Lectures
In preparation for delivering the curriculum and impacting the school environment,
teachers receive approximately seven hours of video lectures which they can watch (and
discuss) together, or on their own. The videos include:
TEACHING HAPPINESS
six short lectures that provide an overview of the class in Happiness Studies. Specifically, the lecture describe the class content and pedagogy.
WHOLEBING SCHOOLS
This is a lecture on applying the SPIRE model to education.
HAPPINESS JOURNEY
A short 12-part course that introduces a number of tools and techniques that teachers can apply in their lives as well as in the classroom.
INTRODUCING A NEW FIELD OF STUDIES
An Introductory lecture from a year-long certificate program in Happiness Studies.
Video Lectures
In preparation for delivering the curriculum and impacting the school environment,
teachers receive approximately seven hours of video lectures which they can watch (and
discuss) together, or on their own. The videos include:
TEACHING HAPPINESS
six short lectures that provide an overview of the class in Happiness Studies. Specifically, the lecture describe the class content and pedagogy.
WHOLEBING SCHOOLS
This is a lecture on applying the SPIRE model to education.
HAPPINESS JOURNEY
A short 12-part course that introduces a number of tools and techniques that teachers can apply in their lives as well as in the classroom.
INTRODUCING A NEW FIELD OF STUDIES
An Introductory lecture from a year-long certificate program in Happiness Studies.
Curriculum
Schools recieve 6 lesson plans for each grade, constructed around one of the following formats:
poem, short story, psychological study, philosophical text, movie or an online lecture. Students
prepare in advance of class, by reading or watching the material, and then discussing it and doing
excersizes in class.
A global curriculum comprising great works of literature and art from different cultures as well as ancient wisdom and modern research from the world’s most influential thinkers
- A total of thirty-six lessons, with each lesson spanning a single academic hour (Basic Curriculum) or two academic hours (Extended Curriculum)
Each of the lessons comprises a teacher and/or student-led discussion around the particular text or artwork.
A distinct curriculum for each grade level in the school. The curriculum for any given year can be taught independently, without relying on previous knowledge, or as an interdependent part of a multi-year curriculum, building on what was taught in previous years.
Access to Online Content and Community
Teachers and staff of Happier Schools, receive access to an online learning management system ("LMS") that brings together teachers from all participating schools. The LMS provides the following content:
Curriculum content created and
shared by teachers, organized according to garde level.
Teachers can share their own
content for the benefit of other
teachers and schools.
Forum for teachers to ask questions and talk shop with other teachers and with experts from the Happiness Studies Academy.
Written and video content
including research and other
relevant material put together
by the Happiness Studies
Academy. Teachers will also
have the opportunity to share
content that they encountered
and is relevant for the Happier
School.
Happier School Booklet
The Happier Schools booklet comprises evidence-based interventions for increasing student and
staff wellbeing. The booklet focuses on the 3 Rs of change (reminders, repetitions, rituals) and
introduces topics such as the strength-based approach, goalsetting, mindfulness, journaling,
improvisation, gratitude and more. The booklet can expend the circle of influence to the wider
community, as well as reinforce the material learned in school.
Access to Year-Long Certificate in Happiness Studies
Each year that te school is participating in the program, it will be able to put one teacher
through the intensive year-long Certificate in Happiness Studies. This is meant for teachers
who are willing and able to be the Happier School champions within their schools. Teachers
who graduate from the certificate program will have the know-how to run programs for
other teachers as well as for the rest of the school community -- including parents.
What is the Cost of the Program?
Membership in the program - which entitles schools to the five elements described
above- costs $5000 per year per school. minimum of three years.
About Your Instructors
Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar (@talbenshahar)
Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar is the co-founder of the Happiness Studies Academy, as well as the creator and instructor of the
Certificate in Happiness Studies program.
After graduating from Harvard with a BA in Philosophy and Psychology and a PhD in Organizational
Behavior, Tal taught two of the most popular courses in Harvard’s history: Positive Psychology and
The Psychology of Leadership. He is an international, best- selling author whose books have been
translated into more than 25 languages.
In addition to establishing The Happiness Studies Academy, he is also the co-founder of Potentialife
and Happier.TV. Tal is a certified yoga instructor whose work bridges Eastern and Western traditions,
ancient wisdom and modern technology, science and art.
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