Towards an Integrated Whole-School Values Education Model

Creating a whole-school values model where parents, teachers, and students grow together through shared SEL practices. 

Context
In recent years, schools across the world have increasingly recognized that education must go beyond academic achievement and address the emotional, social and ethical development of children. Concerns related to stress, disconnection, emotional well-being, empathy and relationships have highlighted the need for Values Education, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Character Education within schools.

The Kaveri Group of Institutes (KGI), Pune, had already taken pioneering steps in this direction through two independent but philosophically aligned initiatives. The first was the Mindful Parenting Program (MPP), launched between 2018 and 2020 as a parenting education initiative designed to help parents cultivate mindfulness, gratitude, compassion and related character strengths in themselves and their children. The second was Let’s Educate the Heart (LEH), introduced in 2020 at Kaveri International School (KIS) as a Values Education and SEL integration program for teachers and students.

MPP emerged from the understanding that parents are among the most influential adults in a child’s life. Through workshops, camps, mindfulness practices, sharing circles and volunteering opportunities, the program aimed to create emotionally aware and compassionate family environments. The program demonstrated encouraging outcomes, including improved parent-child relationships, stronger parent-school relationships and increased mindfulness among parents.

LEH, on the other hand, focused on empowering teachers to integrate Values Education and SEL into the curriculum using the TransformEd SEL Integration Approach. Teachers were trained to facilitate weekly Values Education sessions using inquiry, reflection, discussion and mindfulness practices. The program emphasized sustainability by encouraging teachers to eventually create their own lesson plans and adapt activities according to classroom needs.

As both programs evolved, an important realization emerged: while MPP addressed parents and LEH addressed teachers and students, both programs were fundamentally working toward the same goal — character development and emotional well-being. This led to the idea of merging the two initiatives into one aligned and comprehensive ecosystem where parents, teachers and children could learn together and reinforce common values and practices across home and school environments.

The planned merging of LEH and MPP therefore represented a shift from isolated interventions toward a whole-school, whole-community model of Values Education.

Problem
Although schools increasingly recognize the importance of SEL and Values Education, most initiatives remain fragmented. Teachers may receive SEL training while parents remain disconnected from the process. Similarly, parenting programs often operate independently from the school curriculum, resulting in inconsistent messaging between home and school.

The initial phase of LEH successfully introduced Values Education into the classroom. Teachers were trained to facilitate weekly sessions and gradually became more confident in designing their own lesson plans and reflective activities. However, one major limitation became evident during the first year: parents were not meaningfully integrated into the process.

At the same time, the Mindful Parenting Program had demonstrated that parents experienced measurable positive change when they participated in structured mindfulness and character-strength-based activities. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the momentum of MPP and brought the program to a temporary standstill.

This created several challenges:

• Children were receiving Values Education messages at school that were not always reinforced at home.

• Parents and teachers were functioning in parallel rather than in partnership.

• SEL practices lacked continuity between home and classroom environments.

• Schools lacked an integrated framework that addressed all significant adults in a child’s life.

• There was no coordinated thematic approach that connected parents, teachers and children through common experiences and practices.

The leadership team recognized that meaningful character development in children requires alignment between the adults who shape their daily lives. Teachers and parents both influence children’s emotional habits, relationships, attitudes and values. Without coherence between these environments, the impact of Values Education could remain limited or inconsistent.

The challenge, therefore, was to create a unified and sustainable Values Education ecosystem that:

• aligned home and school practices,

• engaged parents and teachers together,

• integrated mindfulness and character strengths into daily life,

• and created a shared culture of compassion, reflection and emotional awareness.

Initial State
When LEH began in 2020, Kaveri International School was still a relatively new institution that was in the process of establishing systems, practices and school culture. The opportunity therefore existed to build Values Education into the school structure from an early stage rather than introducing it later as an add-on initiative.

The initial phase focused primarily on teachers. Most educators had limited prior exposure to structured SEL facilitation or reflective Values Education methodologies. Teachers were accustomed to content-driven instruction rather than experiential and inquiry-based emotional learning.

To address this, LEH began with:

• introductory training workshops,

• sample lesson plans,

• bi-monthly mentoring meetings,

• peer feedback systems,

• and structured weekly Values Education classes.

The weekly sessions included mindfulness practices, reflection, discussion and journaling activities. Teachers were encouraged to gradually adapt activities and create their own lesson plans based on classroom realities.

At the same time, the earlier MPP program had already generated valuable learning about parent engagement and emotional development. The MPP evaluation findings showed:

• increased mindfulness among parents,

• significant improvements in mindful listening and non-reactivity,

• stronger parent-school relationships,

• and better parent-child relationships.

Parents also reported feeling supported through sharing circles and volunteer activities, demonstrating the importance of community-based learning environments.

However, despite the success of both programs independently, they existed as separate systems:

• LEH primarily engaged teachers and students.

• MPP primarily engaged parents.

• Themes, language and activities were not fully synchronized.

• Parents were not systematically involved in the school’s Values Education curriculum.

The pandemic further accelerated the need for emotional support systems and highlighted the importance of stronger home-school collaboration.

Approach
The merging of LEH and MPP was envisioned as a gradual alignment process rather than a complete redesign. The goal was to create a shared ecosystem where teachers, parents and students could participate in common themes, practices and conversations.

The merged approach rested on several key principles:

1. Shared Themes Across Home and School

A major innovation was the introduction of a “theme of the month” that was common to the programme for teachers and parents. Teachers collaboratively selected themes related to mindfulness and character strengths such as:

• gratitude,

• kindness,

• compassion,

• listening,

• emotional awareness,

• generosity,

• and non-reactivity.

Parents and teachers attended common workshops before the start of each theme cycle so that both groups could engage with the same ideas simultaneously.

This created continuity between classroom learning and family interactions.

2. Integrated Workshops for Parents and Teachers

The structure of the original MPP workshops was retained because of its proven effectiveness. These workshops included:

• mindfulness practices,

• reflection,

• experiential learning,

• sharing circles,

• and discussions on parenting and emotional development.

Minor modifications were made to adapt the sessions for online delivery during the pandemic.

The workshops now became common learning spaces where parents and teachers learned together rather than separately. This strengthened empathy and collaboration between the two groups.

3. Weekly Classroom Integration

Teachers continued facilitating weekly Values Education sessions with students. However, these sessions were now aligned with the monthly themes introduced during parent-teacher workshops.

Teachers were provided with:

• activity banks,

• discussion prompts,

• reflective exercises,

• journaling activities,

• and mindfulness practices.

Importantly, teachers retained flexibility to adapt activities according to classroom needs and developmental levels.

4. School-Wide Community Practices

To ensure that Values Education became part of school culture rather than isolated classroom sessions, several whole-school practices were encouraged:

• Kindness Clubs,

• Gratitude Days,

• community service activities,

• mindfulness moments,

• kindness challenges,

• Seva Café,

• clean-up drives,

• and peer-support initiatives such as Class Buddies.

One notable initiative was the “Kindness Karnival,” which brought together children, teachers and parents in collaborative activities centered around kindness and generosity.

5. Reflection and Feedback Systems

The merged program emphasized continuous reflection and improvement. Formal feedback systems were introduced for:

• teachers,

• parents,

• and students.

Teacher self-assessment, peer feedback and mentoring meetings continued to play an important role in strengthening facilitation quality and program sustainability.

The integration process was therefore collaborative, iterative and responsive rather than rigidly standardized.

Outcome
Although the merging process was still evolving, several important outcomes began to emerge.

Stronger Alignment Between Home and School

One of the most important outcomes was the development of shared language and common practices between parents and teachers. Themes introduced in school discussions were reinforced at home, and vice versa.

Children increasingly experienced consistency in emotional and behavioural expectations across environments.

Greater Parent Involvement

A major learning from the first phase of LEH was successfully addressed through the integration process. Parents became active participants rather than peripheral observers in the Values Education journey.

Joint workshops and theme-based activities created greater emotional investment and engagement among families.

Enhanced Teacher Confidence and Ownership

Teachers gradually moved from dependence on ready-made lesson plans toward designing their own reflective and experiential activities.

The collaborative model empowered teachers to adapt SEL and Values Education practices to their unique classroom needs rather than mechanically implementing fixed curricula.

Creation of a Whole-School Culture

The merged model helped shift Values Education from isolated lessons to an integrated school culture.

Mindfulness practices, reflection, service activities and kindness initiatives became embedded within the broader life of the school rather than existing as stand-alone events.

Improved Relationships

Earlier findings from MPP had already demonstrated:

• improved parent-child relationships,

• supportive parent networks,

• and stronger parent-school relationships.

The alignment with LEH further strengthened these relational dimensions by creating regular opportunities for shared learning and collaboration.

Impact
The merging of LEH and MPP represents an important evolution in the field of Values Education and SEL integration in schools.

Most SEL programs focus primarily on students or teachers, while parenting programs operate independently from school systems. The LEH-MPP model attempts to bridge this divide by creating alignment among all major stakeholders in a child’s life.

Its broader impact lies in several areas:

1. A Whole-Community Approach to Education

The model recognizes that character development cannot be outsourced solely to schools or families. It requires collaboration between all adults influencing the child.

By bringing parents and teachers into shared learning spaces, the program creates a more coherent emotional ecosystem for children.

2. Sustainable Values Education

The emphasis on teacher ownership, collaborative planning and volunteer participation increases sustainability.

Rather than depending entirely on external experts, the program gradually builds internal school capacity.

3. Integration of Mindfulness and Character Strengths

The program demonstrates how mindfulness practices can strengthen emotional awareness, listening, compassion and non-reactivity in both adults and children.

The integration of mindfulness with Values Education creates a more experiential and reflective approach rather than a purely instructional one.

4. Replicability

Both MPP and LEH were originally designed as scalable models. The merged framework has the potential to become a replicable blueprint for schools seeking to integrate SEL, Values Education and Parenting Education into one coherent system.

5. Reimagining the Role of Schools

Perhaps the most important impact of the merged model is philosophical. It redefines the role of schools from being centers of academic instruction alone to becoming communities that nurture emotional well-being, relationships, compassion and human flourishing.

The planned merging of LEH and MPP therefore represents not merely the combining of two programs, but the emergence of a holistic educational vision — one that seeks to educate not only the mind, but also the heart.

Conclusion
The merging of LEH and MPP represents an innovative step toward creating a truly holistic educational ecosystem where parents, teachers and children learn and grow together. By aligning Values Education, mindfulness and character development across home and school environments, the program moves beyond fragmented interventions and creates a shared culture of empathy, reflection and emotional well-being. The integration process demonstrated that meaningful character education becomes more powerful when all significant adults in a child’s life work in harmony. It also highlighted the importance of collaboration, experiential learning and community participation in building sustainable SEL practices within schools. As educational institutions increasingly seek approaches that nurture both academic and human development, the LEH-MPP model offers a promising and replicable framework for creating compassionate school communities and emotionally resilient future generations.