Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) for Special Educators
Duration: 2021 -
2026
Funding: U.S. Department of Education / Institute of Educational Sciences
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Frank
Co-Principal Investigator: Andrew Roach
Co-Investigator: Deborah Schussler
Co-Investigator: Damon Jones
Co-Investigator: Emily Graybill
Partners: CREATE for Education

Description
Special education teachers are at heightened risk for stress and burnout, which negatively impacts teacher effectiveness and well-being. With a 5-year grant from the Institute of Educational Sciences, Penn State and Georgia State University researchers are teaming up with school districts in Georgia to test the effectiveness of the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) professional development program for the first time with special education teachers.
The researchers will conduct a randomized controlled trial with more than 220 special education teachers in elementary schools in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Teachers will participate in three days of CARE training to practice skills such as mindfulness, caring and compassion for themselves and others, listening, and managing classroom stress. They will also participate in monthly virtual check-in meetings during the school year.
In addition to measuring teacher, student, and classroom outcomes, the study will determine the cost-effectiveness of the CARE program in a special education setting.
Project Team
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Jennifer Frank (PI)
Associate Professor, Education
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Andrew Roach (Co-PI)
Associate Professor and Coordinator of the School Psychology Doctoral Program
Georgia State University -
Deborah Schussler (Co-I)
Professor, Education
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Damon Jones (Co-I)
Associate Research Professor
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Emily Graybill (Co-I)
Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Leadership in Disability
Georgia State University -
Mark Greenberg
CREATE for Education; Founding PRC Director
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Christa Turksma
CREATE for Education
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Patricia Jennings
Project Consultant
University of Virginia -
Bonnie Billingsley
Project Consultant
Virginia Commonwealth University -
Tamika LaSalle
Project Consultant
University of Connecticut -
David MacKinnon
Project Consultant
Arizona State University -
Bridget Hamre
Project Consultant
University of Virginia; Teachstone -
Sebrina Doyle
Graduate Research Fellow
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Joseph Brandenburg
Graduate Research Fellow
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Marisa DeCollibus
Graduate Research Fellow
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Catherine Jantzer
CARE Project Manager