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Fueled by a new partnership with The Center for Positive Education, all Russell Sage College students who graduate from teaching and school counseling programs in the Esteves School of Education will enter the workforce with training in Positive Education, preparing them to address the social and emotional learning needs of today’s students and manage their own well-being as a way to combat teacher burnout.
Russell Sage is the first college in the nation to partner with The Center for Positive Education, which began certifying positive educators in 2017. Positive Education emphasizes principles of Positive Psychology, which focuses on teaching a mindset that develops academic tenacity, while building emotional and social well-being. This approach creates a mindset shift that not only leads to deep satisfaction but emotional agility and a life of lasting happiness and well-being.
“Russell Sage College and The Center for Positive Education are aligned in the belief that addressing the needs of the whole student is critical to student success,” said Russell Sage President Matthew Shaftel. “Russell Sage has been preparing teachers and school leaders for more than a century, but that doesn’t mean we’re complacent. The world is changing. The mental health crisis has hit our children hard, and teachers are experiencing burnout and leaving the field. We needed to step up as a leader in education to change the narrative and prepare students and teachers to thrive in a sometimes chaotic world.”
As part of the partnership, Russell Sage undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in education programs, including professional school counseling, will take a required noncredit course, or one module, in Positive Education. By 2025-2026, the college will implement three additional Positive Education modules, and students will have the option of earning a microbadge issued by The Center for Positive Education. In addition to preparing teachers for today’s classroom, the microbadge will help Russell Sage graduates further stand out in the job market.
But the move toward Positive Education at Russell Sage isn’t just about preparing future teachers, it is also about supporting those who work in the field now.
As part of this partnership, Russell Sage will offer professional development opportunities for P-12 schools and the educational community, kicking off with a Positive Education workshop this spring for educators that highlights the importance and principles of the approach. In the next year, Russell Sage will offer Positive Education professional development training to schools throughout New York state.
In April 2024, the National Center for Education Statistics said 43% of surveyed school leaders reported moderate to extreme concern about students’ mental health, while 41% of school leaders had similar concerns for their teachers and staff.
“Now, more than ever, we need Positive Education,” said Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, CEO and founder of The Center for Positive Education. “The science of flourishing has been studied for over three decades, and it’s time to make these essential life skills accessible to everyone. Positive Education shouldn’t be a luxury; by infusing it into teacher training, we ensure that well-being becomes a foundation for both students and educators to navigate today’s challenges.”
Zhivotovskaya, who was among an early group of students worldwide to earn a master’s in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, worked on a team led by Martin Seligman, the “Father of Positive Psychology,” to develop the Positive Education approach in an Australian private school. She founded The Center for Positive Education in 2017 with Renee Jain, one of the nation’s most respected childhood happiness and resilience experts and the founder of GoZen!
“Teaching is more than lesson planning and classroom management,” said Kelly Smith, assistant professor in the Esteves School of Education, chair of the Professional Education Programs Department at Russell Sage, and a Certified Positive Educator. “Children come to the classroom with trauma, depression, and anxiety at previously unseen levels, and teachers don’t always feel equipped to respond, taking that frustration home with them every night. We’re preparing Russell Sage graduates for today’s classrooms and simultaneously building resilience in our future teachers.”
The Esteves School of Education at Russell Sage offers programs at the bachelor’s through doctoral levels. It is the only institution in the region with programs in physical and art education and one of only a few colleges in New York state that prepares students for three certifications in one bachelor’s program – childhood education, early childhood education, and special education. Its innovative online master’s program in Sport Science: Coaching and Mental Performance, which launched in fall 2023, prepares physical education teachers to handle the mental aspects of coaching young athletes.
Russell Sage is also home to the Thrive@Russell Sage initiative, which extends into and beyond the classroom to help students and employees at Russell Sage achieve the 8 Dimensions of Wellness: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, vocational, and financial.