The International Baccalaureate (IB) is partnering with five acclaimed institutions globally to launch an exciting project to explore, study and measure student wellbeing in primary through secondary schools internationally.
With generous support from the Jacobs Foundation, the IB is launching a research and innovation project in collaboration with the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, Research Schools International, and HundrED. This initiative aligns with the IB’s vision of supporting the holistic development of students.
Through this project, the IB is embarking on a journey with schools to systematically learn and innovate together to enhance student wellbeing through relevant and evidence-based practices. Alongside these organizations, the IB will engage with schools, both IB and non-IB, to identify innovative school-based wellbeing interventions that could be scaled and shared across school networks.
Both IB World Schools and non-IB schools are eligible to participate in the project. Get involved.
“Student wellbeing is one area where the IB is leading innovation, and because children and adolescents spend more time in school than any other formal institutional environment, it is considered a prime setting for monitoring and enhancing their wellbeing. The importance of developing the whole child cannot be overlooked”, said Mr Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the IB.
Extensive research about wellbeing in childhood and adolescence published last year by the Wellbeing Research Centre in association with the IB suggests that while happier children make better learners, the scientific literature raises many questions about the implementation and effectiveness of wellbeing interventions in schools.
The IB envisions this project as a journey with multiple phases, depending on each school's interest, availability, and particular context. Both IB World Schools and non-IB schools are eligible to participate in the project and participating schools may include children from the ages of 3 to 19.