Empowering Educators and Students to Flourish: Evaluating the Student Alliance for Flourishing Program in Middle and High Schools

Abstract

There is a critical need to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of students and educators. In this article, we present findings from the second year of implementing the Student Alliance for Flourishing program, a school-wide initiative to promote the flourishing of students and educators. First, we highlight the connection between Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory and the Student Alliance for Flourishing (SAFF) program, emphasizing the importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in supporting the psychological needs of educators and students. Then, we describe the SAFF program and present data that highlight the program’s impact on advisors and students, particularly as these data relate to participants’ flourishing. Finally, we conclude by emphasizing the significance of promoting flourishing in schools and the need for further empirical research in this area.