Positive education: Developing skills for school life and beyond

Abstract

Schools are one of few institutions with direct and sustained access to children, their families, and the communities in which they reside, and are therefore well positioned to address the important challenge of preparing children for successful adulthood in the twenty-first century. By adopting the ethos of positive education and committing to educating the whole-student (academic as well as well-being skills), some schools are now teaching preventative skills that will help students to be resilient, lead meaningful lives, and engage positively with the world around them (White M, Murray S: Evidence-based approaches to positive education in schools: Implementing a strategic framework for well-being in schools. Springer Press, The Netherlands. Series Editor Ilona Boniwell. doi: 10.1007/978-94-017- 9667-5, 2015, 2015). Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (1994), the next challenge is to align the student's immediate surroundings (e.g. school, family, peers) with the broader community so that the skills they learn at school are reinforced and further developed beyond the school gates.