Improved Outcomes, Reduced Disparities

Proven Impact from Leading Researchers

Dr. Okonofua's research shows that empathic teaching leads to:

Reduced suspension rates—up to 50% in randomized controlled studies.
Amplified benefits for students of color and students on disability status.
Higher job satisfaction, a key predictor of teacher retention.

Work with Dr. Okonofua to bring Empathic Instruction to your district.

“[Empathic Instruction] definitely causes you to pause, to think, 'What am I doing to resolve conflicts? How am I doing it?... How could I make it better?'

— Participating Teacher

In the News

Short, Simple, Customized

Teachers complete two online exercises per year, each 35-50 minutes long.
Activities include brief articles, teachers’ insights on student-teacher interactions, and reflection exercises.
Activities are updated and customized over time to reflect the best practices and insights from each district.

Evidence-Based

A kick-off presentation by Dr. Okonofua highlights the latest research and explains the psychological processes that make empathic teaching so powerful.
EI exercise content and design are based on numerous research-practice collaborations across diverse contexts.
Empathic teaching promotes positive student outcomes and higher teacher job satisfaction and confidence.

Elevates Teacher Voice

EI helps districts accurately capture teachers’ insights and challenges, as well as opportunities for district and school leaders to better support teachers in the future.
Teachers’ opinions and observations remain confidential: they are only shared in aggregated form.
District leaders receive an end-of-year report summarizing how teachers in the district think and feel about student-teacher interactions.

Easy to Implement

Districts appoint an EI facilitator who works with the EI team to customize the exercises to your district and schedule activities.
It takes less than 6 hours per semester for the facilitator to support implementation across a whole district.
The EI facilitator is provided onboarding materials to recruit teachers, build will, and track teacher participation on a weekly basis. See the EI Guide to learn more.

The Empathic Instruction Guide provides a quick overview of the research, service options, and implementation steps and timelines. Email us for more information.