Empathic Instruction (EI) helps teachers harness the power of the empathy they already possess to resolve conflict and build strong relationships that keep students engaged, learning, and thriving.
Strong student-teacher relationships foster academic engagement and positive behavior. In 2016, Dr. Okonofua's seminal study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that a brief empathic instruction training could help teachers tap into their existing care and empathy to better navigate challenging situations. The students of trainined teachers felt more respected and became 50% less likely to get suspended compared to a randomized control group. Since then, Dr. Okonofua has replicated and extended these findings. Read more about the research and press coverage.
Dr. Okonofua launched Empathic Instruction so that the scientically validated training could be tailored appropriately to teachers in new school districts and regions. It is designed to keep the all-important teacher-student relationship in a virtuous cycle of mutual trust and respect.
Jason Okonofua, Ph.D., is a professor at Brown University and a leading designer of science-based programs to address societal issues. He is a trained social psychologist with degrees from Northwestern University and Stanford University. His focus generally centers on effective methods to improve outcomes in education, workplace, healthcare, and criminal justice. His work has been published in premier scientific journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science Advances, and Psychological Sciences. It has also been featured in media outlets, including National Public Radio, New York Times, MSNBC, Reuters, Huffington Post, Daily Mail, Wall Street Journal, and Education Week (see Research for more). He has received science-based awards such as the Society of Personality and Social Psychology's "Cialdini Award" and popular awards such as the People's Choice Award by Root.com.
Jacquie Beaubien, Ed.D., has been bridging research and practice for over a decade through coordinating large-scale research studies in schools and colleges across the U.S., conducting qualitative research, and facilitating workshops for educators and administrators in K12 and higher ed. Her areas of focus are the mindsets, pedagogical practices, and education structures that promote academic engagement for all students. She has facilitated researcher-practitioner partnerships with some of the largest school districts in the country and has collaborated with organizations such as PERTS, City Year Inc., the Mindset Scholars Network (now Student Experience Research Network), Education First, and The Population Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin. She earned a B.A. from Stanford University and an Ed.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
