Visitacion Valley Middle School

Schools That Work

Visitacion Valley Middle School

Public, Urban

Grades 6-8

San Francisco, CA

Visitacion Valley Middle School first introduced Quiet Time (QT), a stress-reduction program as an optional activity, in the spring of 2007. The program consists of two periods, 15 minutes each in the morning and afternoon, when students may choose to sit quietly or meditate.

Since starting the Quiet Time intervention, this school has achieved the following:

BEHAVIORS

50% reduction in suspensions
65% reduction in truancy

ACADEMICS

.5% increase in overall grade point average

Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
Meditation Helps Lower Truancy and Suspensions
Surrounded by poverty and escalating violence, a San Francisco middle school committed to peace and embraced a program of meditation that has made students feel safer, teachers more productive, and brought unity and purpose to the school.
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
How Daily Meditation Improves Behavior
With levels of violence and poverty rising around them, San Francisco middle school students find social and emotional healing—and a new readiness to learn—in a bold program of daily meditation.
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
Resources & Downloads for Meditation in Schools
Educators from Visitacion Valley Middle School, in San Francisco, have provided these samples and resources for you to use in your school.
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
How to Start a Meditation Program in Your School
Training, consistency, and trust are keys to successfully implementing a meditation program in school.
Mariko Nobori
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
Infographic: Meditation in Schools Across America
As a growing body of research points to positive outcomes from meditation in schools, programs are spreading across the country.
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
Risking Peace at a Troubled School
Violence and poverty were flooding the community. Stress and anxiety gripped the classrooms. Here’s how a bold schoolwide program of meditation turned the tide and made learning possible again.
David Markus