Diverse group of educators stand with their arms around each other in support

Flourishing Schools: Exploring Purpose, Empathy, and Gratitude for the Greater Good (Fall 2026)

Join us in building happier, kinder schools where everyone belongs.

Date: Fall 2026
Venue/Type: Online
Price: $149

Overview

“I think the feeling of community and support helped me the most. It helped me to be bold, to be true to me, and take action.”—2025 Greater Good Educator

 

Greater Good Educators is a research-based professional development experience designed to support educators in fostering personal and collective well-being. In this supportive community of practice (CoP), educators from around the world learn with and from each other to build kinder, happier schools where everyone belongs.

 

The community of practice meets for 90 minutes three times per month for three months. Each session is grounded in cutting-edge science and built to support real-world application to help educators care for themselves and the students, colleagues, and communities they serve. In addition, CoP members receive exclusive access to digital content hubs that provide videos, resources, and practices describing the science-based “what, why, and how” of each topic.

 

Come ready to connect, reflect, and grow with fellow educators as we build kinder, happier classrooms where everyone belongs!

Registration for this program will open on April 13, 2026!

 

 

Logistics & Cost

What’s Included:

  • Three 90-minute facilitated sessions per month, for three months (nine sessions total), with the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley
  • Flexible meeting times, with sessions happening four different times each week, so you can attend a time that fits within your schedule.
  • A digital content hub with articles, videos, and practices curated specifically for each month’s theme, including takeaways that can be applied immediately in your context
  • A space for community building and belonging to nurture your spirit and reconnect you with your purpose in education

 

When and Where Will We Meet?

  • Each community of practice meets three times per month over three months (for a total of 9 Zoom sessions).
  • We offer flexible meeting times, with sessions happening four different times each week, so you can attend a time that fits within your schedule.
  • Meeting Dates:
    • September 8-24, 2026
    • October 6-22, 2026
    • November 3-19, 2026
  • Meeting Time Options (all meeting times listed in Pacific Time, use a time zone converter to find the times for your time zone):
    • Tuesdays: 4:30 – 6:00 pm PT
    • Wednesdays: 2:00 – 3:30 pm PT
    • Thursdays: 9:00 – 10:30 am PT
    • A fourth option will also be added, appropriate for participants in Asia/Australia

 

What is the cost?

  • The program cost is $149.
    • We offer a sliding scale for registration ($99- $209). Visit the CoP registration page for more details about the sliding scale.
    • 30% discount for teams of 5 or more who join together. Please reach out to us at ggsceducation@berkeley.edu for more information on group discounts.

 

Do you offer course credits or CEUs?

  • After completing this CoP, you will receive a certificate with 15 clock hours from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.
    You will also be eligible to earn one unit of graduate-level credit from the University of the Pacific through Courses4Teachers (additional fees apply). For more information about this option, visit Courses4Teachers and review their process for registration.

 

Registration for this program will open on April 13, 2026!

 

Monthly Themes

September 2026: Purpose

In September, clarify your purpose as an educator, and help cultivate a sense of purpose in your students and/or school community.

Connecting to a sense of purpose is both an important aspect of well-being and a consequential indicator of a life well lived. Just like attending to our own well-being allows us to better care for our students, living into our own sense of purpose can help to inspire and guide students towards finding meaning in theirs.

 

October 2026: Empathy

In October, reflect on how to keep your heart open, set healthy boundaries, and create the conditions for students and staff to genuinely care for one another.

All humans benefit from cultivating empathy, but as educators, we have so many extra human hearts to care for – that growing our own empathy becomes a vital aspect of our work.

 

November 2026: Gratitude

In November, support your own gratitude practice and help build a culture of gratitude in your school and/or classroom.

Gratitude is a powerful practice for educators—one that leads to reductions in burnout, increased well-being, and improvements in relationships. Gratitude can also help students by fostering well-being, positive relationships, and success in school.

CoP Facilitators

White woman with blond hair smiling

Margaret Golden, Ed.D.

Margaret Golden, Ed.D., plans and facilitates GGSC communities of practice to provide educators with transformative explorations in the science of well-being and social-emotional learning. Margaret is passionate about educational equity and the creation of trustworthy spaces for engaging in heartfelt, often difficult, conversations. More about Margaret Golden.

“Participation in this program allowed for me to pause and reconnect with a very important part of my work. It acted as time for self-care and connection with a community that is truly important to me.”
–2025 Greater Good Educator