Exploratory Pilot Case Study on Compassionate Leadership Training as an Upstream Measure to Address Workplace Stress in School Leaders

Prior research on compassion fatigue and burnout has suggested that understanding and developing compassion and self-compassion has positive effects on mental health. At present in Alberta, Canada, few education programs integrate information about how to become a compassionate leader in teacher or school leader training, despite this mission being highly valued across school jurisdictions. This exploratory pilot study focused on the short- and longer-term influence of providing compassionate leadership training with one group of teachers and school leaders (n = 30) over a six-month period. The guiding question for this research study was as follows: What is the influence of integrating compassionate leadership training on teachers’ and school leaders’ practices directly following and six months after receiving training? Quantitative data were collected via pre- and post-training online surveys, and qualitative interviews (n = 9) were held with volunteers six months after the completion of the intervention. Data analysis of the surveys suggested that training in compassionate leadership had short-term positive impacts on individuals, with gains across all measured items, and the interview data analysis provided a tentative framework for compassionate pedagogy for Kindergarten to Grade 12 school settings. This study is unique because training in compassionate leadership is an emerging practice in K-12 settings and has the potential to improve student and staff wellbeing.