2025 ACSA Equity Institute

Today’s school leaders face a daunting task: being highly effective systems managers, instructional leaders, and community partners, all with reduced resources. The mental health needs of school leaders are often overlooked in professional development. In addition to their own stress, school leaders, especially leaders of color, often suffer from secondary traumatic stress—the emotional duress resulting from hearing about the firsthand trauma of others.

To address this, Human Resources developed an optional professional development program titled Wellness Wednesdays (WW) for Administrators. The purpose of WW was to create a protected online environment where school administrators could meet for one hour after work, once a week for 10 weeks, to engage in and deepen their wellness and self-care practices. Participants learned a variety of strategies to support their well-being, including intentional breathing, stretching, walking, socializing, art, and other approaches. In addition to the professional learning, participating administrators received monetary compensation for each hour of WW they attended.

For the District, this program validated the investment of human and fiscal resources into wellness. When asked to describe the impact WW had on their long-term well-being, participants reported several themes:
• Continued Engagement: Participants applied the variety of wellness and self-care strategies they learned in the program.
• Connectedness: Participants felt less isolated in their roles and built meaningful connections with friends and colleagues.
• Gratitude and Appreciation: Participants felt valued, especially by the District, for providing this opportunity.

The results were clear: school leaders who participated in a structured, routine, protected space to learn and practice wellness strategies reported significant improvements in their sense of well-being. Participants experienced a mindset shift from viewing wellness as a voluntary practice to recognizing it as a vital one, moving from languishing to flourishing.