Research & Impact

The 2024 Mattering Curriculum Pilot

In 2024, we piloted a three-lesson mattering curriculum — developed by Dr. Sarah Bennison, rooted in interdisciplinary scholarship and designed for engaging user experience — across 11 educational communities, from urban public schools to independent and boarding schools, serving grades 6 through 12. 40% of our pilot schools serve predominantly low-income students. Students and teachers completed pre- and post-lesson surveys, offering an early, preliminary picture of how young people experience mattering at school — and how a short, structured intervention can begin to shift that experience.

“Bringing 'mattering' into focus instantly reveals its importance.”
— Teacher, 2024 Pilot
11
participating educational communities, grades 6–12
11,426
students enrolled across participating communities
1,398
student pre-lesson surveys submitted
166
teacher survey responses (91 pre, 75 post) across 16 schools
Before The Lessons

What students told us

Pre-lesson surveys asked students to rate their own sense of importance and reliance at school, and to identify the emotional challenges most present in their lives.

64%
of students rated their sense of importance at school 6 or above (out of 10); 36% rated it 5 or below, with lower relative scores outside of 6th and 12th grade.
82%
of students reported feeling stress and anxiety. 38% reported a lack of trust, 32% loneliness or lack of community connection, and 24% depression.
95%
of students report having an adult in their life they would turn to in a mental health emergency or when they're struggling.

Importance and Reliance move together

The survey data reflects the interlocking nature of mattering's components. Among students who rated their sense of importance at 5 or below, 65% also rated reliance — whether others depend on their contribution — at 5 or below. Among students who rated importance at 6 or above, 72% also rated reliance at 6 or above. Feeling valued and being depended upon appear to rise and fall together, consistent with the framework's premise that the three components of mattering are interconnected rather than independent.

A question of psychological safety

95% of students report having an adult in their life they would turn to in a mental health emergency or when they're struggling. Yet 96% report that they would not go to that adult at school. The trusted adult exists — just not, for nearly all students, inside the building where they spend most of their day. That gap raises real questions about psychological safety on school campuses.

A Gap Worth Naming

Students want to talk. Many don't feel they can.

62%
of students responded "no" or "not sure" when asked whether their school feels like a safe place to talk openly about social or emotional issues.
46%
said "no" or "not sure" when asked whether school teaches them strategies for managing stress.
66%
said they feel they matter more when they do well or succeed — a conditional form of mattering the curriculum is designed to address.
After The Lessons

What changed after three lessons

Of the 1,398 students who submitted a pre-lesson survey, 599 completed the post-lesson feedback survey after participating in all three lessons.

Three Lessons. One Hour.

The three pilot lessons took one hour to teach. Survey results show that it only takes an hour learning about mattering to begin to change students' outlook, their relationships, and the conversations happening in schools.

56%
of student respondents (337 of 599) said they came away with a better understanding of their relationships or community after the three lessons.
45% of those students said the lessons opened up conversations about mental health, relationships, or community.
56% of those students said they'd feel comfortable continuing those conversations going forward.
The Educator Perspective

What teachers reported

91 teachers across 16 schools completed the pre-pilot survey; 75 completed the feedback survey after facilitating the three-lesson module.

85%

of teachers report stress and anxiety as the biggest wellbeing issue in their school.

92%

of teachers see mattering as a concept they can apply in other classes they teach.

77%

say they have Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming in place

vs.
67%

say their school does not offer a dedicated mental health or wellness curriculum

A distinction between SEL programming and mental health–specific curriculum.
69%

of teachers gained strategies to address mental health concerns for themselves or their students — after just two modules (40 minutes).

65%

reported a stronger awareness of how they add value or contribute.

67%

feel more comfortable speaking about emotional issues or mental health at school

and
65%

felt more prepared to lead conversations about mental health with students

After just two, 20-minute modules.

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About this research

These findings come from a 2024 curriculum pilot, a single-group, pre/post survey design conducted across 11 educational communities. Participation was voluntary and self-reported, response rates varied by school and grade, and the pilot did not include a comparison group. Several schools (including IMS and Stuyvesant) submitted pre-lesson surveys only and are reflected in pre-lesson figures but not in post-lesson outcomes.

Given these constraints, the results should be read as preliminary and directional rather than as evidence of a controlled effect.

“
Engaging with the mattering curriculum and resources brought my students together in a deeper connected way than I have seen previously; the sense of vulnerability that this project created was extremely beneficial to making students feel heard, seen, and valued while being taught how to chase things that make them feel like they matter and foster a community that does the same.
— Teacher, 2024 Pilot