Contextual Behavioral Science and Education

Contextual behavioral science (CBS) approaches to education have the potential to produce great change and meaningful results for students, educators, and the culture at large. This chapter highlights critical issues in education and a variety of approaches for conceptualizing and addressing them. It reviews these issues, a number of behavioral and nonbehavioral agendas for tackling them, and then highlights the particular contribution that CBS can make within these contexts. The chapter presents educational programs, policies, and practices with the aim of enhancing human well-being in ever widening circles of influence. It discusses the ways to use the teaching methods to build prosocial repertoires in children, teachers, administrators, and stakeholders. The chapter details the necessary steps involved in implementing a full-scale acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) life-skills curriculum across a large educational system and addresses issues related to research and practice.