Kim Schonert-Reichl

Kim Schonert-Reichl is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago, within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her work focuses on advancing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in educational contexts, with a particular emphasis on mindfulness-based interventions, teacher well-being, and the mental health of immigrant/refugee youth. She has led population-level studies on child and adolescent development, including validation of instruments like the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) and the Student Experience of Teacher Support Scale.

• Key affiliations: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago
• Key collaborations: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), BC Child Development Institute

Research interests include:

• Neuroscience of empathy and compassion in children
• Trauma-informed education frameworks
• SEL program adaptation and teacher implementation challenges
• Digital socialization and adolescent mental health

Recent work highlights the intersection of SEL with global crises like the pandemic, exploring how teachers' mental health impacts students' cortisol levels and classroom dynamics. She has pioneered randomized controlled trials for mindfulness programs in high-risk populations and developed measures assessing kindness, self-compassion, and power imbalance in bullying.

Grants and funding have supported large-scale studies across Canada and Africa, focusing on SEL in crisis-affected contexts. Her work is characterized by translational research bridging neuroscience, education policy, and public health.