October 9, 2009 – A conference on education began yesterday at the nation’s capitol, but the topic of conversation was not about business as usual. There was no talk about standardized tests, national learning standards, charter schools, or higher pay for teachers.

Educators, scientists, and the Dalai Lama convened in Washington, DC to discuss how to build certain characteristics in students that are not normally taught in schools: social responsibility, self-control, and compassion.  The conference focused on how to teach children to become responsible adults—a topic that is all too rare in the world of education.

“Cultivating compassion is not something this country thinks about doing,” says psychologist Daniel Goleman.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is busy handing out billions of government dollars to help push his education reforms. However, many teachers, students, and parents are wondering if the money will go towards issues like preventing school bullying and providing nutritious meals to students.  Even though these subjects aren’t directly related to teaching, they still have a powerful impact on education. Students are not able to learn effectively when they are bullied, hungry, or aren’t able to socialize with their peers.

The opening session at the conference brought the Dalai Lama together with some of the nation’s top child advocates. Duncan has repeatedly expressed interest in teaching methods that cater to the child as a whole (both mind and body), but many teachers are disappointed that these discussions haven’t been more than talk. Many see his efforts as nothing more than a continuation of the Bush administration’s emphasis on high stakes standardized testing.

However, past education policies were nowhere to be seen in the conference, which focused on how to empower children.

“Teaching compassion is not just a word,” The Dalai Lama said. “It is through your actions that you develop compassion.”

Jacquelynne S. Eccles, a professor of psychology and education at the University of Michigan, discussed a recent project in a middle school. It took a few 7th graders who were behind in school and on the road to dropping out, and gave them the job of tutoring first-graders.

“An unbelievable thing happened,” she said. “The entire group went through high school.”

In order to teach the first-graders, the middle school students had to improve their own reading skills. In the process of doing so, they improve their confidence and realized that they could also be successful in school.

The conference also focused on how to teach compassion to today’s students. Educator Linda Darling-Hammond says that it’s important to start each relationship with a student by finding something positive to say to him or her. Developing schools that give teachers the time and freedom to do this is essential, she said.

Are you wondering how education relates to the Dalai Lama? As a huge proponent of education, he is a co-founder of the Mind and Life Institute, which brings together science with traditional Buddhist theories and practices on the nature of the mind. However, you didn’t have to be a Buddhist to learn something at the conference.

“If you are not holy and you are happy, good!” The Dalai Lama said to the forum.