Mia Kile, associate professor of Interior Design, is part of an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Oklahoma that is leading a new approach aimed at improving Head Start teachers’ well-being.
Their four-year project is funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and will take a holistic view of physical, psychological and professional well-being, as well as the impact of workplace conditions, for Head Start teachers in Oklahoma. Head Start programs promote school readiness through early childhood education, health, nutrition and well-being services to low-income children and families.
This project is built on a foundation of research established through the Happy Teacher Project, which examines the well-being of early childhood teachers. In collaboration with researchers from multiple disciplines at OU, the Happy Teacher Project began in 2018 through the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at OU-Tulsa.
The multidisciplinary research team includes OU faculty with expertise in physical “built” environments; the use of technology in personalizing and advancing the well-being methods; advancing the teachers’ professional development; and improving the academic literature on comprehensive educator well-being.
Mia Kile will investigate the impact of the physical environment of the teachers’ well-being.
She says, “We will assess the built environment in which teachers work to better address challenges they may face in regard to their overall health and well-being. This includes a survey of existing conditions, which we will then compare against recommended standards set by industry. When inconsistencies are found, we will provide suggested strategies for teachers or centers to implement.”
“Creating spaces that work for the teachers as well as the students is one of the things we want to try to accomplish with this project,” she added.
OU is one of six universities funded through this initiative by the Administration of Children and Families.
This post is adapted from a press release from the University of Oklahoma’s Vice President for Research and Partnerships. To read more, click the link below!
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
