ashley deans, ph.d.
Director of Maharishi School (K-12), Fairfield, Iowa

“Imagine you are visiting a school where there are no locks on the lockers, and a five-dollar bill is pinned on a bulletin board with a note requesting that the owner claim it.

“You step into a ninth-grade classroom to be greeted by a sea of shining faces. The students are wide awake—eager to learn. You ask a question and every hand shoots up. The students giggle with anticipation.

“A teacher tells you she has more energy after a day's teaching than before. A parent confides that her children complain on Fridays that there is no school on the weekend.

“You may wonder if you are in a dream. Could a school like this really exist? The answer is yes. I'm fortunate enough to be the director of such a school.

“So what do we do that's different? It's very simple and the students really enjoy it. For a few minutes each day they sit comfortably and practice the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation^® technique to develop their total creative potential. This effortless mental procedure produces holistic brain functioning, resulting in increased intelligence, reduced stress, and improved social behavior.

“The good news is that today any school can offer a practical, proven program that fulfills the highest aspirations of educators, parents, and students, simply by adding one period a day to the existing curriculum. This one addition will provide what has been lacking in education—new knowledge that is effective in solving the problems that plague our schools and society.”

Dr. Ashley Deans is a quantum physicist, lifelong educator, and Director of the award-winning Maharishi School (K–12) in Fairfield, Iowa, where students and teachers practice the Transcendental Meditation technique as part of its “Consciousness-Based” curriculum.

The Maharishi School, a non-sectarian institution, is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).

With an open enrollment policy, it accepts students with a wide range of academic abilities and from a broad spectrum of economic backgrounds and yet its achievements include:

• Grades 10-12 consistently scoring in the top 1% of the nation on standardized tests.
• More than 95% of graduates accepted at four-year colleges.
• Over 100 top international, national and state awards in science, mathematics, art, theatre, photography, poetry and writing.
• More top-ten finishes at the global finals of creative problem-solving competitions than any other school in the world.
• Extraordinary athletic success, including 17 state championships in the past 15 years.

For further information about the Maharishi School please visit www.Maharishischooliowa.org

George H. Rutherford, Ph.D.
Principal of the Ideal Academy Public Charter School (K–8)

“The way public and private schools are set up today, everything is stressful, and stress leads to violence. My experience using TM with teachers and students is that it relieves the stress and makes teaching and learning a lot easier. If students are required to take social studies, art, or physical education, why aren't students—and teachers—required to take the TM and Consciousness-Based program? It will make our schools much better, and it will reduce the deep stress that lead to school violence and all the other violence and terrorism in the world.”

Dr. Rutherford served for 30 years as the Principal of the Fletcher-Johnson Educational Center (K–8) in Washington, D.C., where he introduced the Transcendental Meditation technique to hundreds of students and teachers as part of the school’s “quiet time.” He is currently Principal of the Ideal Academy Public Charter School (K–8) in the District, where a two-year research study is under way on the effects of the TM program on student stress, behavior, and academic performance.

Carmen N'Namdi
Principal of the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit

“Our staff was taught the TM technique for the mental and physical health benefits that result in the work environment with the release of stress. In students, we have seen the TM program enhance study skills, academic performance, critical thinking skills, interpersonal and social skills—all because of the deep rest that the body is receiving. We are looking forward to the years to come when more and more schools and work environments will realize that not much gets done until the stress is out of the way.”

Ms. N'Namdi is Co-founder and Principal of the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit (K–8); Chair of the Board of the National Charter School Institute; and Member of the Board of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies. The Nataki School is an award-winning middle school where hundreds of teachers and students over the past nine years have learned the Transcendental Meditation technique as part of Nataki's Wellness Program.

The American University Program

American University in Washington, D.C. is the site of a landmark two-year research and demonstration project on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on student health and development—intellectual, social, emotional, and academic. The study is being conducted by the AU Psychology Department—with 300 students participating in the study from American University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, the University of the District of Columbia, Howard University, and the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

The project website provides an introduction to the AU study as well as a section on questions and answers about the Transcendental Meditation program and an overview on the use of the TM technique in educational settings.