The Willows Community School proudly announces that Lisa Rosenstein, Head of School, is the recipient of the 2025 Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence Marvin Maurer Award recognizing an outstanding educator who has made a significant difference in children’s lives and leadership in implementing Yale’s RULER social emotional learning program.
The award was presented at the 2025 Yale Center for Emoitonal Intelligence Implementation Conference in New Haven, Connecticut on October 27 by Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Co-Creator of RULER, a systemic approach to social and emotional learning.
The Marvin Maurer Award recognizes educators who have made an outstanding commitment to embedding emotional intelligence into the fabric of a school, district, or community, and who are committed to using the power of emotions to create a healthier and more equitable, innovative, and compassionate society. With this award, Ms. Rosenstein is being distinguished among hundreds of thousands of RULER educators across 27 countries.
“On behalf of our Board of Trustees and The Willows community, we congratulate Lisa on this tremendous honor, which is a reflection of her steadfast dedication to every facet of our school and community life,” states Co-Chair of The Willows Board of Trustees Zack Faigen. “The Marvin Maurer Award is a fitting recognition of Lisa’s leadership and her contributions for more than a decade to promoting student and family wellbeing and pushing forward the important social emotional learning that happens at our school and at schools across the West Coast.”
“I share this award with my dedicated faculty, administration, and staff for their efforts in seamlessly and creatively integrating social emotional learning into our classrooms and daily school life,” says Lisa Rosenstein. “We have had many opportunities to share RULER with our colleagues and continue to embrace those experiences. Community is an intentional part of our name, and one of the ways we reflect that culture is by forwarding the impact of social emotional learning.
About The Willows: Founded in 1994, The Willows Community School in Culver City, California, is a Developmental Kindergarten through 8th grade non-profit, co-educational independent school enrolling 470 students annually. Nationally recognized as a balanced, progressive educational leader, The Willows’ strong academic program incorporates experiential learning and thematic instruction into cutting-edge curriculum and integrates technology and the arts into the classroom. Committed to financial assistance, The Willows seeks a broad-based student body with a diversity of race, ethnicity, economics, and learning styles. 44% of its student body is comprised of students of color, and the school annually enrolls students from 51+ zip codes across the greater Los Angeles area. www.thewillows.org
