Former Chiefs WebBrief: The Pursuit of Happiness as a Foundational American Ideal

Moderated by Gerald Zahorchak, Alliance of Former Chief State School Officers

This program is part of a series of WebBriefs hosted by The Alliance of Former Chief State School Officers.

There is no CE certificate for this program.

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This WebBrief, hosted by the Alliance of Former Chief State School Officers, explores the pursuit of happiness as a foundational American ideal and its modern applications in positive psychology to boost student outcomes.

The session opens with the pursuit of happiness from the Declaration of Independence, drawing on National Constitution Center insights into Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin’s debates on this right as essential to liberty and self-governance.

Next, an overview of positive psychology traces its origins to Martin Seligman, its founding father, who shifted focus from pathology to strengths, well-being, and flourishing. This leads into Shawn Achor’s acclaimed TED Talk, rooted in his Harvard research—where he earned over a dozen teaching awards for the university’s most popular positive psychology course—demonstrating how optimism training enhances productivity, reading, and math scores in schools and businesses.

The presentation concludes with open dialogue among Alliance members, sharing personal experiences of pursuing happiness in educational leadership and policy.

The mission of the Alliance of Former Chief State School Officers is to explore and support important education issues with a collegial, thoughtful, reasonable, and just approach that provides perspective and supports leadership in providing excellent and equitable education.