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School ClimatePolicy Levers for Mental Health Services
Kelly Vaillancourt-Strobach, Ph.D, NCSPNational Association of School PsychologistsDirector, Government and Professional Relations
What is School Climate?• “…the quality and character of school life…”
• “…sets the tone for all the learning and teaching done in the school environment…“
• “. . . is predictive of students’ ability to learn and develop in healthy ways.”– -National School Climate Center
Key Elements of a Positive School Climate
1. Interpersonal Relationships– Social Support
2. Institutional Environment– Connectedness and engagement
3. Safety– Physical AND Psychological Safety
4. Teaching and Learning– Learning Supports
*National School Climate Center
Think of a School…• Did you feel safe?• Did you feel welcomed?• Do other students feel safe and welcomed?• Do the staff feel supported?• Do students and staff feel
connected to the school and each other?
• Did positive relationships exist?
What Is the Purpose of Education?
• College and Career Readiness?• Boosting Learning?• School Boards (Peifer, 2014)
– 75% respondents identified “helping student fulfill their potential” or “prepare students for a satisfying and productive life”
– Only 16% chose preparing for college or career
• Common theme – we need to teach people, not a curriculum
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness
Mental health also encompasses social, emotional, and behavioral wellness and the ability to cope with life’s challenges.
Brass Tacks
Mental health is a pre-requisite to effective learning
Viewing mental health services in schools as a luxury or extra-curricular service undermines learning outcomes.
Need for Mental Health Supports
• Divorce• Financial difficulties• Homelessness• Family conflict• Violence• Deployment• Death• Unemployment• Bullying• Academic Difficulties
Need for Mental Health Supports• Approximately 1 in 3 students report being bullied
each year▫ Bullying and harassment is associated with
increased depression and anxiety for bullies, victims, and bystanders
• Approximately 2.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 reported a major depressive episode in the past year
• Nearly 6 out 10 of these adolescents did not receive any treatment
• Overall, 1 in 5 of children and adolescents in the U.S. experience signs and symptoms of a mental health problem and 5% experience “extreme functional impairment”
Why Not Let Community Services Handle This?
• Where the kids go• Multiple barriers to accessing mental
health services in community
• Research is clear– Most kids in need of support do not access
supports in the community
Mental Health Supports
• School-employed mental health professionals– School psychologists– School social workers– School counselors
• MTSS– Range of supports of varying intensity based
on need– Individual, small group, classroom, school-
wide, district-wide– Prevention and intervention
The Good NewsEnsuring student access to mental health supports and MTSS:
• improves student mental wellness, behavioral functioning, and academic achievement.
• improves educational outcomes by decreasing absences, discipline referrals and improving test scores.
• reduces special education referrals
• improve aspects of the school climate
More Good NewsPositive School Climates:
• improve academic achievement
• reduce the likelihood of risky behaviors
• helps foster increased student engagement
• improves overall school safety
MTSS Serves the Whole Child
Math Calculation
Reading Fluency
Social Skills
Attendance
Social Studies
Witness to violence/gangs
Class participation
Self Esteem
Self-Regulation
Science
Reading Decoding
Reading Comprehension
Communication skills
Solution 1: Funding• Increase funding for ESEA Title I and IV;
and IDEA• Appropriate funds for:
– The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program
– School Climate Transformation Grants– Comprehensive School Safety Initiative– Safe Schools/Healthy Students– Project Aware
Solution 2: Support Policies that• Encourage MTSS (e.g. PBIS, RTI)• Include measures of school climate in
accountability plans• Require consultation with SISP in local
and state schoolwide plans• Allow Title II professional development
funds to be used for SEL• Create an office or point person within the
Department of Education to coordinate efforts
Support Policies that• Expands access to school based mental
health programs• Increase ratios of school employed mental
health professionals• Encourage collaborative school-
community partnerships• Encourage measures of school quality and
availability of learning supports in accountability plans
• Prohibit bullying and harassment
Current ESEA Proposals• Safe Schools Improvement Act• Student Nondiscrimination Act• Grants for the Integration of MH and
Schools• Mental Health First Aid Training• Professional development for social-
emotional learning
Key Messages
• Positive mental health and school climate matters to student and school success.
• Sustained investment in both represents an investment in academic success.
• Policy makers need to be intentional and directive about their support of these policies and practices
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