The path to academic recovery for schools is deeply tied to how they can meet the mental health needs of their students. However, schools are struggling to bridge the gap between the two.
As mental health needs increase in number and nature – from truancy and discipline issues to suicide prevention care – school principals are charged with defining the path forward to address them. answer.
But trying to solve the problem of poor grades cannot come at the expense of student well-being. It’s a lesson Chris Young, principal of North Country Union High School in Newport, Vt., is trying to instill in his teaching staff after a rash of student suicides rocked the school. 700 students last year.
“Teachers need to proactively talk about uncomfortable topics like suicide awareness and prevention with their students. It is not an easy task. but they have to, especially when (our school) has lost students,” Young said during a Nov. 21 webinar hosted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
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Young was one of three principals who shared their strategies for equipping their schools to identify and provide the appropriate support to struggling students.
“We don’t just rely on our staff, but we also bring in outside voices to talk about issues like bipolar disorder or substance abuse. Students like to listen to them, not just their teachers,” Young said.
Located in a ski resort, Young’s school brought in professional skier Drew Peterson to speak to students about his own struggles with bipolar disorder.
Young said it’s also important to continue the conversation, and not limit it to a one-time school assembly, which has little impact on students.
A guest expert speaker at Young’s school sent reading materials and items such as T-shirts to drum up interest ahead of his upcoming talk on substance abuse and drug prevention. Students, Young said, created clubs in advance to discuss these issues, and the school invited the speaker back to speak in small groups.
“Learning is better in these smaller environments,” Young said.
Build trust with families
Like Young’s school in Vermont, most of Sham Bevel’s students are from low-income families.
Bevel is the principal of the Bayside Sixth Grade Campus, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a single grade school. Focusing on a single grade, Bevel said, allows for a focus on specific issues, like the mental health issues that come with the transition from elementary to middle school, where students typically have more teachers and multiple responsibilities.
At first, Bevel said his school had three goals, one of which related to “attendance issues.”
“I wanted us to focus on social and emotional support, rather than attendance as a disciplinary issue. We reframed the goal by working on a sense of belonging for our students,” Bevel said.
With a high number of students from low-income backgrounds, Bevel said it is important to understand what situations their families are in and meet their needs. Bayside’s sole student advisor has made it a cornerstone of her approach.
“The advisor goes to the families, often brings them hygiene products if these families are accommodated in hotels. We’ve even hand-delivered Thanksgiving meals, complete with sides,” Bevel said. For students and parents, the counselor is a “neutral party,” so they feel more comfortable opening up to her.
By building trust, the counselor can get more information from the parents.
“She created a space for gentle, supportive conversations with students in the schools and their families outside,” Bevel said.
Teachers are essential, but they must avoid assuming children’s needs
Community outside of school is essential to student well-being. But among all those involved in the building industry, teachers are on the front line.
Increasing their ability to identify mental health issues among their students has become Nicole Bottomley’s key strategy.
Bottomley is the principal of King Phillip Regional High School in Wrentham, Massachusetts, which serves as a regional school for 1,150 students from three neighboring towns. Bottomley said mental health issues like school avoidance and the lack of emotional regulation became evident after the pandemic.
Teachers are always the first to notice any changes in a student’s behavior, Bottomley said. They must therefore be armed with effective strategies to approach a student who may be facing a challenge.
But Bottomley cautions that teachers shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
“If a teacher assumes that a particular student is not motivated to learn or is always missing class, then the teacher should look for evidence behind their assertions,” Bottomley said.
The second step is to determine what is preventing a student from doing their work. “Do they have access to homework? Do they have a place to study? Have they developed time management skills? We need to start with more fundamental questions,” Bottomley added.
Over time, the school developed a common language to address student difficulties.
“Seeing students thrive after receiving support is great for my mental health,” Bottomley said.
