The US Department of Education released a resource for schools on supporting students’ social, emotional, behavioral and mental health needs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Executive Summary:
Many children and students struggle with mental health challenges that impact their full access to
and participation in learning, and these challenges are often misunderstood and can lead to behaviors that are inconsistent with school or program expectations.
The COVID-19 global pandemic intensified these challenges, accelerating the need to provide school-based mental health support and leverage our accumulated knowledge about how to
provide nurturing educational environments to meet the needs of our nation’s youth. This resource highlights seven key challenges to providing school- or program-based mental health
support across early childhood, K–12 schools, and higher education settings, and presents seven
corresponding recommendations:
- Prioritize Wellness for Every Child, Student, Educator, and Provider
- Enhance Mental Health Literacy and Reduce Stigma and Other Barriers to Access
- Implement a Continuum of Evidence-Based Prevention Practices
- Establish an Integrated Framework of Educational, Social, Emotional, and Behavioral-Health Support for All
- Leverage Policy and Funding
- Enhance Workforce Capacity to Address Gaps in Professional Development
- Use Data to Guide Decision Making to Promote Equitable Implementation and Outcomes