New Report: Mental Health in Schools

Posted by on July 21, 2006

[posted from Public Education Network newsblast]

CURRENT STATUS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS

At present, mental health activity is going on in schools with competing agenda vying for the same dwindling resources. Diverse school and community stakeholders are attempting to address complex, multifaceted, and overlapping psychosocial and mental health concerns in highly fragmented and marginalized ways. This has led to inappropriate competition for sparse resources and inadequate results. The bottom line is that limited efficacy seems inevitable as long as the full continuum of necessary programs is unavailable and staff development remains deficient; limited cost effectiveness seems inevitable as long as related interventions are carried out in isolation of each other; limited systemic change is likely as long as the entire enterprise is marginalized in policy and practice. The current state of affairs calls for realigning policy and practice around a unifying and cohesive framework. The report includes specific examples of policies that are moving schools in new
directions for providing student/learning supports.

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/currentstatusmh.htm