“Kids who suffer from mental health disorders…inevitably miss out on opportunities for learning and building relationships.” -David Anderson, expert on schools and mental health at the Child Mind Institute

There are more than 50 million public school students in the United States, and as many as 1 in 5 show signs of a mental health disorders—conditions that disrupts a person’s mood, thought or behavior, often for a long period of time. Most of these students, nearly 80% , won’t receive any form of treatment.  The research is clear: when these needs are unmet, students are much more likely to underachieve, be absent from school, be suspended or expelled, fail to graduate high school and face other negative consequences later in life.

Addressing Mental Health Needs in Michigan

In order to address this growing need, the Michigan Department of Education has established a goal to focus investment in the whole child including facilitating coordinated partnerships and initiatives with other state, local, and private agencies with proven evidence-based practices, with priority given to programs proven to increase attendance, positive behaviors, and improved coursework.  Similarly, the Kent ISD has prioritized this initiative by growing and adapting our services to our customers so that schools can engage in partnerships to develop the whole child physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

By supporting school mental health services we support the mission and purpose of schools: learning.  School mental health supports that encompass social and emotional learning, restorative practices, cultural and linguistic competency, and trauma-informed practices foster positive connections between students and adults.  These practices are essential to creating a school culture in which students feel safe and empowered to report safety concerns, which is proven to be among the most effective school safety strategies.

Changing Student Outcomes

But practices alone are not enough to change student outcomes.  An Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) is a structure and process to integrate a multi-tier system of supports for behavior (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and School Mental Health within school systems. The goal is to blend resources, training, systems, data, and practices in order to improve outcomes for all children and youth. There is an emphasis on prevention, early identification, and intervention of the social, emotional, and behavior needs of students. Family and community partner involvement is critical to this framework.

A strong public education ensures every child has access to a high-quality learning experience. Key in this experience is ensuring a positive school culture and meeting the diverse needs of students in their learning— including mental and behavioral health.  Kent ISD supports the expansion of School Mental Health through the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) as a structure and process to achieve a single system of delivery across education and mental health, with active family and youth involvement.  

We invite you to learn more about this work by attending the School Mental Health Conference on June 18 & 19. This conference was sold out last year! Click here to register now! 

This blog post was written by the ISF Leadership Team at Kent ISD.