Background: School nurses are often tasked with identifying and managing mental and behavioral health concerns. The objective of this study was to better understand school nurse and school preparedness to identify and manage mental health conditions and psychological stressors. Methods: The authors developed a questionnaire, which was…

"The issue of what to do in response to suicidal students is anything but a clear one" (Harshbarger, 2014, para. 3). How to best support students with severe mental illness is an ongoing challenge for institutions of higher education. Institutions must adapt to a rapidly changing landscape of evolving federal policy, case law, and…

Eleven states offer 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid waivers to organize and fund programs that provide in-home and community support services to address the unique needs of children and youth with complex mental health concerns and their families. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic-imposed restrictions on community…

School-based mental health clinics are the ideal venue to provide mental health services for youth due to their accessibility and lack of stigma compared with other community treatment centers. There were challenges associated with the abrupt shift to remote education and clinic services caused by COVID-19, but some school-based mental health…

Programming aimed at promoting positive student mental health and reducing or preventing mental-ill health is common within schools in Ontario. A brief, valid, and scalable measure was needed to assess the organizational conditions, or the capacity, readiness, and resources of schools to successfully implement and sustain this programming. In…

Many community college students across the country face financial constraints and unmet basic needs for food and housing, and colleges now view such basic needs supports as food pantries and emergency aid as a core strategy for supporting student success. The goal of this report is to provide clear guidance to community college leadership and…

Many community college students across the country face financial constraints and unmet basic needs for food and housing. Basic needs insecurity is associated with negative academic outcomes, and many colleges now view such basic needs supports as food pantries and emergency aid as a core strategy for supporting student success. The goal of this…

Intervention following alternative events is essential for continued cognitive development. Prior research has cognitive growth models and the effect of alternative stimuli on youth when given similar foundations. Following the return to school after a national pandemic and extended school closure following the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020, it is…

The present study explored the ways school professionals adapted school-based mental health supports and services for remote delivery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We surveyed 81 school professionals (e.g., counselors, psychologists, and social workers) and conducted in-depth interviews with a subsample of professionals…

The $189.5 billion Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund was authorized by Congress to help address the urgent needs of schools brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first years of COVID-19, ESSER funding was critical to helping schools quickly and safely reopen and sustain in-person instruction. Three years later,…

This handout expands upon and consolidates information from the 2021 "RESTART & RECOVERY: Leveraging Federal COVID Relief Funding & Medicaid to Support Student & Staff Wellbeing & Connection" resource. It includes guidance about how states can utilize federal relief funding to expand school Medicaid to support student…

Federal funding to support K-12 schools in responding to and recovering from the pandemic is primarily provided through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund, established through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Pub. L. No. 116-136 on March 27, 2020. This Annual Performance Report covers…

The purpose of the current study was to explore graduate students' mental health and educational experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Graduate students (N = 28) in Canada completed an online survey consisting of both closed- and open-ended questions related to their mental health, degree progress, and access to campus workspace. Data were…

This qualitative study was conducted to investigate the impact COVID-19 had on teachers' instructional practices, technology preparedness, and social and emotional well-being. The results of this study can be used to inform school leaders, administrators, and teachers about methods to support teachers who teach during a worldwide crisis. The study…

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced the "Raise the Bar: Lead the World" initiative to use decades of research and professional experience to transform public education and advance education equity. There are three focus areas: (1) Achieve Academic Excellence; (2) Boldly Improve Learning Conditions; and (3) Create Pathways…