Student Mental Health and Well-Being

Family income and the ability to have and meet basic living needs (housing, food, clothing, personal hygiene, health insurance, transportation, electricity, stable internet, access to digital devices, etc.) play a critical role in a child’s sense of stability at home and overall security. Similarly, family relationship dynamics, immigration status, neighborhood and community safety, trauma, and global and local politics shape how emotionally and physically safe young people feel in their homes.

School and district efforts to communicate or facilitate resources available to families to meet basic needs and address challenges beyond school can improve students’ sense of stability at home and reduce the mental stress students often carry with them to school.

Students, families, and school staff report needing physically safe, secure, and comfortable places for learning. Students also need adequate time and space to eat nutritious and appetizing snacks and meals and to address biological needs. In addition to meeting physical needs, schools can foster strong student-teacher relationships so students have a trusted adult to turn to when in need and can equip students with tools to effectively address challenging situations, such as bullying.

Students, families, and school staff identify factors that contribute to a student’s sense of emotional safety and well-being, ultimately impacting their overall engagement in learning:

Relationships

• Strong student-teacher relationships
• Strong student peer-peer relationships
• Encouragement to participate in extracurricular activities (e.g., electives, clubs, sports, arts, leadership, etc.)
• Feeling welcomed, respected, and supported and maintaining a sense of inclusion and belonging

Tools

• Developing social-emotional skills
• Learning how to navigate and use social media in a healthy manner

Opportunities

• Access to activities that interest students and make them feel welcomed to participate
• Time and space to express feelings and challenges, and feeling supported when they do so
• Regular opportunities for special education students and general education students to interact, collaborate, and learn from one another
• Exposure to varied experiences (e.g., through curriculum, field trips, community events, festivals, etc.)

Some of the major stressors students report include juggling their school-related responsibilities with commitments that might take place outside of school, such as extracurricular activities, caring for family members, or being employed.

In addition to needing time management supports, many students express a desire for their teachers and school staff to acknowledge and account for their multiple commitments by offering flexible deadlines on assignments and encouraging students to build on the skills they develop outside of class.

Students, educators, and families share how student mental health is interdependent on the excitement and motivation students have for learning, which can be sparked by:

• Understanding how education can help them achieve their goals
• Learning materials that reflect students’ communities
• Project and theme-based learning
• Interactive, hands-on, collaborative learning
• Regular opportunities for creativity and self-expression

By prioritizing students’ mental health and wellness, districts can ensure learners feel mentally and emotionally prepared to engage academically. Many of the students, parents, and teachers identify several key factors that influence a student’s readiness to learn:

• Resources and supports that help students manage progress and encourage classroom participation
• Resources and supports in place to reduce external stressors
• School and district policies that reduce distractions from technology and social media
• Instructional practices that prevent assessment burnout

In addition to providing students with access to counselors, therapists, and school social workers, families and educators express the importance of equipping students with stress management practices, mindfulness exercises, and coping strategies.

Students find it helpful when schools embed more instructional breaks and prioritize access to safe playgrounds and recess activities, physical education, mindfulness activities, and opportunities for participation in extracurricular activities.