Of all the challenges that threaten the well-being of America’s schoolchildren, one of the most serious and severe is the lack of school counselors and school psychologists. Despite the increased demand for their services, there’s simply not enough professionals in these fields to go around.
President Joe Biden released a Mental Health Strategy in 2022 that seeks to provide mental health care to more children. And in May 2023, the Biden administration announced US$286 million for 264 grantees to train and hire school mental health professionals – a move that grantees say will enable them to prepare more than 14,000 new mental health professionals for America’s schools. That’s a significant number, but schools would need to hire more than five times that amount to meet recommended ratios.
As a professor of school psychology – and as a recipient of one of those grants – I also know that as important as it is to train more school counselors and school psychologists, increasing their numbers alone is not enough to change the course of the rising mental health needs among America’s children and youth. That is, doubling staffing of mental health professionals in schools doesn’t guarantee they will be used effectively or appropriately. Without accompanying changes to school systems and priorities, I fear the mental health needs among our youth will continue to accelerate, as it did during the pandemic.
To address this challenge, I see three areas where schools need to revamp the way they meet students’ mental health needs.
1. Free up school counselors and school psychologists
Of all the challenges that threaten the well-being of America’s schoolchildren, one of the most serious and severe is the lack of school counselors and school psychologists. Despite the increased demand for their services, there’s simply not enough professionals in these fields to go around.
Canada is further reducing the number of study permits it will grant to foreign students and tightening eligibility for work permits in a bid to cut down on
The Golden State is making transitional kindergarten an option for all four-year-olds. As California expands this program statewide, parents are mulling over whether to enroll their preschoolers in transitional kindergarten. Transitional kindergarten acts as a bridge, helping little ones adjust to the classroom setting through interactive play that builds social abilities. Back in 2012, transitional kindergarten kicked off to give those youngsters who narrowly missed kindergarten age cutoffs a head start. These days, California is throwing open the doors of transitional kindergarten to any four-year-old wanting that pre-kindergarten experience. The timeline is: By fall 2025 and future years, any child
ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski is retiring from broadcasting to return to his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, to take over the newly created position of general manager of the men’s basketball program