In May 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new guidance on school Medicaid that is a clear victory for school health and student health. It affirms that states have flexibility in their school-based Medicaid program to allow school districts to bill Medicaid for health services delivered to all Medicaid-enrolled…

These are the supplemental tables for the report, "Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2021-22. First Look. NCES 2024-043." The report presents findings both on crime and violence in U.S. public schools and on the practices and programs schools have used to…

In the fall of 2021, Redwood City School District (RCSD) placed a full-time, district-employed mental health counselor in each of its twelve schools in order to bolster district capacity to support student mental health and wellbeing. Stanford's John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities (Gardner Center) conducted a Year 1…

This brief summarizes a study of five school districts that have been recognized for their efforts to provide high-quality services to students experiencing homelessness. The districts worked hard to identify students experiencing homelessness and supplemented modest federal funds with private funding, district funding, community-based resources,…

Responsive school mental health services require proactive family engagement at the outset of prevention and early intervention, particularly across key transition periods such as kindergarten. Universal screening for mental health is one important process within a school mental health framework to proactively engage families in a collaborative…

Online learning continues to grow at unprecedented rates. K-12 had more than 275,000 students enrolled in full-time virtual schools in 2011--2012 and over 2 million participating in at least one online course. Despite this growth, there is little research on model formation and model validation for online learning. Two research-based models were…

For this brief, the authors analyzed a cohort of children referred to Baltimore's Infants and Toddlers program (BITP), for kindergarten readiness. Usually, pediatricians, parents, or early education staff refer a child to BITP upon observing a delay in development or speech and language skills. Thereafter, BITP staff assesses the child to…

The COVID-19 pandemic has negative effects on children, adolescents, and adults. Despite these effects, information about the nature of mental health concerns and services provided to address these concerns by elementary school counselors is unknown. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine mental health concerns elementary…

Empirical engagement-promoting strategies in child and family mental health services have been identified largely within the context of clinic-based services delivered by mental health professionals. However, the magnitude of unmet youth mental health need necessitates expanding the scope of mental health services, and the associated engagement…

The focus of this report is on mental health interventions delivered in K-12 neighborhood public schools. A vast array of commercially available programs, conceptual frameworks, and approaches to school-based mental health are not unanimously recommended, applied, or agreed upon. This poses a challenge to any comprehensive description or…

This research summary "Enhancing Conditions for Learning" provides information on: (1) social and emotional learning; (2) bullying; (3) school climate; (4) wellness; (5) family-school partnerships; and (6) school mental health services.

As the nation transitions from responding to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to navigating its ongoing impact on youth and their communities, K-12 students continue to experience mental health and wellbeing challenges. In the fall of 2021, Redwood City School District (RCSD) placed a full-time, district-employed mental health counselor in each…

Sharing and integrating data across the variety of public systems, including public health insurance, child care subsidies, and food assistance, accessed by children and families is crucial to providing decision-makers with complete and accurate information that they can use to shape and improve services. This brief highlights projects implemented…

Schools are uniquely positioned to impact student health and academic outcomes through health and wellness policies. The purpose of this study was to describe factors influencing implementation of school health and wellness policies, specifically those focused on physical activity and nutrition. In-depth, stakeholder interviews were conducted with…

Background: Understanding teachers' appraisals of student wellness services and supports during COVID-19 is essential to strengthening services and improving student health outcomes. This mixed-method study aimed to examine US PK-12 teachers' appraisals of student wellness services and supports during COVID-19. Methods: This study focuses on…