It is long been acknowledged that psychosocial and mental health concerns must be addressed if schools are to function satisfactorily and students are to learn and perform effectively. This reality is reflected in the aims of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And, it is consonant with the goals and recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Indeed, these initiatives reflect a shared agenda and must coalesce in school improvement policies and initiatives in ways that more wisely invest and use sparse resources. In pursuit of a shared agenda, existing resources can be deployed and redeployed in ways that enhance equity with respect to availability, access, and effectiveness. There are about 90,000 schools in the U.S.A. In a real sense, schools are primary care and public health settings, and thus, school staff are primary care providers and agents for public health, although most don't identify as such. Moreover, our society calls on schools to serve all students without regard to disorder, disability, ethnicity, economic status, gender identity, and so forth. As a result, efforts to transform how mental health is delivered in this country need to include a specific emphasis on enhancing the focus on mental health in schools. To this end, this brief highlights ways in which the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's recommendations apply to mental health in schools. As conceived here, mental health in schools is (a) part of essential student support systems that enable students to learn so that schools can achieve their mission and (b) a fundamental facet of the initiative to transform the mental health system. (Four appendices include: (1) Highlights of the Goals and Recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health; (2) Federal Mental Health in Schools Program; (3) Note About Building on Current In-School Practices; and (4) Guidelines, Standards and Accountability for MH in Schools. Contains 2 footnotes and 1 figure.) [This brief was prepared in partnership with the Center for School Mental Health Assistance at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.]