Isaiah B. Pickens, PhDAn iOpening Enterprises’

Professional Development Experience

The Rise of Behavioral and Mental Health Needs Among Students

Presented by

POLL QUESTION

What behavioral or mental health challenges do you most frequently deal with in your school or district?a. Anxious/worried behaviorb. Hyperactive behaviorc. Depression or suicidal behaviord. Substance usee. Aggressive behaviorf. Nothing compared to my kids at home

WHY THE RISE?The complexity of challenges students face in school and outside of school has increased in the information age

Types of challenges students face related to behavioral and mental health:

• Anxiety • Depression • Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

and trauma• Increased awareness of biological

underpinnings of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Twenge, J. M. (2011). Generational differences in mental health: Are children and adolescents suffering more, or less?. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(4),

469.

IMPACT ON SCHOOL CLIMATEImpact on students and academic performance

• Impaired social-emotional skills to manage stress and behavior• Increased mental focus on issues unrelated to academics• Disruptive behavior that undermines positive school climate

Impact on staff and overall climate• Burnout and secondary traumatic stress among admin/staff• School climate and culture can become deficit-focused• Trust erodes between:

• Students and teachers• Teachers and administration• Administration and district leaders• Parents and school

COMMON APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES

Double down on punitive approaches

Use student support services without fidelity or adequate staffing and resourcing

Introduce multiple whole-school approaches simultaneously

WHY THESE COMMON APPROACHES FAIL STUDENTS & SCHOOLS

Focused on crisis management vs. root causes of behavior challenges

No common language creates miscommunication

Fragmented systems prevent a holistic view of students and create missed academic opportunities

WHY USE A HOLISTIC APPROACH GUIDED BY IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE

POLL QUESTION:What have been the most successful whole school approaches your school or district has used in the past year?a. A social-emotional learning programb. Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS)c. A trauma-informed whole school programd. A restorative justice programe. When I told them just do what I say and they did it

WHY USE A HOLISTIC APPROACH GUIDED BY IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE

Moullin, J. C., Dickson, K. S., Stadnick, N. A., Rabin, B., & Aarons, G. A. (2019). Systematic review of the

exploration, preparation, implementation, sustainment (EPIS) framework. Implementation Science, 14(1), 1.

Retrieved from www.episframework.com

Implementation science creates a common language

EFFECTIVE TARGETED STRATEGIES USING IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE

Develop processes for accurately identifying need

• Use school climate data integrated with organizational assessments to identify strengths, opportunities, and gaps

• Provide screening and assessment as part of the disciplinary process

• Identify warm and cool spots in the school where behavioral issues occur

EFFECTIVE TARGETED STRATEGIES USING IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE

Infuse a relational approach to whole-school and targeted responses to behavior and mental health challenges

• Integrate social emotional learning (SEL) and trauma-informed approaches

• Destigmatize behavior and mental health challenges with relational expectations and routines

• Support restorative practices to repair the damage caused by behavior challenges and maintain accountability

EFFECTIVE TARGETED STRATEGIES USING IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE

Partner with school mental health, community-based organizations, and families to create alternatives to punitive approaches

• Integrate mental and behavioral health resources in traditionally academic spaces

• Address educator stress with staff wellness resources provided by the community

• Integrate culturally-responsive approaches by engaging cultural brokers to gain understanding and buy-in for alternatives to punitive approaches

SCHOOL BUILDS MOMENTUM THROUGH COALITION BUILDING

Engaged school-wide trauma-informed and culturally-responsive professional development

Inventoried school-wide and classroom practices creating psychological safety and identified gaps that trigger students and that fail to use early warning signs

Formed implementation team to integrate multiple whole school approaches and address staff wellness

DISTRICT USES DISTRICT LEVEL CHANGE TO ALIGN SCHOOLS’ INITIATIVESUnderstood that schools in district had varying initiatives related to SEL, restorative justice, and trauma-informed practices without a guiding set of principles

Created a district level department focused on creating a strategic plan to guide schools’ integration of non-academic programming focused on social-emotional development

Identified support services functions that would benefit integration into whole-school approaches and adjusted provision of services to destigmatize use

Credit: Cincinnati Public Schools Positive School Culture Team

RISKS AND REWARDS: THE POTENTIAL MISSED AND GAINED OPPORTUNITIES

Poll Question: What has been your most surprising success from your school or district’s behavioral or mental health programming?a. Students academic outcomes improving due to supportb. Increased student-teacher or student-student connectednessc. More equitable discipline practices throughout schoold. Staff feel more confident about managing student behaviore. That it’s still funded

RISKS AND REWARDS: THE POTENTIAL MISSED AND GAINED OPPORTUNITIES

Students have the potential to disrupt school climate or achieve academically when schools reframe their understanding of behavior

When student mental health and behavioral needs are mishandled educators become overwhelmed vs feeling supported and connected to their work when schools address the issues

Students with a variety of life experiences bring a richness to schools that can be used to create a more academically engaging

school experience

MOVING TOWARD EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATIONTake first step with effective strategic planning and buy-in

• Engage organizational assessments

• Identify strengths and gaps currently within district to reach priorities

• Build implementation teams representing multiple stakeholders

MOVING TOWARD EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION

Scale with intention through consensus building

• Create a common language through professional development and peer coaching

• Use Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) approaches to pilot processes

• Identify and engage champions to spread effective practices

MOVING TOWARD EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATIONSustain progress with ongoing support and data

• Develop processes to review non-academic outcomes that have implications for academic experience

• Integrate cultural understanding of students, school personnel, and community to align new approaches with cultural values

• Create communication feedback loops to ensure adjustments to processes based on best available science and practices

For More Information ContactIsaiah B. Pickens, PhDFounder/CEOiOpening Enterprisesinfo@iopeningenterprises.com

Stephanie TaylorClinical Director, PsychEd ServicesPresenceLearningstephanie@presencelearning.com