Resources

Schools are prioritizing students’ mental health, and there are many tools and resources to choose from. CDC created this action guide as a place to start. It can help school and district leaders build on what they are already doing to promote students’ mental health and find new strategies to ...

These 2024 editions contain major updates and an and easy-to-follow format complete with action steps, best practices, examples from the field, and more ...

In March of 2023, the U.S. Department of Education released Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates for students and school staff, featuring specific recommendations for evidence-based practices that allow students to learn, grow, and be successful ...

Providing Spanish language support for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is an important step. At SRI we're committed to promoting suicide prevention in our schools and communities ...

Grab some ice cream with SRI Education researcher Claire Christensen and her bestie Alexandra Chapman as they talk about a new SRI Education study: Can #texting improve your parenting? ...

The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General released a general advisory report in May 2023 on public health concerns related to youth’s use of social media. This report on Social Media and Youth Mental Health includes research on the positive and negative impacts of social media use on youth health ...

The Center for Wellbeing in School Environments (WISE) works with Washington DC school communities to reduce mental health and educational disparities ...

This free online course provides educators with information on implementing trauma-sensitive strategies in the school setting. Courses focus on understanding trauma, creating a trauma-informed school environment, and much more ...

My Life is Worth Living™ is the first animated series that models the human connection shown to be protective against suicide. The series tells stories of characters who face some of the most difficult issues that young people deal with and shows their evolution in the key decision: that life ...

As we emerge from the collective trauma of the pandemic and work to serve youth in the context of a decade long pattern of increasing in suicide risk, it is crucial that everyone who spends time in schools (including parents) is aware of What to DO and What NOT to ...

This REL Northeast & Islands webinar provides an overview of MTSS, a three-tiered framework of classroom-based and schoolwide interventions that many districts and schools use to meet the academic and/or social-emotional needs of students ...

The well-established connection between positive school climate and student success means that educators need to know how the climate at their school is faring. This information is particularly important now, after the prolonged disruptions in schooling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting and using feedback from students themselves about their school ...

In this Knowledge Alliance (KA) blog post, KA’s summer intern, Julianna Collado, met with Michelle Woodbridge and Nancy Perez from SRI International to discuss their work identifying and implementing better mental health support for educators. Please read the full blog post on the Knowledge Alliance’s site ...

In the coming weeks, TLPI will share a series of blog posts highlighting key take-aways that we have heard from discussions with trauma-sensitive school leaders as they reflect on how utilizing the trauma lens guides them in their response to  the ongoing challenges ...

(Available in Spanish and English.) Our team at SRI Education is deeply saddened and concerned about the wars, violence, and climate destruction sweeping the world. Adults and children may be grappling with feelings of fear, worry, anxiety, anger, and confusion in response to what they are seeing and hearing in ...

The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) compiled the following list of websites and free resources to help support transgender youth and adults ...

This school mental health webinar series focuses on advancing high quality, sustainable school mental health from a multi-tiered system of support, trauma sensitive, and culturally responsive and equitable lens ...

This handout covers questions to consider when choosing school-based interventions Assess current needs Examine current efforts and resources Select interventions that fit your needs & context https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/appalachia/events/materials/04-8-20-Handout1_selecting-right-interventions-to-support-students-mental-health-needs.pdf ...

Many educators are seeking guidance to support students who have experienced trauma, particularly related to the opioid crisis. This resource was co-developed by the REL AP team and the Cross-State Collaborative to Support Schools in the Opioid Crisis (CCSSOC) and provides a list of interventions developed to address this specific ...

Trauma can have a detrimental impact on students’ functioning in the school setting.1 Educators need tools to identify and support students who may have experienced or are currently experiencing traumatic stress. The front of this handout lists common trauma symptoms grouped into the following categories: physical, cognitive, social and emotional, ...

In August 2021, the Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia (REL AP) at SRI Education and the Cross-State Collaborative to Support Schools in the Opioid Crisis hosted a 2-day Virtual Summit: How to Support Students and Educators Dealing with Trauma. This summit was for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who support preK-12 educators ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stressful and even traumatic time for many students. Educators need to be equipped with tools to identify and support students who have experienced trauma. This video provides an overview of common trauma symptoms that students may exhibit and identifies preventative strategies to support all ...

Thursday, October 14 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm ET : Is your school, district, or organization looking to improve support for students experiencing trauma, increase use of data-driven decisionmaking for program improvement, and integrate continuous improvement into your culture? ...

This is not "one more newsletter." The National Center for School Mental Health listserv newsletters  include timely information on upcoming conferences, events, and webinars, grants and research opportunities, news reports and resources, policy updates, and issues in the popular media related to school mental health. The newsletter comes out every other ...

The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network, in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has developed a FREE self-guided online course, video library + resource collection, and a website focused on educator mental health literacy. The 3-part training ...

Join our friends at the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) on Wednesday, June 2nd for a free webinar on supporting students impacted by racial stress and trauma. Don't miss this timely and important information! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hOboJ3L4Q2qm5X5NUYBl_A ...

To help educators think about how to discuss these cases and other race-related violence and how to support Black students and other students of color who may be distraught by what they read and see in the media, Education Week has compiled some resources from its archives and elsewhere. They ...

What strategies can educators use to facilitate safe and meaningful discussions on race, racial (in)justice and racism? This toolkit from Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) offers specific strategies, as well as tips for managing student responses, in order to create a safe environment for difficult conversations. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/spring-2015/toolkit-for-talking-about-racism-and-police-violence-with-students ...

This recent article from EdWeek describes efforts by teachers of color to address police violence against citizens of color, as well as the pushback received. The teachers interviewed shared their own experiences, concerns for students of color, and desire to help white students participate in systemic change. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/discussing-the-derek-chauvin-trial-in-class-how-teachers-are-doing-it-and-why/2021/04? ...

This article from Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) addresses the burden placed on teachers of color to support students and lead anti-racist efforts. It also offers suggestions for white educators, stories of white educators who are doing the work, and helpful tips (that white teachers and allies may want ...

This post from the National Center for Safe Supportive Schools introduces the Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR). CCR is partnering with Alliance for Prevention and Inclusion and the National Center for School Mental Health to establish the National Center for Safe Supportive Schools (NCS3). The NCS3 aims to integrate best ...

A new infographic from REL Mid-Atlantic and the New Jersey Department of Education can help educators promote and maintain student engagement in remote and hybrid learning environments. The infographic reviews critical factors related to instructional delivery, staffing and professional development, extracurricular activities, technology access and use, family engagement, and social ...

This video series from the Early Childhood Technical Assistant Center (ECTA Center) shares the experiences of practitioners and families from across the country, illustrating how the fields of early education and early childhood special education are successfully supporting preschoolers and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://ectacenter.org/topics/disaster/preschoolpandemic.asp ...

The American Psychological Association's Facing the Divide video series brings psychological science to the conversation regarding the connections among race, racism and health. As experts on human behavior, psychologists have a unique perspective that can inform critical analysis of race relations. The site offers a variety of videos, discussion guides, ...

This new online learning module from the IRIS Center offers tips to support your child’s learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and located at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, the IRIS Center creates high-quality, online open educational ...

This story from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) helps young children and families talk about their experiences and feelings related to COVID-19 and the need to shelter in place. In the story, the coronavirus has spread to Littletown causing changes in everyone's lives. The story opens doors to ...

The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) offers a collection of resources for schools dealing with COVID-19. There are specific planning resources for school administrators and staff, several wellness resources, technology tools to support mental health, and data collection resources for researchers assessing COVID-19-related behavioral health. http://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/COVID-19/ ...

Two surveys of California public college students provide insight into the preliminary impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's activities on college students' receipt of information about mental health issues and support services. The research described in this report was funded by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) ...

Our Student Behavior Blog team at SRI Education is deeply heartbroken and outraged by the racism, brutality, and hatred that plague Black children, families, and individuals, not only with regard to recent events, but with recognition that these are pervasive issues they face in every moment of their lives. Consistent ...

This award-winning 5 minute video from the Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS) offers a clear explanation of Positive Behavior Supports as well as ways that families can use them at home. Positive Behavior Support at Home from Association for PBS on Vimeo ...

This recent blog post by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) explores the potential of remote learning to increase the connection between schools and families, which could in turn help teachers employ innovative culturally responsive practices, addressing social and institutional barriers that contribute to disparities in students’ outcomes. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midatlantic/app/Blog/Post/1031 ...

The Texas Institute for Mental Health in the University of Texas at Austin launched an interactive, online set of resources to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month. Their Fun and Games features offers activities from different school districts, sortable by type of activity (brain games, up & active, creativity & art, ...

This infographic/flyer from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Central Texas offers warning signs for mental illness, tips for starting a conversation with a friend, and ways to support, all in a simple and engaging format. It's part of the new interactive, online set of resources created by ...

The Texas Institute for Mental Health in the University of Texas at Austin launched an interactive, online set of resources to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month. Their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) feature addresses a variety of mental health needs, including where to find children's mental health resources related to the ...

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest is featuring a blog series on supporting specific student populations as schools shift to remote learning. In this blog post for teachers, they focus on the unique needs of students with disabilities. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midwest/blogs/students-disabilities-remote-settings.aspx ...

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest is featuring a blog series on supporting specific student populations as schools shift to remote learning. In this blog post, they focus on the unique needs of English learner students. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midwest/blogs/english-learner-remote-learning.aspx ...

Helping kids stay busy, stimulated, and positive while creating an environment that allows them to feel safe and protected can be challenging. A team of child trauma experts at Child Trends have listed several recommendations for supporting the emotional well-being of children during high stress periods. They highlight “3 R’s” ...

The U.S. Department of Education's Regional Educational Laboratory Program has put together a set of FAQs to assist schools and districts with their most pressing needs—such as transitioning to online instruction, providing Free and Reduced Lunches, supporting students’ social emotional needs, engaging families, and addressing equity concerns for students with ...

Who knew that managing kids' behavior was such a challenge? The folks at PBIS Apps, of course! They've been researching, teaching, and supporting Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for decades. Their latest blog post offers insights and experiences from a parent perspective -- one month into this "new normal" ...

The 3-part webinar series, hosted by Wellness Together School Mental Health and the California Department of Education, will facilitate an ongoing discussion to highlight practices, programs, and policies to strengthen student supports in the midst of school closures. This series of webinars will address some of the adjustments necessary to ...

PBS and your local station have curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more. Search lesson plans by subject and/or grade. This might be a good time to delve into the Disease, Illness, and Disability lessons in Health & Physical Education! https://www.pbslearningmedia.org ...

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) offers a detailed guide for talking to children about coronavirus. This web page includes tips for talking with children at early elementary, late elementary, middle, and high school ages; suggested points to emphasize; suggestions for ways to avoid overwhelming children (and yourself) with ...

A new suite of resources from the U.S. Department of Education includes considerations for school closures, provision of special education services, impacts on assessments/accountability, flexibility on meal provision, and more: https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus To see more of our COVID-19 Resources, click the "COVID-19" button below ...

In a new blog post for The DC Policy Center, our researcher Yunsoo Park describes the impacts of community violence on students in Washington, DC and offers strategies for schools, plus links to helpful resources. Read When students don’t feel safe in the neighborhood: How can schools help? ...

Dr. Michelle Woodbridge (who has been studying prevention and intervention programs related to school-based mental health for more than 25 years) discusses the benefits of collecting and sharing information about local community resources with participants in research studies. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Helpful  resources on cognitive behavior ...

Dr. Carl Sumi is an expert in student behavioral research and interventions. This is Dr. Sumi's advice for parents who suspect their child may be experiencing bullying in school. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Helpful  resources on cognitive behavior interventions can be found on the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention ...

Dr. Michelle Woodbridge (who has been studying prevention and intervention programs related to school-based mental health for more than 25 years) describes school-based clinicians' perspectives on how using research-supported trauma-informed intervention programs in schools created meaningful, sustainable changes in practice. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Helpful resources on ...

Dr. Carl Sumi, an expert in student behavioral research and interventions discusses positive behavior interventions and supports. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Additional resources on cognitive behavior interventions can be found on the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools  (CBITS) program website. Resources for trauma-informed schools can ...

Implementing and evaluating evidence-based programs (EBPs) in schools requires strong researcher-practitioner partnerships. Here's what Dr. Michelle Woodbridge (who has been studying prevention and intervention programs related to school-based mental health for more than 25 years) says about the role of communication in implementing EBPs in schools. This video was produced by ...

What is it like to work for a nonprofit research center? See what Dr. Carl Sumi, Senior Principal Education Researcher at SRI International, says about working at a nonprofit research institute. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Helpful resources on cognitive behavior interventions can be found on the Cognitive ...

In this video, Dr. Michelle Woodbridge (who has been studying prevention and intervention programs related to school-based mental health for more than 25 years) discusses how to evaluate the fit of EBPs for schools. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Additional resources on cognitive behavior interventions can be ...

In this video, Dr. Carl Sumi, an expert in student behavioral research and interventions, discusses the importance of using data to make decisions in PBIS schools. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Helpful  resources on cognitive behavior interventions can be found on the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma ...

In this video, Dr. Michelle Woodbridge (who has been studying prevention and intervention programs related to school-based mental health for more than 25 years) discusses why schools should adopt evidence-based programs. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Additional resources on cognitive behavior interventions can be found on the ...

 In this video, Dr. Michelle Woodbridge (who has been studying prevention and intervention programs related to school-based mental health for more than 25 years) discusses how expanding training programs for educators, such as through Train-the-Trainer models, can maximize schools’ investments in evidence based programs.  This video was produced by the ...

In this video, Dr. Carl Sumi, an expert in student behavioral research and interventions, discusses the intersection between PBS and trauma informed schools. School-wide Positive Behavior Supports is a framework for operating schools and changing social culture and supporting all students. This video was produced by the 3C Institute. Additional ...

Three and a half minute animated video describing ways that teachers can incorporate mental health practices into everyday classroom activities. Adapted from our How can we incorporate mental health education into schools? Consider the 5 Ts blog ...

Three-minute animated video with tips for classroom teachers. Content adapted from our blog post, How can we incorporate mental health education into schools? Consider the 5 T’s ...

Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs are more likely to be successful with all students when they are grounded in strategies that promote equity. Equity means ‘leveling the playing field’ and creating a culture where all students feel fully included, respected, represented, and valued. Here are a few strategies that start in ...

Standalone SEL programs or curricula build students’ social-emotional skills separately from main instructional time. To implement standalone SEL programs, typically teachers or other qualified school staff members, such as counselors or school social workers, receive training in the curriculum and allot time during the school day to teach a series ...

One approach to teaching social-emotional skills in the classroom is to integrate SEL into everyday academic instruction. Rather than teach social-emotional skills independently of academic skills, many teachers and administrators are trying to implement SEL throughout the school day. Here are several useful strategies identified in these resources that teachers ...

MTSS stands for multi-tiered systems of support. It is a framework to provide academic and behavioral supports for all students based on their individual needs. Because different students have different strengths and needs, tailored levels of support are more likely to help them succeed in school. Content excerpted from our ...

We’ve identified 5 “T” strategies for states, districts, and schools to consider as their educators join the movement to promote and support student mental health: talking, training, teaching, tools, and taking care. Content excerpted from our blog post, How can we incorporate mental health education into schools? Consider the 5 ...

See NEW resources from our partners at Sesame Street in Communities that offer resilience, hope, and optimism for young children and families ...

It's a new school year! Take good care of yourself first. Eat breakfast, meditate for 10 minutes, breathe. Connect with somebody. Say hello to the person in the next seat or passing you in the hallway. We're all having this day; let's do it together! ...