Interagency Collaboration to Improve School Outcomes for Students With Mental Health Challenges

Students with significant emotional-behavioral concerns and mental illness tend to experience poor educational and social outcomes. This chapter describes some of the challenges facing schools that are responsible for educating students with and at-risk for mental health challenges. Although some students encounter numerous risks, thereby increasing the chances of developing mental illness and failing school, there are also protective factors that can be identified and harnessed to counterbalance such risks and promote higher levels of resilience. By examining relationships among factors such as poverty, mental well-being, family engagement, resiliency, and school performance, a school-focused, community-based framework is suggested for responding to and overcoming these challenges. This chapter provides practical guidelines for schools, community agencies, and families to work together to support and engage young people who are at-risk for school failure due to emotional-behavioral concerns and mental health challenges.

Interagency Collaboration to Improve School Outcomes for Students With Mental Health Challenges

Students with significant emotional-behavioral concerns and mental illness tend to experience poor educational and social outcomes. This chapter describes some of the challenges facing schools that are responsible for educating students with and at-risk for mental health challenges. Although some students encounter numerous risks, thereby increasing the chances of developing mental illness and failing school, there are also protective factors that can be identified and harnessed to counterbalance such risks and promote higher levels of resilience. By examining relationships among factors such as poverty, mental well-being, family engagement, resiliency, and school performance, a school-focused, community-based framework is suggested for responding to and overcoming these challenges. This chapter provides practical guidelines for schools, community agencies, and families to work together to support and engage young people who are at-risk for school failure due to emotional-behavioral concerns and mental health challenges.

Collective Impact

H. O. Wheeler Elementary School, labeled as a failing school in 2004 became the Integrated Arts Academy, an arts magnet school through the development of strong school/community partnerships. It tells the story of how initially two key community arts organizations provided the Burlington School District with vision and professional development to address excellence and equity in a school with a diverse population that included 98% free and reduced lunch, 40 percent English language Learners (23 different languages/dialects spoken) and 25% Special education. To help achieve success the school has expanded partnerships with arts and community organizations. This chapter demonstrates how the partnerships through articulating mutual vision and expectations have contributed to a balanced population that has sustained its cultural richness, enhanced student academic and behavioral performance, and positively impacts grants, curriculum, residencies, community, and teacher education.