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Resources

Mental Health in Schools: Supporting Students and Staff

Students today are in the middle of a mental health crisis. The Surgeon General identified mental health as the leading cause of disability and negative life outcomes for young people. At the same time, U.S. teachers experience frequent symptoms of depression more than twice as often as the general adult population.

Schools are uniquely positioned to address these challenges. They nurture the well-being of both students and staff, creating an environment conducive to learning and growth. Transcend’s Leaps for Equitable, 21st Century Learning outlines key ways to transform the student experience, preparing young people to thrive. Supporting student and adult mental health is a core aspect of the Whole Child Leap. This Leap advocates shifting from a purely academic focus to fostering the entire student—their cognitive, emotional, social, and physical aspects.

New Whitepaper from Education Forward DC and Transcend

Supporting Student and Staff Well-Being: School Pilots in Action explores what four public schools in the District of Columbia learned through piloting different approaches to supporting student and staff mental health and well-being.

Explore Mental Health Resources

School Models that Support Mental Health

Learn more from innovative schools that are not only building social-emotional skills, but are also addressing students’ greater context and realities, to make the Whole Child Leap (and are improving student academic outcomes in the process).

Supporting staff Mental Health

Transcend believes that happy and healthy adults are the foundation for safe and supportive learning environments. Partnering with innovative schools, we recognize the powerful connection between adult well-being and student success. When educators feel secure and cared for, they create similar environments for children. By investing in adult well-being, schools can create a ripple effect, fostering emotional regulation, stress management, and conflict resolution skills across the entire school community, including students and families.

Supporting Student Mental Health

Students today face a growing mental health crisis, with rising diagnoses and feelings of isolation. Educators and parents are rightly concerned. Schools can be a powerful support system. Transcends’ resources aim to equip adults to better address student well-being in a holistic way, making it a core outcome alongside college and career readiness.

Advocating for Better Mental Health Outcomes for Students

Schools have an important role to play in supporting student mental health and well-being. As a partner to communities in designing excellent and equitable learning environments, Transcend believes we must engage all levers—from design to policy—in creating caring schools that support the whole child.

Transcend is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates nationally.