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topic. A 2016 study on the effectiveness of school-based mental health services
presented a hopeful look into the success that strong school-based services could
provide in preventing the long-term impacts of mental illness and improving the
outlook for children (Underwood & Wissow, 2016). Overall, the growth identified
in the study reported herein points to the need for educators to enact classroom
instructional programs for teaching mentally healthy behaviors and to be proactive
in considering support for students.

Improved Understanding of the Mental Health Issues
School-based mental health referrals are a part of the public-school educational
system and are a mandated component of the nation’s educational system through
ESSA (Castillo et al., 2019). ESSA charged state policymakers and school
administrators to rethink how to approach mental health through multiple methods
and provided funding for programs such as school-wide behavioral interventions and
support as well as trauma-informed and evidence-based school-based mental health
services. School-based mental health services support the purpose and mission of
schools and assist in learning. Yet, school-based mental health issues continue to
persist and, in fact, may be increasing both in terms of frequency and severity.
The patterns observed in the data highlight issues that many educators find
troubling. Significant differences between referral numbers based on gender may
reflect the ongoing concern that mental health referrals are prompted by blatant,
maladaptive behaviors in males while more internalized difficulties in some
children, often females, are overlooked. The difference among ages or grade levels
of children referred for school-based mental health services matches the statistics of
the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2019) that found that 50% of all lifelong
mental health disorders begin to manifest before the age of 14.
In a 2014 study, referrals for behaviors in the classroom reflected teacher reports
that more than 20% of their students were frequently disengaged in the classroom,
often disrupted instruction, and exhibited behaviors that negatively impacted
academic performance (Sullivan et al., 2014). School-age children may increasingly
lack social-emotional competencies and are becoming less connected to school as
they age. These competencies include the areas of (a) self-awareness of the impact of
their own behavior, (b) self-management, (c) self-awareness, (d) relationship skills,
and (e) responsible decision making (CASEL, 2023). Studies show that emotional
disorders such as anxiety, if left unaddressed, increase for children at a cumulative
rate of 25.1% throughout their lifetime and that, at any time, 1 in 30 children may be
suffering from clinical depression, with some
studies suggesting numbers as high as 1 in 8
(Gulley et al., 2014). Overall, these patterns
suggest that all educators need the most up-to- Using a strong social-emotional
date information about how to identify mental
health issues in their schools. curriculum embedded into the
everyday school experience
Targeted Support from Administration
Educators skillfully implement programs provides support for the students...
and can, if given the right support, influence
mental health outcomes in children through
evidence-based practices (Fazel et al., 2014).

Promoting Professional and Personal Growth of Educators and Excellence in Education 27