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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids Public Schools is stepping up mental health efforts after less than 1/3 of students surveyed say they feel a sense of belonging or connection with adults in their school.
The district-wide survey of students in classes 6-12 was conducted in March. Many students in the same age group lack self-esteem or confidence in their own ability to succeed, a Panorama school climate survey found.
Using the results of that survey, GRPS is focusing more on student and staff mental health this year, Mel Atkins, GPRS executive director of community and student affairs, told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.
The district is increasing the number of mental health workers in schools this year and launching a pilot program to train teachers in professional development related to social and emotional learning (SEL), Atkins said.
“We know that when our students and adults have access to the mental health and resources they need, everyone will be greatly enriched,” Atkins told MLive. “So this year we’ve deliberately decided to focus on that.”
Two years after the coronavirus pandemic, many students — and adults — are dealing with mental health challenges stemming from the isolation of distance learning and the uncertainty of the global pandemic, educators say.
“Last year was a very difficult year – for us, but also for many people in the country,” Atkins explained. “A lot of it has to do with mental health.”
To address those challenges, GRPS is hiring more staff this year who can work with students in those areas, such as mental health therapists, school counselors and psychologists, Atkins said.
This year, at least one mental health therapist will be housed in each GRPS building for the first time, he said.
“We couldn’t say last year or the year before that,” Atkins said.
GRPS has 18 mental health therapists in the district this year, up from just six last year, Atkins told MLive.
In addition, this year 14 GRPS schools will be served Kent School Services NetworkIt connects families with community resources at their local schools, Atkins said during a presentation on the new mental health initiative to the school board on July 18.
Related: Students in Kent County Community Schools receive support and services to address learning barriers
“If you look at the combination of those resources, every school is going to be affected in some way with support,” Atkins said.
The district is investing in student mental health by training the people they interact with every day: their teachers and school staff.
“One of our beliefs, and what the research says, is that you can’t make a big difference in a school unless you have an impact on the adults,” Atkins said.
GRPS will begin a pilot initiative in eight schools this year in the district where staff will receive professional development training in SEL and work on developing an SEL curriculum.
The schools that chose to participate in the pilot this year are Aberdeen, Burton Elementary, Burton Middle, CA Frost Elementary, Campus Elementary, Cesar E. Chavez, Coit and Sibley.
The plan is for all staff in those schools to be trained this year. CASEL frameworkIt refers to collaboration for academic, social and emotional learning.
Teachers learn about self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, communication skills and social awareness and what those five skills look like in the classroom, Atkins explained.
In the spring, he said, the eight pilot schools will provide feedback to GRPS leaders about SEL training. The district will use that feedback in the coming years to adopt a district-wide SLL curriculum that will be adopted by all schools in the district, he said.
“This will be a multi-year implementation process,” he said. “It’s like a reading curriculum. We have a math curriculum. “What we want to do is, you have the curriculum, and we want to get[SEL]into the reading instruction and put it in math, so it’s not just independent,” he said.
Teachers are a vital part of a child’s school experience, which is why the district began training school staff, said GRPS Superintendent Robbie.
“Teachers set the tone for what the classroom experience is like. They create the climate,” Roby told MLive.
“Also, ‘Oh, Johnny looks different or doesn’t show up at school,’ and ‘I don’t have to be the professional, but I have to talk to the school counselor, or they should be able to figure it out.’ social worker.'”
More about MLive:
Here’s what the first morning of second grade looks like for the Grand Rapids class
Grand Rapids students are eager to learn, show style on the first day of school without a uniform
Students in Kent County Community Schools receive support and services to address learning barriers
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