Given dwindling budgets, collaborations that can enhance effective and efficient use of resources increase in importance. This is particularly important with respect to efforts at schools to provide student and learning supports. Schools that formally connect to work together can be more effective, realize economies of scale, and enhance the way…

Response to intervention is meant to be broad-based and preventative. However, as formulated and practiced the approach often is too limited in how it frames what needs to go on to enable learning, engage students, and keep them engaged. In particular, it pays too little attention to the need to strengthen the classroom and schoolwide context in…

This report uses the three-component framework to categorize and synthesize major recommendations to Congress for the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) reauthorization and briefly analyzes them from the perspective of the third component. The analysis illuminates fundamental gaps in the prevailing recommendations. In particular, this…

This report addresses the question: "Where do interventions for concerns about substance use fit into the work of schools?" By way of background, we begin by differentiating between use and abuse and briefly summarizing some major issues and data relevant to substance use and treatment of abuse and dependency. And, to highlight the importance of…

As the focus on school improvement at a state education agency moves from mostly a compliance approach to playing a greater role in capacity building, the agency's leadership needs to rethink student and learning supports. That is the focus of this report. Given that almost half of the chief state school officers have assumed their position in the…

The recent IDEA reauthorization calls for what has been dubbed a "Response to Intervention" (RTI) approach. The intent is to use "well-designed and well-implemented early intervention" in the regular classroom as a way to deal with a student's problems and enhance the assessment of whether more intensive and perhaps specialized assistance (and…

Recent policy and program analyses conducted by our Center make it clear how few support staff are full participants at school and district tables where major school improvement decisions are made. It is not surprising, then, that student support staff are not appropriately accounted for in school improvement planning and implementation. This…

Anticipating Congressional hearings related to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, this report provides an analysis of preliminary hearings and related reports and proposals. The specific focus is on whether the reauthorization process is likely to include a substantive discussion of what is needed to enable all children to have an equal…

Today's school and community stakeholders are attempting to address complex, multifaceted, and overlapping psychosocial and mental health concerns in diverse, fragmented and at-times marginalized ways. This has led to competition for sparse resources and inadequate results. Enhancing mental health in schools is not an easy task. The bottom line is…

A major focus at the Center for Mental Health in Schools is on facilitating continuous learning related to mental health and psychosocial concerns in schools, including providing technical assistance and encouraging networking among those working in and with schools. This issue of the quarterly newsletter includes the following features and…

Anticipating Congressional hearings related to reauthorizing NCLB, this policy analysis report focuses on how learning supports can be enhanced in the reauthorized law. The intent is to enhance effectiveness in addressing the factors that interfere with a great many students succeeding at school. The emphasis is on fully integrating the…

This report was developed to highlight the current state of affairs and illustrate the value of a unifying framework and integrated infrastructure for the many initiatives, projects, programs, and services schools pursue in addressing barriers to learning and promoting healthy development. Specifically, it highlights how initiatives can be…

As schools pursue their mission to educate and as communities pursue the aim of improving the quality of life of their residents, major initiatives have been introduced and progress is being made. At the same time, it is evident that there remains considerable fragmentation and significant gaps in some of our efforts to assure no child is left…