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…

Learning is neither limited to what is formally taught nor to time spent in classrooms. It occurs whenever and wherever the learner interacts with the surrounding environment. All facets of the community (not just the school) provide learning opportunities--thus the term learning community. This brief provides in-depth answers to the following…

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…

Our analysis of California's state department of education's Request for Proposals (RFP) for a project to "Build Collaboration for Mental Health Services in California Schools" leads us to underscore both the opportunity presented by the proposed work and the potential for serious unintended negative consequences. This brief is designed to share…

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…

Every student absence jeopardizes the ability of students to succeed at school and schools to achieve their mission. Students who are not at school cannot receive instruction. Schools funded on the basis of average daily attendance have less resources to do the job. Some youngsters who are truant from school engage in behaviors that are illegal.…

As with so many guides for school improvement, the U.S. Department of Education's March 2006 Non-regulatory Guidance document entitled, "Designing Schoolwide Programs," continues to marginalize the essential role of student/learning supports. This brief report analyzes the guidance document with a specific focus on how to ensure Title I schoolwide…

It is time for reform advocates to expand their emphasis on improving instruction and school management to include a comprehensive component for addressing barriers to learning. In doing so, they must pursue this third component with the same level of priority they devote to the other two. That is, such an enabling (or learner support) component…

The concept of "Response to Intervention ' is finding its way into schools with a significant push from the federal government and with a particular emphasis on reducing inappropriate diagnoses for special education. This issue of the quarterly newsletter of the Center for Mental Health in Schools includes the following features and regular…

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…

Recent policy and program analyses conducted by the Center for Mental Health in Schools indicate that few support staff are full participants at school and district tables where major school improvement decisions are made, and that student support staff are therefore not appropriately accounted for in school improvement planning and…

This issue of the quarterly newsletter of the Center for Mental Health in Schools includes the following features and regular segments: (1) Concerns = Opportunities: Addressing Student Disengagement, Acting Out, and Dropouts by Moving in New Directions; (2) Info Sheet: Costs of Not Addressing Barriers to Learning; and (3) Current Status of Mental…

The beginning of a school year provides an opportunity to review school improvement action plans to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed at school, address barriers to learning and teaching, and engage/re-engage students in classroom instruction. Five major concerns require particular attention: (1) Welcoming and Ongoing…

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 is a long-standing problem in our "age-graded" school system. And, it continues to be one of the most contentious issues in public education. Neither grade retention nor social promotion are recipes for narrowing the achievement gap or reducing dropouts. It is time for policy that doesn't "wait for failure;" it's time for a policy that…