In March 2024, The Jed Foundation (JED) and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, announced the selection of 15 school districts to participate in the District Comprehensive Approach (DCA) pilot, a transformational program that guides districts in improving systems of support for pre-K–12 students’ emotional well-being. The program, now called the JED and AASA District Mental Health Initiative, is enrolling new districts into future cohorts.

In an ongoing series of blog posts, we feature each of the pilot districts and their work learning and leading powerful mental health and suicide prevention practices that will benefit students around the country. 

District: Hardin Public Schools in Montana

Number of schools: 7

Number of students: Over 1,800

About the district: Hardin is a close-knit farming and ranching community in rural Montana. 

JED and AASA asked Tobin Novasio, superintendent of Hardin Public Schools, about the district’s participation in the DCA program. (Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.)

What is your primary reason for participating in the DCA inaugural cohort?

Like many schools, we are dealing with more mental health issues than in the past, and we’re searching for ways to better support our students and staff. Many of the youth we serve are proud members of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Nations whose communities have navigated generations of challenges, including negative effects of geographic isolation, discrimination, unemployment, and substance misuse. These communities have also experienced barriers to accessing economic opportunities, safe and stable housing, quality healthcare, and mental health support that respects cultural traditions, practices, and values. 

Our community is deeply impacted by the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Many of our Crow and Northern Cheyenne students and their families continue to experience the lasting effects of trauma, including intergenerational trauma. 

Through our partnership with JED and AASA, we aim to build on the resources already in place and ensure they are more cohesive and sustainable in supporting our students, families, and staff.

Explain why student emotional well-being is a priority for you, your district, and your community.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs tells us that for students to get to a place of strong academic growth, we must first make sure their basic needs are being met. This includes meeting physical needs such as safety, warmth, and nourishment, as well as social and emotional needs like feeling emotionally secure, cared for, and a sense of belonging. We can bring in the best academic programs in the world, but if our students’ basic needs are not being met, they will not be ready to learn.

What does participating in the DCA program mean for the well-being of your students and the culture of your district?
Participating in DCA increases our ability to access research-based support and gives us an avenue to continue conversations about youth mental health needs. We hope that by providing more mental health support for students and their families, we can positively impact students’ lives outside of our school as well — a possible step toward breaking the cycles of poverty. We also hope that we can combine JED’s best practices with our local tribal cultural traditions.

How does involvement with the DCA program impact public education nationwide?
Our needs and resources are likely much different than those of larger districts participating in the program. We hope to develop strategies specific to Hardin’s needs and available resources, with the goal that some of the tools might be applied in other Indigenous and/or rural districts nationwide.

Where do you hope to be one year from now on this journey?
We know this is a long journey and there is no overnight cure for generational issues. We certainly hope we will be making progress by having additional support in place and having candid discussions about the importance of mental health.

Read about the other school districts in the pilot program:

• Chandler Unified School District in Arizona
• Fargo Public Schools in North Dakota
• Harford County Public Schools in Maryland
• Harford County Public Schools in Maryland
• Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota
• Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland
• Vineland Public Schools in New Jersey

 

By Jessica Hicks

From April 29 to May 1, 2024, The Jed Foundation (JED) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), with generous support from the Lumina Foundation, hosted an inaugural convening of top education and mental health professionals along with college students and representatives from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to discuss critical policy changes needed to support student mental health. The convening, aptly named The Wellness Blueprint: Cultivating Foundations for Statewide Student Mental Health Policy, made the path toward improved student well-being clearer than ever.

More than 50 stakeholders gathered in Minneapolis for the three-day event, which included panel discussions and presentations on everything from evidence-based policy and program development to creating equitable mental health supports and fostering collaboration across student bodies, institutions, and state governments. The convening featured a keynote speech from Roberto J. Rodríguez, ED’s Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, and welcomed policy leaders from Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

The Wellness Blueprint covered dozens of topics to improve mental health for our nation’s college students and uncovered ways states can learn from and lean on one another to support student well-being, but there were six major takeaways that linked the events:

• Implementing a comprehensive approach to mental health
• Acknowledging external factors that impact mental health
• Implementing mental health programming that is fair and inclusive of people of all backgrounds
• Making mental health initiatives a financial priority
• Using evidence-based practices to develop mental health policy and programming
• Fostering collaboration to advance mental health advocacy and policymaking

Read more about key takeaways, considerations, and the strides state education and mental health leaders are making below.

Implementing a Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health

“The statistics are clear: Young people are currently facing unprecedented mental health challenges,” says Dr. Zainab Okolo, JED’s Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Government Relations. “At JED, our data demonstrates that when comprehensive approaches are implemented and championed by higher education systems, we can meaningfully reduce suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts.”

Throughout The Wellness Blueprint discussions, state higher education representatives highlighted the importance of developing cross-state early intervention strategies and preventive spaces and opportunities to secure the well-being of students, rather than leaning on reactionary measures.

Acknowledging External Factors That Impact Mental Health

Student mental health doesn’t exist in a silo. Attendees discussed how external forces, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, technological advancements, and societal challenges, affect student well-being and need to be considered when developing mental health programming. They need to be not only considered, but also proactively addressed so no student is left without the support they need. 

During the Learning Community State Showcases: Examining Strategies to Enhance Student Mental Health Policies presentation, leaders from Pennsylvania shared how their PA MASLOW model recognizes that students’ basic needs, such as feeling safe and having access to food and housing, need to be met in order to support mental health and overall success. The model allows educators and policymakers to think strategically about creating supportive collegiate environments and connects students to resources to fulfill their basic needs.

Leaders from Oregon touched on how they expanded basic needs navigators that connect students to resources both on campus and in the community. They also shared that they are hosting one-on-one success-planning sessions and tutoring for students, as well as providing services directly to student organizations and cultural centers where students already gather so they can more easily be connected to resources.

Implementing Fair and Inclusive Mental Health Programming

The convening emphasized the importance of recognizing the unique needs of students from marginalized communities and calling for the representation of diverse voices and perspectives in mental health policy and service delivery. That challenge has become even greater in the face of legislation in many states that threaten to close campus multicultural centers and DEI offices, ban the teaching of critical race theory, and more. 

Hiring culturally responsive mental health counselors and faculty members that reflect the identities and experiences of the student body, offering campus services in multiple languages, and connecting campus cultural centers and groups with resources to share with their members are ways states can ensure their mental health programming addresses the needs of people from all backgrounds and identities. In some cases, they’re already doing it in the face of challenges.

Making Mental Health Initiatives a Financial Priority

Campus mental health initiatives are essential and deserving of budget allocations, not only because of the benefits to students, but also because of the potential return on investment for communities, schools, and society as a whole. 

In his presentation, Show Me the Money: The Case for Investment in Mental Health, Daniel Eisenberg, a principal investigator at the Healthy Minds Network, shared research that suggests that reducing depressive symptoms among students may increase retention, which ultimately benefits colleges and universities through increased tuition and benefits students and society through increased lifetime productivity.

Using Evidence-Based Practices to Develop Mental Health Policy and Programming

The convening stressed the importance of using research findings, as well as engaging with reputable organizations through an equity lens when developing, implementing, and reviewing policies and programming. 

Although leaning on data is imperative to developing best practices and making the case for mental health investment, Eisenberg also highlighted in his panel the importance of being culturally responsive when considering data. He emphasized that there are limitations to data. What works for one student population may not work for another more diverse population, and institutions must consider student culture when collecting and using evidence.

Fostering Collaboration to Advance Mental Health Advocacy and Policymaking

Teamwork is what makes mental health policy work. Students and stakeholders discussed how centering student voices, encouraging faculty to work in collaboration with student advocacy groups, and creating spaces that allow students to feel seen and get a sense of belonging can foster collaboration and positive change.

By embracing comprehensive public health approaches, recognizing external influences, prioritizing diversity and equity, allocating resources strategically, and grounding decisions in evidence-based practices, states are poised to transform the landscape of student mental health support. As we reflect on the shared commitment and determination witnessed in Minneapolis, JED will continue to carry forward the momentum, united in our resolve to champion the well-being of every college student across the nation.

Check out photos from the Minneapolis convening.