By Kyle Mittan, University Communications
This day
A new project led by the University of Arizona will help develop education policies that better support the mental health of Black pre-K and K-12 students, who are at higher risk for suicide, depression and other mental illnesses.
The Black Youth Mental Health Initiative will bring the UArizona expertise to Richmond Public Schools, a district in central Virginia, thanks to a three-year, $1 million grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Renae D Mayes
Renae D Mayesassociate professor of disability and psychoeducational studies at UArizona university of educationwill lead the project in partnership with Richmond Public Schools staff and administrators and other education policy experts.
Mayes’s research focuses on the academic experiences of black students and how those experiences are affected by other aspects of students’ identities, such as gender, class, or disabilities. Her research, she said, is aimed at emphasizing the strengths of black children despite the challenges they may face in school, such as lack of funding for school districts or lack of training for faculty and staff. staff.
“We can’t blame black kids for systemic problems,” Mayes said. “Black kids are working hard, they’re building relationships, they want to be involved in careers in the sciences, and they’re curious.”
Create a ‘stepping stone’ for other districts
While there have been many studies focused on the mental health of minority populations, Mayes said more research is needed to understand the specific needs of black students.
Death by suicide is highest among black children ages 5 to 11, according to a report the Department of Health and Human Services delivered to Congress in 2020. The report also found that suicide is the second leading cause of death among black children ages 10 to 14 and the third leading cause of death among black teens ages 15 to 19.
Black children, the report says, are also more likely to experience institutional oppression in the health care, economic, criminal justice, legal, educational and environmental systems, making them more susceptible to poor mental health.
Mayes and her colleagues will use a series of focus groups to better understand the culture of Richmond Public Schools, what policies it already has in place to support student mental health, what training is available for district counselors, and what organizations or services are already available in Richmond that the district could use as well.
The larger goal, Mayes said, is to learn what policies will serve students holistically, in ways that consider their social and personal lives as well as their studies.
Although the project will be tailored to Richmond Public Schools and the needs of students in that district, Mayes and her colleagues hope their work can lead to resources that empower districts across the country to support the mental health of their students. blacks.
“We would definitely love for this to be a springboard to build capacity in other districts and communities,” he said.
“The work that Dr. Mayes and her colleagues are doing will undoubtedly have a profound and far-reaching impact,” said the University of Arizona president. Robert C. Robbins. “I am proud that the research and expertise of the University of Arizona can reach public schools across the country, and I thank the Department of Health and Human Services for supporting this important work.”
In search of sustainable preventive policies
Richmond Public Schools serves 22,000 students, from preschool through high school; 55% of the district’s students are black. The district was chosen for the project because of previous relationships Mayes’ colleagues had with district leaders and other community organizations in Richmond.
In the 2021-2022 academic year, the district saw an increase in incidents affecting the mental health of students, Mayes said, including cases of gun violence and referrals to child protective services, compared to the academic year. 2020-2021.
District counselors and social workers also completed more suicide risk assessments in the last school year than in the previous year. Evaluations are usually done by school counselors or social workers with referrals from teachers after a student says or writes things that convey suicidal thoughts, or appears withdrawn from class or friends.
District leaders have long wanted to develop preventative programs to address these issues, but limited resources have made this difficult, and instead they have found themselves responding to crises after the fact.
When asked about participating in the project, district leaders saw “an opportunity to get ahead of a lot of this stuff that’s going on and work with us to help advance policy and prevention when they’re already stretched thin,” he said. Mayes.
Create community-oriented solutions
The researchers will bring together district leaders and staff, leaders of Richmond community organizations, mental and behavioral health experts in Richmond, and others to create an eight-member advisory board to help guide the project.
The researchers will not assign solutions to the district as part of the project, Mayes said, but instead will work with district leaders, staff and community members to understand what policies might work best to sustainably improve student mental health. .
Mayes hopes that by the end of the project, Richmond Public Schools will have the resources they need to “catch their breath” in responding to crises and developing policies that prevent student mental health problems.
“They are doing an amazing job,” he added. “And I know it would be even more impactful if they could go from being in crisis to being involved in prevention.”
