The Excellence in School Mental Health Initiative

This project seeks to improve and implement evidence-based positive learning strategies and school cohesion within two Baltimore City elementary/middle schools, Patapsco (#163) and Bay-Brook (#124). These schools are both located in south Baltimore and serve 420 and 330 students respectively, the majority of whom are African American and participate in the reduced/free lunch program (around 85%). The duration of this project is two and one-half years beginning January, 2007 and ending June, 2009.

This project is in response to recent studies which indicate that less than a third of youth with more serious problems have any contact with the mental health system¹. In addition, there is increasing evidence that improving school environments, promoting positive relationships between and among students and school staff, increasing student connectedness to school, and providing effective mental health intervention leads to a range of positive outcomes for students, families and schools². In both schools, Bay Brook and Patapsco, we will use the program, Paths to Pax and plan for it to be implemented in all grades through the resources of the Center for Prevention and Early Intervention (CPEI), a research center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health (JHSPH). Paths to Pax is a skill training program that equips teachers to train and support children in cognitive and self-control skills that have been shown to facilitate positive school behavior and performance. Paths to Pax involves an initial summer training for teachers and related staff, as well as a coach that makes weekly visits to support teachers in their implementation.

Major emphasis will also be placed on student and family involvement, a School Leadership Team in each school will place students and families in prominent roles in an effort to improve school connectedness. It is also important to provide teachers with support and training to help promote their own job satisfaction and effectiveness. Also, School Improvement Teams will focus on enhancing the school climate using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Psychosocial Environment Profile (PSE).

We fully expect that this study will document a successful comprehensive school mental health promotion and intervention approach which reduces barriers to learning and improves school behavior, adjustment and academic performance for students in participating schools. The impact of this project will be assessed through both quantitative and qualitative measures. In addition to the PSE; student behavior, school adjustment and academic performance will be evaluated through the annual end-of-year recording of aggregate data on student office referrals and school suspensions for behavioral problems, student attendance, student lateness, and grades in core academic subjects. We will also implement a strong qualitative research design including focus groups with students, families, teachers, and school and community leaders focusing on strengths and weaknesses of universal, secondary and tertiary interventions, along with ideas for improving implementation of each strategy.

Timeline and summary of key activities.

Year 1: January – June, 2007

Increase school clinician time

Complete school climate assessment

Develop Advisory Councils

Make frequent on-site visits to understand and promote school connectedness

Conduct needs assessments, organize resource lists and make connections to resources

Conduct behavioral observations in classrooms

Conduct focus groups with students, families, staff and community leaders

Develop newsletters, family nights, and other special events and materials

Begin providing teacher training and support

Build school teams and make recommendations for improving them

Plans for teacher and staff training in PATHS

Provide relevant readings and pre-trainings to teachers and staff on universal approaches

Year 2: July, 2007 – June, 2008

Conduct relevant analysis from school records for participating and comparison schools

Continue all Year 1 activities, building stakeholder involvement, teams and connections

Conduct training on RC or PATHS

Provide ongoing support for PATHS implementation

Conduct school climate assessment (January)

Conduct behavioral observations in classrooms

Year 3: July, 2008 – June, 2009

Conduct relevant analyses from school records for participating and comparison schools

Continue all Year 1 and Year 2 activities

Provide summer booster training on PATHS

Emphasize high quality and evidence based secondary and tertiary interventions

Conduct school climate assessment (January)

Conduct behavioral observations in classrooms

Conduct spring booster training on PATHS

Plan for extensive analyses of findings (after funding) and diffusion of innovation

*The Center for School Mental Health (CSMH), a policy and program analysis and dissemination center for advancing school mental health (SMH) is federally funded and is actively involved in training, practice, research and policy in SMH and youth violence prevention, and build from work provided to Baltimore City youth though programs providing effective mental health services to students in 25 schools.