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USF researchers host panel discussion to discuss mental health well-being in schools

by Chelsea Grosbeck

In light of recent events, mental health and the well-being of students has been a focus of many K-12 schools across the state of Florida.

To share about relevant research and insights in this area, the University of South Florida (USF) College of Education hosted a panel discussion titled, 鈥淧romoting Social, Emotional and Behavioral Well-Being in Schools: A Critical Conversation.鈥� During the discussion, experts in both school psychology and educational psychology shared their research in supporting student well-being and how their work can be utilized by school districts to improve the services and support provided to their students.

鈥淚n education, we all know it鈥檚 important to create research,鈥� said College of Education Dean, Robert C. Knoeppel, PhD. 鈥淚t really doesn鈥檛 matter unless it reaches into communities, into classrooms and into families.鈥�

Keynote speaker Shannon Suldo, PhD, a professor of school psychology at USF, began the evening with presenting her research to students, teachers, faculty, staff and community members.

鈥淭he Student Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) assesses the student鈥檚 subjective well-being, or happiness,鈥� Suldo said. 鈥淭he Scale is numbered from one through six, with four being the neutral point.鈥�

Suldo explains, in elementary school the average SLSS score is a five. As the child gets older, their number drops. It was found every time a student begins middle or high school, an immediate drop happens, with the score falling by half each time.

Suldo addressed the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) core competencies a student naturally wants to express. Qualities like self management, self awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness are signs a student strives to show in the classroom. If a student is shown to be lacking in these areas, and shows a lower than average score on the SLSS, it鈥檚 a sign the student needs additional help.  

Following Suldo鈥檚 presentation, the panelists considered how their research can be best used as preventative measures in schools and how USF efforts are working towards transforming mental health awareness.

鈥淭he schools we鈥檙e dealing with exhibit the 20 on 20 phenomena,鈥� said Nathaniel von der Embse, PhD, an associate professor of school psychology. 鈥淯pwards of 20 percent of kids will exhibit mental and behavioral health problems and yet we鈥檙e only serving about 20 of those kids at risk.鈥�

Among other challenges, many schools struggle with staffing school psychologists to accommodate large numbers of students. Jose Castillo, PhD, an associate professor of school psychology, said he believes in an inclusive approach in finding a common method of decision-making on where to combine support from across the school system.

鈥淪chool is the one place where we all have access to all of our children and youth,鈥� Castillo said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a professional learning community for all educators and students.鈥�

With educators and leaders in local school districts in attendance, the event later opened to a discussion about how research can be applied in today鈥檚 K-12 schools.

鈥淚n a system that still forces us to do grade level specific types of assessments to determine if our schools are successful, can we also have better condition settings in our schools?鈥漚sked attendee Jeff Eakins, superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Structures in schools matter, said Sarah Kiefer, PhD, an associate professor of educational psychology. This is widely because students are able to build competencies through relationships. Kiefer says in Florida, less than a third of middle schools are implementing school structures in terms of 鈥渢eaming,鈥� or integrating support systems with adult advocates.

鈥淲hat we are finding are those unstructured spaces are the places where relationships and their competencies matter the most,鈥� Kiefer said. 鈥溾��Like the spaces we don鈥檛 really look at鈥� the cafeterias, the hallways, before and after classes鈥� can really make a big difference on kids.鈥�

To view the full presentation, watch the video below: