I am writing this blog after a week of intense travel. I have attended and presented at two conferences followed by providing training to the one of the largest school districts in the nation. Three cities, three states: Charlotte, NC, Houston, TX and New York City, NY. The first concerned the transition of students with disabilities from high school to post high school settings, the second was the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, and the third was New York City Department of Education (NYC-DOE). In each setting children and adolescents with mental health conditions were of top concern. These students are most at risk of dropping out, fading away and not finding success after leaving high school and people are concerned. But there is good news. People are concerned. When presenting to the NYC-DOE I shared with them the factors that we know keep these kids in school. These are: 

1. Flexible high school programs
2. Relevant curricula
3. Rigorous transition plans
4. "Healthy adult" mentors
5. Wrap around systems of care

 We do know what to do. We just need to do it consistently and across the country in every school with every student. We need to advocate for every student to assure that these are in place and, as a community, support schools to do this work.  We need to pay attention and work together so that our children and adolescents with mental health conditions are not lost in the efforts to meet national and state standards. These include high academic standards, yet academics are not specifically mentioned in the five suggestions listed above. These are implied, certainly, but not the sole basis of keeping students in school. To help students achieve high academic standards, we must provide the support needed to assure they are able to access the curricula and to find success in the general education classroom.

• Flexible high school programs mean that students may complete high school in different ways and within different time-frames. They may take five or six years or they may be on their high school campus for three years and finish at a community college.
• They may have “replacement credits” allowing the curricula to be more relevant to their own interests and plans.
• Whether the student is in special education or not, there should be a clearly developed transition plan that will support him or her as they move from high school to college, training programs or employment.
• There is research that strongly suggests that a connection with a healthy adult mentor within the school building makes a hugely positive difference in a student’s progress and success in school. Three minutes per day to “check in” with a student is all that is needed to make that difference. It just needs to be consistent and with a mentor with whom the student feels comfortable and supported.
• For students who need a more formal approach Check and Connect is an intervention that research indicates works. Check & Connect is structured to maximize personal contact and opportunities to build trusting relationships.

Let’s all assure that our children receive the support they need to complete school prepared for the next environment!

You may be interested in the following projects and resources:

Oregon Resiliency Project

Strong Kids

Mindful Schools