Effective School Solutions (ESS), the country’s leading provider of school-based mental health services for K-12 school districts, has released the findings of its 2nd annual national survey about the impact of COVID-19 on student and teacher mental health. 158 educators representing over 67 school districts from across the U.S. took part in the study. Key insights from the survey include:

• Student Mental Health Challenges Have Increased Over the Previous Year: 96% of educators reported moderate to significant mental health challenges with students.
• Educators Continue to Struggle as Much as Students: 90% of educators reported moderate to significant mental health challenges with teachers​.
• Districts are Taking a More Proactive Approach to Address Student Mental Health Challenges: The biggest jump this year was seen in the percentage of respondents stating they were implementing additional, counseling, clinical and therapeutic support with a 20-percentage point increase in the number of respondents stating that they were taking steps in this area.  
• Significant Challenges and Gaps in the Mental Health Safety Net Still Exist: What’s notable in this data is the relative persistence of concerns this year vs. last year.  One key area in which the concern level has increased was in “students presenting with mental health issues who weren’t previously on the school’s radar screen.”

Duncan Young, CEO of ESS, stated, “While extensive research over the last 18 months pointed to the negative mental health impact of the pandemic, this data confirms that students and educators are indeed in crisis.  It is heartening however, to see districts begin to adopt a more proactive approach to addressing student mental health needs.” Please click here to read Educators Speak 2021: 2nd Annual National Survey on School Mental Health, COVID-19, and School Reopening.