About this Research Topic
The mental health of students and educators is an increasingly important topic, particularly as schools continue to cope with the physical, social, and psychological challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic has arguably created more mental health challenges, mental health problems were the leading cause of poor life outcomes in young people before the crisis. Multiple studies, going back several years, estimate that as many as one in five children ages 3 to 17 meet the criteria for a mental health disorder. Less than half of those identified with a mental health problem receive adequate treatment, and most of those who manage to access help will receive it at school. With this Research Topic call for participation, we are looking for papers that investigate/explore the topic of mental health in K-12 schools globally.
In this K-12 Mental Health Research Topic, we seek to explore the following questions:
● Why must mental health be addressed within the K-12 school system?
● How can K-12 schools and classrooms be organized to foster student, teacher, administrator, and staff mental health?
● What is the impact of mental health on academic learning and the social environment in K-12 schools from the perspective of teachers, students, parents, and community members?
● In what ways are K-12 schools effectively responding to the mental health needs of students and educators following a crisis?
● Should the efficacy of initiatives to improve mental health for those who attend and work in schools be assessed? If so, how?
● What impact does mental health awareness have on teacher education and professional development?
● What can teachers, principals, school psychologists, school counselors, social workers, and other school leaders do to better support mental health at their school sites?
● What are the implications of a focus on mental health for school leadership?
We are interested in theoretical, empirical, and approaches to practice papers using a range of methodologies that will contribute to the discourse around mental health in K-12 education globally. We welcome papers for audiences interested in classroom, school, district, and national practices, approaches to assessment, theoretical advancement, and teacher education and leadership.
In this K-12 Mental Health Research Topic, we seek to explore the following questions:
● Why must mental health be addressed within the K-12 school system?
● How can K-12 schools and classrooms be organized to foster student, teacher, administrator, and staff mental health?
● What is the impact of mental health on academic learning and the social environment in K-12 schools from the perspective of teachers, students, parents, and community members?
● In what ways are K-12 schools effectively responding to the mental health needs of students and educators following a crisis?
● Should the efficacy of initiatives to improve mental health for those who attend and work in schools be assessed? If so, how?
● What impact does mental health awareness have on teacher education and professional development?
● What can teachers, principals, school psychologists, school counselors, social workers, and other school leaders do to better support mental health at their school sites?
● What are the implications of a focus on mental health for school leadership?
We are interested in theoretical, empirical, and approaches to practice papers using a range of methodologies that will contribute to the discourse around mental health in K-12 education globally. We welcome papers for audiences interested in classroom, school, district, and national practices, approaches to assessment, theoretical advancement, and teacher education and leadership.
Keywords: mental health, K-12 schooling, pedagogy, prevention, psychological wellbeing
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
