A Bronx school district offers lessons in boosting student mental health

& Building a sense of community is critical for students to thrive. Maskot / Getty Images Faiza Jamil, Clemson University If you are an educator or a parent, you have likely already seen many ways in which “the kids are not alright.” Mounting evidence shows that the mental health of American youth has been declining for at least a decade. During the pandemic, it took an even sharper downturn. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2021 – the most recent data available – 42% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and 22% seriously considered suicide. This is a significant increase from 10 years earlier, when 28% of students reported persistent feelings of sadness or loneliness and 16% considered attempting suicide. The isolation of pandemic stay-at-home orders and the trauma of losing loved ones contributed to declines in well-being. Schools have an important role to play in addressing this crisis. As researchers in education, my co-author, Javaid Siddiqi and I interviewed educators working in school districts that faced extreme adversity during the pandemic but still found success in supporting their students. One district in particular stood out for the challenges it faced....