U.S. student-to-school counselor ratio improves but still misses recommended rate

The student-to-school counselor ratio improved 5.6 percent nationally between 2021–22 and 2022–23, but there is still work to be done to reach the recommended rate of 250:1, according to data released by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in February. In 2022–23, the student-to-counselor ratio […]

California introduces free behavioral health apps for families, young people

A duo of free web- and app-based tools offering families with children or young adults ages 0-25 one-on-one sessions with live wellness coaches, wellness exercises, a library of multimedia resources and access to peer communities moderated by trained behavioral health professionals, were launched by the […]

Increasing illicit opioid use among adults linked to increased suicide rates in youth

Rising youth suicide rates are partially tied to the opioid crisis that has disrupted home lives and caused trauma for children throughout the country, according to a recent study from the RAND Corporation. “While the use of illicit opioids did not increase among children, it […]

Brief explores the immigration system’s impact on school communities

As of 2019, roughly 7 percent of all children in the United States — an estimated 5 million young people under age 19 — lived with an undocumented family member, most often a parent. The effects of immigration enforcement actions on Latino children of undocumented […]

SDCOE’s suicide intervention toolkit helps schools support students and get them back on track

The San Diego County Office of Education’s Golden Bell Award-winning Policy to Practice: Suicide Intervention Toolkit provides local schools with protocols to support students experiencing suicidal ideation, and since its launch in 2019, has likely saved many lives. San Diego COE’s 16 school districts, 11 […]

Report calls for national overhaul of social media ed, standards and more to support youth

A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls on social media companies, Congress, the U.S. Department of Education and others to minimize the harm of social media use on adolescents’ health while maximizing its benefits. “Many of our children have grown […]

New research explores the use of AI tools in identifying students in crisis

With youth suicidality on the rise and schools struggling to hire the number of mental health professionals needed to support students, local educational agencies have begun to turn to artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools to help identify those at risk for suicide and self-harm. However, a […]

Millions of eligible children disenrolled from Medicaid following pandemic policy rollback

Children account for nearly 40 percent of the 10.6 million Medicaid disenrollments reported by states as of Nov. 14, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which tracks state Medicaid data. As of September 2023 in California, nearly 704,000 people have been disenrolled, 21 percent (more […]

Webinar covers how to foster restorative practices in schools

The benefits of restorative practices and the conditions needed to successfully implement restorative approaches in educational systems were discussed during a recent webinar hosted by the Learning Policy Institute. As K-12 communities grapple with the psychological trauma students have experienced and continue to encounter, research […]