Almost 1/3 of students who considered visiting a school counselor about out of school issues said they ended up not doing so because they didn't think their issues were "big enough to bother someone with" or they felt like they were being judged. 51% of students in they survey said if they seek help, they fear school staff might treat them differently.
Parents and teachers have expressed strong support for incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) in K-12 schools. A recent poll shows that 94% of teachers say students do better in school when SEL is integrated into the classroom, and 2/3 of teachers said that over the past 2 years, a student or parent had requested mental health or social-emotional support.
In recent interviews, educators throughout the country have reported that children (especially Brown and Black children and those whose families are considered low-income) are behind academically and interventions are needed. Teachers say they aren't given enough resources to support individual support for these students. One solution being considered it to take a more developmental approach by moving away from rigid grade-level expectation and looking instead at the development continuum.
