Student Well-Being

Mental Health Days, SEL Best Practices, and Naloxone on the Agenda at SXSW EDU

By Lauraine Langreo — March 01, 2023 2 min read
Image of happy and not happy face symbols.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 42 percent of high school students said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

That is a sobering finding that educators, researchers, and education companies will explore during the SXSW EDU conference, which kicks off on Monday, March 6, in Austin.

Some of the sessions at this year’s conference will focus on what educators’ role is in improving student mental health, how to end the opioid crisis, and social-emotional learning best practices, among other student well-being issues.

Here are five Education Week stories that should help you prepare to address these challenges now and in the years ahead, all of which will be explored during the conference:

1. More Schools Are Offering Student Mental Health Days. Here’s What You Need to Know

More schools are giving students an excused absence from classes to look after their mental well-being. It’s easy to see why some states have embraced the policy: it’s a relatively low-resource way to support kids’ mental well-being. It also reduces stigma around seeking help. But experts also caution that mental health days do come with some potential pitfalls and dangers.

2. Students Have Ideas to Address Mental Health Challenges. They Want to Be Heard

School and district administrators often cite students’ well-being as a major concern as they strive for normalcy after the pandemic. But students aren’t always asked for their ideas on how to confront the challenges. And they have a lot of ideas, such as mental health days for students and faculty, student-led professional development for teachers, and providing on-campus quiet rooms and private spaces for students.

3. Building an Effective SEL Program: Lessons From 3 Districts

Many school districts have invested heavily in social-emotional learning. But how can schools ensure that those investments are sustainable and lead to results? Education Week spoke with three districts that have been implementing social-emotional learning districtwide for at least a decade to learn what has worked, what hasn’t, and what are the key elements to success. Among them: getting input from students, figuring out how to measure the seemingly unmeasurable, and focusing on adult SEL.

4. Telemedicine Could Help Keep Kids in Class

Schools’ use of telehealth services increased during the pandemic, and emerging research suggests it could help reduce chronic absenteeism. Researchers tracked student absenteeism in three rural school districts in North Carolina where school-based telehealth clinics were rolled out. After telemedicine was implemented, the researchers found that students in grades 3-8 who had access to telemedicine at school were 29 percent less likely to become chronically absent than before the schools implemented telehealth.

5. Districts Are Stocking Up on Naloxone But Often Ignoring Drug Prevention

Forty percent of school and district leaders nationwide said their schools stock the opioid-reversing drug naloxone to counter dangerous drug overdoses, according to an EdWeek Research Center Survey. But districts have a hard time adopting school-based drug prevention and education programs. Experts say it is easier to access and use naloxone than it is to provide a comprehensive drug prevention program.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Teacher Perspectives: What is the Future of Virtual Education?
Hear from practicing educators on how virtual and hybrid options offer more flexibility and best practices for administrative support.
Content provided by Class

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Student Well-Being Lunchables Are Coming to School Cafeteria Menus. We Unwrap the Reasons Why
A retooled version of the product has gotten the OK to be served on school lunch lines.
4 min read
Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Tonalea K-8 school in Scottsdale, Ariz., Dec. 12, 2022.
Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Tonalea K-8 school in Scottsdale, Ariz., Dec. 12, 2022.
Alberto Mariani/AP
Student Well-Being Opinion Schools Must Combine Exercise and Learning in the Classroom
It’s important for students to add movement into their daily school routine, says this letter to the editor.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Student Well-Being Opinion Better Sleep and Breathing Habits May Improve Mental Health
A parent and yoga instructor explains the importance of good breathing and sleep in this letter to the editor.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Student Well-Being Opinion The Idea of Social-Emotional Learning Makes Sense. But Its Execution Doesn't
SEL is a mixed bag with plenty to criticize. Rick Hess and Jal Mehta discuss their feelings about it.
7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty