title: Schooling and Children's Mental Health: Realigning Resources to Reduce Disparities and Advance Public Health.
abstract: Schools have long been the primary setting for children's mental health services but have neither the resources nor the expertise to manage these services independently. The critical importance of school success for children's adjustment provides a strong rationale for schooling as an essential component of children's mental health services. In this article, we review evidence for how schooling and mental health coalesce, suggesting an alignment of school and community mental health resources that prioritizes successful schooling as a key mental health outcome. We describe collaborative principles and ecological practices that advance a public health focus on children's mental health while also reducing the burden on schools to maintain mental health services. We close with a model of mental health services illustrating these principles and practices in high-poverty urban schools and propose future directions for research and practice to promote positive mental health for all children and youth.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60608; email: matkins@psych.uic.edu.
authors.forename: Marc S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Atkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003.
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cappella
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854.
authors.forename: Elisa S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Shernoff
authors.affiliation: Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60608; email: matkins@psych.uic.edu.
authors.forename: Tara G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.affiliation: Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60608; email: matkins@psych.uic.edu.
authors.forename: Erika L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Gustafson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D000070516:Intersectoral Collaboration; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D011634:Public Health / Q000592:standards*; D012572:School Health Services / Q000592:standards*
keywords: children; collaboration; community mental health; ecological principles; education; sustainability; unmet needs; youth