Do you employ a school mental health survey each year? For most school leaders, the answer is no. Then, they go through the year wondering why:
We have met many well-intentioned school leaders who are implementing every program and working tirelessly to strengthen their school’s culture and climate. However, their efforts often fall flat without the proper data.
Here’s an exercise to prove that point. Go on google and type in “how to repair mental health.” You will see a range of answers from top 10 lists to top 100 lists. The reason for all the variety is because mind health is more than just a general, vague idea. There are specific indicators of the well-being, health, and readiness to thrive for every child in your building.
You cannot know the best way to strengthen your school’s mental health if you do not have the data on where students are thriving and/or struggling. The more specific your information, the better your school improvement plan can become.
Like any other implementation, improving school culture takes a specific, targeted focus. If your school was struggling in math, would you blindly bring in a program that teaches multiplication tables? Or would you gather the data first to find out if the problem is actually in geometry?
Mind health works the same way. You may bring in a program about motivation and focus, while your school’s greatest need is a sense of belonging. It is easy to bring in a great program that does not have a great impact on your community.
Here are 5 reasons to conduct a school-wide mental health survey right now.
We spend a lot of time as leaders focusing on weaknesses. How would you impact students if you knew their strengths and emphasized them?
This is the highest level of school growth, where students are challenged to push the limits of their best attributes. A strengths-based approach can lead to incredible gains in test scores, scholarships earned, and academic awards received.
Your school’s mind health survey will give you access to your students’ greatest strengths. This allows you to position students for success and build on confidence. Leverage those strengths, and your school will see results quickly.
How do students bring concerns about teachers or grading policy to you? When and how do students have access to counseling or mental health services? What can your teachers do to collaborate, implement interventions, and work together towards student success?
You may not be maximizing your policies yet. A school mental health survey will show the impact your standard procedures are (or are not) having. Adjustments to policy can be quick and make a lasting difference.
When enrollment numbers drop, every part of your school suffers. It is important to show parents and the community that you are invested in the education and overall growth of every individual student in your building. Here’s what a school-wide mental health survey shows parents:
When choosing which school to enroll their children, what will they say about you? Adding this piece provides them with positive news and a warmer feel for the experience you provide.
The top school leaders focus on how to remove friction from teachers so they can focus on learning opportunities. Disruptions, negative behaviors, and student apathy can all derail lessons. Worse yet, it leaves teachers feeling demoralized when they can’t get past the SEL to get to the academic lessons.
If you want to rally your teachers, inspire them, and create a teaching team that feels like an actual team, invest in a school mind health survey.
It will give them valuable data to utilize in their classrooms on top of giving you better, more focused options for school-wide interventions.
When you meet with stakeholders to discuss budgets, programs, and initiatives, what is your level of preparedness?
For many, it starts and stops at academic data. But school results come from more than test scores.
Do not be the leader who comes to a meeting to suggest an SEL or wellness program just because it sounds good or promises results.
Walk in as a confident leader, armed with real data that can not only justify the incorporation of programs, but can actually pinpoint which programs and interventions will make the greatest impact on the school community.
Whether you lead a charter, public, or private school, your community is looking up to you to provide the experience they have always wanted for their children. You are capable of meeting that mission. Now, it’s time to get the data that will allow you to. Sign up here and get your school started with a comprehensive mind health survey.
