Funded Project – Page 4 – School Mental Health Collaborative

UW–Madison to lead new national center addressing lack of school mental health providers

UW-Madison School of Education article from October 2023 about METRICS, a national center to expand and improve the country’s school-based mental health workforce. UW-Madison’s School Mental Health Collaborative received a 4-year, $10.4 million grant to operate the center.

METRICS – Mental Health Evaluation, Training, Research, and Innovation Center for Schools
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education awarded funding to our Collaborative’s Universities, along with the University of Iowa, to run the Mental Health Evaluation, Training, Research and Innovation Center for Schools (METRICS). METRICS supports federally-funded grantees who are dedicated to addressing the national shortage of school-based mental health practitioners. These grantees received funding from the US Department of Education for either a School Based Mental Health (SBMH) or a Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) project to recruit, train, and retain a strong mental health workforce in our K-12 schools across the country.

Project SPACE – School Psychologists Advocating for Culturally-Responsive and Equitable Mental Health Services
The overall purpose of Project SPACE (School Psychologists Advocating for Culturally responsive and Equitable mental health services) is to recruit and train 24 new school psychology graduate students to enter the field, prepared to work with children and youth from historically minoritized identities. In a partnership between the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), training will emphasis skills related to provided culturally-responsive school mental health services. This training grant will support four cohorts of six students each year (24 students total).

The School Mental Health Collaborative (SMHC), a new research center launches at the USF College of Education
University of South Florida (USF) article from February 2023 about METRICS, a nationwide hub for school mental health grants. The School Mental Health Collaborative received a $10.4 million grant to coordinate this center.

School Mental Health Collaborative Postdoctoral Research and Training Program
The School Mental Health Collaborative Postdoctoral Research and Training Program aims to hire four fellows in two cohorts. These fellows will receive 2-years of training and mentoring to prepare them to conduct school mental health research with an eye towards equity and social justice.

Project STARS (Scholars in Teaching, Applied Research, and Service): Training and Mentoring in School Psychology
Project S.T.A.R.S. (Scholars in Teaching, Applied Research and Service) is a multi-site partnership between the doctoral school psychology programs at the University of South Florida and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The project will prepare 8 new faculty in school psychology who will have the teaching, applied research, and service expertise to lead school, district and state implementation of evidence-based practices within a multi-tiered system of supports.

Project MIDAS: Development of a Multi-Informant Decisional Assessment System
The purpose of this project is to develop and validate a multi-informant decisional assessment system (MIDAS) to integrate and use multiple sources of data for accurate and efficient identification of social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) concerns in middle school students.

Evaluation the Efficacy of a Daily Check-in/Check-out Intervention for Students At-Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Check-in/Check-out (CICO) for improving social, emotional, and academic behavior of elementary school students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). CICO is a manualized Tier 2 behavioral intervention commonly implemented within a multi-tiered framework and designed to improve the social and behavioral performance of students with emerging problem behavior.

Building an Efficient Targeted Intervention for Students At-Risk for Internalizing Problems: The Resilience Education Program (REP)
The purpose of this project is to further develop and refine the Resilience Education Program (REP). REP is a Tier 2 intervention for elementary students at risk for internalizing problems.

Increasing Access to Equitable Mental Health Services in Madison Schools
Our Madison community benefits from strong school-community partnerships to provide mental health services to students, yet, despite ongoing screening efforts, a large number of students with mental health concerns are not accessing care. Problems with access to effective mental and behavioral health services perpetuate outcome disparities, particularly for racially minoritized youth. Additional data are needed to determine how to improve referral pathways between screening and connection to mental health services. For this study, we are conducting interviews with youth in middle schools for those who have and have not participated in mental health groups to learn more about their experiences accessing supports. These data will help inform future efforts to better identify, inform, and provide services for youth with mental health concerns.

Category: Funded Project