Giving Compass' Take:

• Amelia Harper reports that districts are working to address rising student anxiety through a variety of programs. 

• How can districts in your area meet the mental health needs of their students? 

• Read about five tips to help manage student mental health. 

School districts across the nation are trying multiple approaches to address stress and depression among students. For instance, the Auburn School District in Washington is using a $450,000 grant to screen middle school students for mental health issues using the screening, brief intervention and referral-to-treatment method. School leaders were noticing problems with students making the transition from elementary to secondary schools, District Administration reports.

District leaders in the Regional School District No. 8 in Hebron, Connecticut, have opted for another approach by creating the Resilience Program to serve students in grades 7-12. This program combines on-campus clinical treatment with academic instruction in a way that allows students to transition back to general education classrooms as they gain the coping skills to do so.

High-achieving middle and high school students also may need intervention because they tend to exhibit higher than average levels of anxiety, depression, cheating and substance use, according to Suniya Luthar of Authentic Connections, a nonprofit organization that focuses on this demographic. Concepts of “grit” and “growth mindset” can backfire with these students and educators may need a greater focus on building strong relationships to benefit them, the article says.

Read the full article about fighting rising student anxiety by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.