Supporting school mental health systems in Minnesota
School Mental Health in Minnesota: Statewide and Regional Insights From Existing Data
Summary: Guided by the Social-Ecological Model of Mental Health and Wellbeing (Erickson et al., 2024), this study, conducted by a research team at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), explores needs, resources, challenges, and strengths across individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, policy, and societal levels. The analysis draws on existing public educational records and survey data sources and includes descriptive analyses of key determinants such as student-to-school mental health staff ratios, students’ perceived support and safety at school and in communities, and perspectives from principals, educators, and parents regarding mental health needs and challenges. Findings are reported at the state level and compared across the Economic Development Regions (EDRs). This report is the first in a series supported by the Sauer Family Foundation and addresses the following core questions:
- What is the current state of student mental health outcomes in Minnesota?
- What is the current state of school mental health systems, as well as family, community, and school-level determinants of student mental health across the state?
- How do outcomes and determinants vary by Economic Development Region?
- How are these determinants related to student mental health outcomes?
The following findings emerged from the analyses:
- Finding 1: Rising Mental Health Needs.
Echoing national trends, data from student, educator, and parent surveys, along with disciplinary records, show a consistent increase in mental health challenges among youth. While regional patterns generally mirror statewide trends, disparities remain, with some regions experiencing higher levels of student need. - Finding 2: Insufficient School Mental Health Support Staffing to Meet Rising Student Needs.
While the availability of school mental health support personnel has improved over time, student-to-staff ratios across Minnesota remain significantly higher than professional guidelines recommend. This reflects a statewide shortage of school-based mental health staff. The pattern is consistent across EDRs, with some regions experiencing both a higher concentration of students with mental health needs and fewer available support staff. - Finding 3: Mixed Student Perceptions of Support and Safety in School and Community Environments.
Students’ perceptions of support and safety reveal a mixed picture across home, school, and community settings. While many students report feeling safe and supported by family and peers, fewer feel similarly supported by adults in the broader community. Within schools, most students feel that teachers care and that the environment is generally safe, but a smaller proportion of students perceive school as fair and feel heard by adults. - Finding 4: Stronger Family and Community Support and Safety Is Associated with Better Mental Health Outcomes.
Correlation and regression analyses show that counties with students who report strong family and community support are less likely to experience long-term mental health, behavioral, or emotional challenges. Similarly, in counties where students reported feeling safe and supported at home and in their communities, fewer reported frequent negative emotions or chronic mental health concerns. - Finding 5: Gaps in School and District Capacity to Address Mental Health Needs.
Survey responses from principals, educators, and parents point to ongoing concerns about the inadequacy of mental health support in schools. Many educators and school leaders feel underprepared to address the growing mental health needs of students and staff. Parents often recognize these challenges in their children but report limited success in accessing the appropriate support.
Regional reports are linked below the full report.
Regional findings available at:
How to fund school mental health services in Minnesota
Summary: Youth across the United States are facing widespread mental health challenges, which in recent years have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Youth with marginalized racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities face even more mental health challenges.
Schools are an ideal setting to ensure youth receive the mental health services they need. In fact, mental health services provided through school reduce access barriers (e.g., insurance, transportation, location, and language) and increase opportunities for early identification to prevent mental health challenges from becoming more severe. School mental health services encompass universal mental health promotion, social-emotional screening, early intervention services, and individualized, intensive therapy.
One barrier that commonly prevents schools from providing such mental health services is funding. However, several federal and state sources are available to support school mental health services. Given the complexities of identifying and securing funding from an array of sources to support school mental health services, the purpose of this policy brief is to describe the funding sources that leaders in education may wish to pursue.
School mental health policy in Minnesota
Summary: Policy is a critical mechanism for ensuring systems, like schools, support children and youth’s well-being and mental health. Policies impact how people navigate and access resources, including mental health support. Government investment of time, money, and resources influences mental health management within communities and organizations, including schools. Collaborative efforts across key community players can fortify school mental health systems when targeted, meaningful statues are paired with incentives. The collaborative development and oversight of laws, policies, regulations, and resources offer powerful implications for healthy family functioning and the quality of children’s and youth’s wellbeing.
Given the complexities of developing and overseeing policy, the purpose of this brief is twofold:
- To provide a current snapshot of Minnesota’s school mental health policies for students and their related processes, as well as ...
- To offer recommendations for strengthening the policies and processes therein.