Reflecting on Mental and Behavioral Health
As the year comes to a close, Education Week highlights five of the major conclusions experts have drawn about student mental health in 2022, from the harsh impact of the pandemic to the correlation between wellbeing and academic success. The Nation similarly reflects on the last 12 months to promote some of its most influential student-authored testimonies, many of which championed mental health and related issues affecting the college demographic. Looking to 2023, The New York Times considers how its mental health coverage in 2022 can serve as a guide for readers moving forward, whether they need to address their burnout and task paralysis, focus on getting in some movement or dive into the wilderness—literally.
Other News
K-12 Dive reviews the recent report from the Trevor Project, which considers the state of LGBTQ+ student mental health support by state for the first time and determines that access to care is extremely variable.
With the increased demand for mental health services among young people, CT Insider reports that many children in need are finding themselves on long wait lists for state care.
MPR News relays the findings of the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey, revealing that the number of students struggling with mental health issues is its highest on record (around one-third).
12 News highlights how threats of violence at Arizona schools, following reports of weapons on campus or leading to lockdowns, may be exacerbating student mental health challenges.
Tucson.com explores how the University of Arizona is working to meet an increased demand for mental health services this year after a professor was killed and students died from suicide.
According to The Austin-American Statesman, several members of the Texas Senate authored a 100-page report, offering school safety protocol and mental health care recommendations in light of the Uvalde shooting.
The Casper Star Tribune suggests that a proposed $11.5 million program to support mental health services in Wyoming schools will likely not be approved due to structural problems.
The Editorial Board for The Chicago Sun Times commends its city for beginning to focus on promoting mental health, including by equipping the police with clinicians and planning to institute a health and social services call line.
CBS highlights the growing popularity of school policies banning smartphone use to counteract the potential mental health toll of too much screen time.
Student Buzz
In Cosmopolitan, Alicia Abramson, the Yale junior suing her university for discriminating against students with mental health disabilities, explains why she’s passionate about changing the school’s medical withdrawal policies.
In an op-ed for The Daily Princetonian, a Princeton graduate of the class of 1975 urges his alma mater to begin considering the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of its students to become a trauma-informed campus.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Black community at the University of Virginia is tight-knit, The Washington Post writes, and members have been struggling immensely since the killing of three Black students after a campus shooting. Among the regular challenges of being a student of color at a predominantly white institution, Diverse Education highlights a recent study finding that Black and Hispanic students are far less likely than their White peers to learn from a professor of their same race. Colleges continue to grapple with how to support the success of their students or color and promote anti-racism, including at Penn State, where The Chronicle suggests the reversal of plans to construct a Center for Racial Justice has inspired wide controversy.
In an op-ed for The Hechinger Report, Catharine Hill, the former president of Vassar College, encourages college admissions administrators to give careful consideration to veteran applicants. She urges selective colleges, which produce higher graduation rates and many of the country’s future leaders, in particular to reward those who served in the military and “better appreciate its role in our society.”
Student Success
The Washington Post reports that three graduates are suing the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, accusing their alma mater of falsifying data for its U.S. News ranking and overvaluing its online program. The lawsuit arrives at a time when many are increasingly skeptical of not only college rankings but also the payoff of higher education in general. Higher Ed Dive highlights the governor’s decision in Utah to relax college degree requirements for state jobs in an effort to shift the focus from “a piece of paper” to “demonstrated competence.” Only time will tell whether this stance will grow or impact the findings of a new Stanford study, which The Wall Street Journal says predicts pandemic learning loss will lead to fewer college degrees and an average $70,000 reduction in lifetime earnings.
College Affordability
As the future of President Biden’s student debt relief plan hangs in the balance, awaiting a Supreme Court hearing in February, The Washington Post considers the many borrowers who received or planned to receive loan refunds during the pandemic but now may need to return them. Given this uncertainty, Politico anticipates that pushing for loan reform will continue to top the progressive agenda over the next year, including pursuing new solutions. The country’s proposed spending plan for 2023, for example, raises the maximum Pell Grant amount by $500 and allocates nearly $80 billion to the Education Department, although Inside Higher Ed finds the Biden administration had wanted more.
Basic Needs
As college students contend with high costs of living, new programs aim to ease the burden of affording basic needs. According to The New York Times, two New York-based programs have started housing City University of New York students without alternatives. In California, too, The Times reports, a state initiative will provide $10,000 for tuition and other expenses to low-income students who participate in service projects. The Denver Post notes that Colorado colleges are experimenting in their approach to combating food insecurity in the hope of reaching more students. Yet in other states, progress may be slower to come by, as The Seattle Times reveals Washington has some of the most houseless students but the least state funding per such student. In an op-ed for Cardinal News, editor Dwayne Yancy questions why funding to cover tuition for community college students in Virginia so often comes from the state’s poorest areas.
