May is Mental Health Awareness Month—but awareness alone isn’t enough. The youth mental health crisis has been at the center of education conversations for years, yet the time has come to shift our focus from awareness to action. And where better to act than in schools—the places where young people spend the majority of their time?
The connection between student success and mental health is clear: 90% of educators agree that emotional challenges impact a student’s ability to learn¹. When students feel safe, supported, and like they belong, real learning can happen. But building that kind of environment requires more than just good intentions—it requires strategic, sustainable, and system-wide action.
As districts look ahead to planning for the 2025–2026 school year, here are five key lessons learned from this past year’s mental health work across a diverse collection of school communities—from urban and rural to charter and virtual:
1. Fragmentation Undermines Impact
When programs and teams are siloed, it creates confusion, duplication, and missed opportunities. Mental health touches many departments—student support, special education, teaching and learning, family engagement—so alignment is critical.
Over 60% of educators say their MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) programs for mental and behavioral health lack alignment or need major improvements¹. Without integration, these systems can’t reach their full potential. But when programs and interventions work in harmony, districts can create a coordinated approach—therapeutically, programmatically, and operationally—that truly supports the whole child.
2. Mental Health Must Be Embedded in School Culture
Mental health initiatives can’t live on the margins—they must be woven into the fabric of school life. That means incorporating mental wellness into everything: teacher training, staff wellness programs, classroom design, leadership development, school schedules, strategic plans, and multi-tiered systems of support.
Embedding this work into everyday practice engages all stakeholders—students, families, staff, and leaders—and ensures mental wellness is part of how schools operate, not just how they aspire to be.
3. Consistency Beats One-Off Efforts
We don’t expect physical health from one healthy meal—and we can’t expect emotional health from a single assembly. Mental wellness isn’t a one-time initiative; it requires consistent, intentional practice and needs to be prioritized like literacy or math.
Daily routines like morning meetings in elementary grades or advisory periods in secondary schools offer opportunities for quick daily practice. These moments of connection and reflection don’t just support individual students—they create a culture where it’s easier to spot when someone needs additional help, whether it’s a check-in or clinical care. Routines of emotional wellness help ensure no child falls through the cracks.
4. Simplicity Drives Adoption
Teachers and school staff are stretched thin. For mental health supports to be effective, they must be easy to use, easy to implement, and clearly connected to positive outcomes.
Technology can help by streamlining implementation, tracking impact, and supporting fidelity to best practices. When staff see how these tools lead to improved student behavior, stronger engagement, and better classroom climates, they’re more likely to buy in and less likely to see this as just another thing on their plate.
5. Leadership Sets the Tone
The most successful districts have one thing in common: a leader who champions mental health as a core component of student success.
When superintendents and principals prioritize wellness in strategic plans, PD sessions, and daily routines—and model that commitment themselves—it signals to staff that this work matters. It becomes not just a “nice-to-have,” but an essential part of a thriving school community.
There are plenty of challenges in education that are beyond our control. But how we respond—how we show up for students, staff, and families—is within our power. By embedding mental health into the systems, culture, and leadership of our schools, we equip our communities with the tools they need to succeed, no matter what challenges come their way.
