Student Voice:

Mental Health, Wellness, and Feelings of Safety


 Elevating Student Voice

Success inside and outside of school is greatly influenced by the mental health and wellness of a student. Additionally, the climate of a school greatly influences the attendance and participation of a student.

Montana students are the greatest stakeholders when it comes to youth mental health and wellness. This website is dedicated to elevating the voices of students and highlight strategies schools may consider implementing, or continuing, to create safe and supportive learning environments where students can thrive.


 

Student Mental Health and Wellness

This video highlights the recommendations of Montana students to support student mental health and wellness. 

 

Creating Safe and Supportive Schools

Montana student recommendations to support student wellness and feelings of safety at school. 


Top Seven Strategies

Conductive content analysis was used to analyze student voice responses from 60 Montana youth (aged 12 to 19). The themes identified from student responses are presented below along with resources and additional information for ease of implementation in schools.

Encourage staff to support students and foster positive relationships with students

The importance of positive relationships between school staff and students in supporting student mental health, wellness, and feeling of safety appeared in 55 students responses; far out pacing any other student response.

Schools can encourage school staff to continually monitor students and offer support when needed and show they care about their students' wellbeing and work to ensure every student has a trusting relationship with at least one adult at school. 

Resources: 

  • Relationship mapping (Harvard)- Relationship mapping is a no-cost, highly impactful strategy to help ensure each student at a school has a positive relationship with at least one staff member
  • Facilitating Listening Circles (International Institute for Restorative Practices)- This professional development resource provides information and guidance on facilitating listening circles to provide students and school staff with an opportunity to speak and listen to each other.

Find more on the OPI's Positive School Climate website

Create a school environment that intentionally welcomes and supports all students

Students recommended intentionally welcoming all students 21 times when asked how schools can support student mental health, wellness, and feelings of safety.

The Department of Education has established 4 key recommendations for administrators to consider to creating welcoming school environments:

1. Think Family Friendly 

First impressions matter to ensure families feel that your school is a place where they belong. To make campus visits a positive experience for family members:

  • Post signs, in home languages, to guide visitors to important places on campus and make your site easy to navigate for everyone.
  • Assign bilingual staff or volunteers in the office to greet parents and answer questions.
  • Set up a family resource center with information on your school and community and encourage parents to drop by

When a school goes the extra mile to welcome families, home-school partnerships begin to grow to support student success.

2. Keep Campus Clean and Safe 

Is your school site a clean, inviting and safe place? A well-maintained campus goes a long way to better connect families and schools. To keep your site looking its best:

  • Develop a clean campus policy based on feedback from parents, students, teachers and staff.
  • Organize campus cleanup days and recycling programs for your school community.
  • Maintain playground facilities and shaded areas for outdoor activities to ensure that they are safe and accessible for all students

Sprucing up a school not only makes it more inviting for families, it affects student performance, behavior and learning in class.

3. Embed Respect 

With a healthy school climate, parents see school as a caring place that students look forward to going to each day. Create a more welcoming and peaceful environment for all stakeholders by focusing on respect as a core value in your mission statement. To reinforce the message:

  • Set a positive tone and communicate clear expectations for the campus that students, parents, teachers, and staff work together to build an environment of respect.
  • Ensure that books and curriculum reflect all students’ lives in your school and community.
  • Engage in professional learning on how to work with families; provide conflict management through assemblies; and offer parent and staff education on prevention of harassment and bullying.
Relying on proactive strategies builds mutually respectful partnerships so students can thrive in school and beyond.
 

4. Make Communication Easy

How your school communicates with home signals an appreciation of the diversity of families. Provide regular, two-way communication, in home languages, to share information and receive feedback through:
  • Community forums
  • Volunteer room representatives 
  • Home visit 
  • Backpack express 
  • Phone calls 
  • Email blasts
  • Social media 
Effective communication empowers and engages parents as partners with schools to support student achievement, development and growth.
 

Provide in-school mental health supports

When asked how schools can support student mental health and wellness, 21 students recommended providing in-school mental health supports.

 

 

You can find more resources on the OPI's School Mental Health website

Provide a physical space within the school that is dedicated to student needs

Students recommend creating a space that is distinctly dedicated to meeting the needs of students including, providing a comfortable space to spend time, access to water and food, and other resources such as school supplies. This recommendation appeared in 19 student responses. 

The video below gives an example of a space that was created in a Montana high school to meet the needs of students. 

Educate students and staff on mental health

The recommendation to provide education to students and school staff on mental health was recommended by students as a way to support student mental health and wellness.

You can find more resources on the OPI's School Mental Health website

Actively work to decrease stress and pressure associated with academic performance

Students expressed feeling a lot of stress and pressure associated with expectations to perform well academically; student recommended schools find ways to reduce that stress and pressure as a way to better support student mental health and wellness.

An article by the American Psychological Association (2012) states "Teachers and parents should emphasize children’s progress rather than focusing solely on grades and test scores. Learning takes time and each step in the process should be rewarded, especially at early stages when students most likely will experience failure.” 

Provide additional breaks throughout the day

As a way to support student mental health and wellness, students recommended schools provide more breaks throughout the day to allow students to relax and recharge.

"Brain breaks" have been shown to be critical to learning. The video below outlines some of the research behind the value of building in breaks throughout the school day and provides examples of how schools can incorporate brain breaks in effective ways. 

 

 


Questions, Methodology and Demographics

Questions and Student Responses

Methodology

Student input was gathered in three ways:

  1. an online survey where students could choose to respond anonymously;
  2. small focus groups led by a member of the school staff and/or an OPI staff member; and
  3. in larger student panels at conferences led by an OPI staff member.

Sixty students provided feedback on at least one of the questions asked.

Demographics

The known students (those who did not respond anonymously) represent 15 schools, including two schools located within a Montana Tribal Nation and come from 4 AA schools, 1 A school, 1 B school, and 9 C schools. Students represent schools from across Montana.

  • Region 1: 4 Schools
  • Region 2: 5 Schools
  • Region 3: 3 Schools
  • Region 4: 1 School
  • Region 5: 2 Schools

 

Montana Regions Map

In what ways can schools make students feel safe and welcome at schools?

Forty-seven students responded to the question "In what ways can schools make student feel safe and welcome at school?". The top five responses are listed below:

  • Establish supportive/positive relationships between students and staff 
  • Intentionally welcome all students within the school
  • Provide a physical space designated for student needs
  • Actively respond to the needs of students
  • Ensure school is an emotionally safe space
 

In your opinion, what does it mean to have good mental health?

Forty-two students responded to the question "In your opinion, what does it mean to have good mental health?". The top seven responses are below:

  • Posses a positive self-image/confidence
  • Be able to overcome challenges/cope
  • Be able to manage negative thoughts and stress
  • Be happy/posses a positive outlook
  • Have positive relationships with others
  • Be able to enjoy activities
  • Posses optimism/excitement about the future

What could a school do to help students have good mental health?

Sixty students responded to the question "What could a school do to help students have good mental health?". The top eight responses are below:

  • Establish supportive/positive relationships between students and staff 
  • Educate students and staff on mental health
  • Provide in-school mental health supports
  • Work to reduce academic stress/pressure
  • Intentionally welcome all students within the school
  • Provide a physical space designated for student needs
  • Teach strategies to foster good mental health 
  • Provide more breaks from school work

What kind of student wellness and/or mental health supports do you think Montana students need more of?

Forty-one students responded to the question :What kind of student wellness and/or mental health supports do you think Montana students need more of?". The top seven responses are below

  • Supportive/positive relationships with staff
  • In-school mental health supports
  • Acceptance of mental illness (destigmatize) 
  • Additional breaks from schoolwork
  • A physical space designated for student needs
  • Welcoming school environment 
  • Less academic stress/pressure

 


OPI Staff are here to help:

Michele Henson,  American Indian Student Achievement Specialist- 406-595-1058

Sarah Music, Coordinated School Health Unit Director- 406-444-0773

 

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