Maryland School Mental Health Response Program: Evaluation Report for Program Implementation from June 2022 to September 2023

Resumen de los autores

The mental health of Maryland's youth has grown steadily worse for more than a decade, with COVID-19 exacerbating the trend. In an attempt to respond to rising student social, emotional, and academic needs, states including Maryland received a substantial increase in revenue through the allocation of American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds. Maryland committed the use of these funds to support school mental health through the implementation of the School Mental Health Response Program (MD-SMHRP) in collaboration with the National Center of School Mental Health (NCSMH). This initial evaluation serves to examine the effectiveness of the program model in enhancing the capacity of on-site school personnel and addressing existing gaps in school mental health services. This report applies the five evaluation criteria--relevance, coherence, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability--to discuss the alignment of Maryland's program plans with federal funding requirements, coordinated community supports, program effectiveness, program impact based on perspectives from local education agencies (LEAs), and the potential sustainability of the current program model. To determine the initial impact of MD-SMHRP, a semi-annual LEA Impact Survey was developed and distributed on January 12, 2023, and was completed by all 24 LEAs, with a total of 53 people responding. Findings show that MD-SMHRP was effective in achieving all five of its Year 2 objectives, and LEAs reported improvement in school mental health quality and positive ratings of MD-SMHRP. However, wait times for access to community mental health providers and preventing crises are still significant concerns. Without having a long-term plan for staffing and continuous improvement, it is not certain that the program can sustain its current momentum. Recommendations are provided to use relevant data to encourage engagement, determine level of support, and guide continuous improvement of the program, along with updating the website to provide links to resources and relevant data. [This report was prepared by the Maryland State Department of Education Office of Research, Planning, and Program Evaluation.]

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

Maryland School Mental Health Response Program: Evaluation Report for Program Implementation from June 2022 to September 2023. (2024). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED676246