The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) continues to identify a need to address students’ social, emotional, mental health, and overall wellness needs particularly with relation to the pandemic’s impact. ALAS has recognized the necessity to granularly break down students’ self-reported needs for ALAS to support its members and affiliates in determining how best to allocate and leverage available resources, funding, and services to assist students, especially Hispanic/Latino students across the country. Notably, ALAS has observed a nationwide challenge among districts, administrators, and other K12 education decision-makers to address and treat the symptoms of students’ social-emotional and wellness needs, over a methodical examination of underlying root causes.
To support a greater understanding of students’ needs across a variety of mental health and wellness competencies or constructs, ALAS has partnered with Hanover Research to design, administer, and analyze the results of a nationwide National Mental Health and Wellbeing Needs Assessment Survey.
The survey solicited wellness self-perceptions and identified needs among secondary students throughout the country as well as the perceptions of parents and staff nationwide to examine how their perceptions of student wellness compare. This whitepaper summarizes the results of the survey and intends to support ALAS in identifying potential root causes of student mental health and wellness needs across the country.
