Creating a Vision for Improved Systems of School Mental Health Through Youth Participatory Action Research: A School Mental Health Policy Rubric

This study used critical policy analysis and youth participatory action research to engage 12 high school students in critically examining and reimagining systems of school mental health policy and practice in U.S. public schools. Through a series of 10 online meetings, youth researchers from diverse school communities across the country collected and analyzed data from their own schools and communities, drawing on their differing lived experiences and identities to collaboratively develop a school mental health policy rubric . The rubric contains seven policy recommendations grounded in a critical prevention framework, centering power shifts and equity as essential to promoting youth thriving. Findings highlight the value of youth expertise in designing school mental health systems that meet young people’s needs.