NYCDOE schools
lack Mental Health resources
Class 801
Ms. R. Jones
Introduction
With the many issues that
have happened in our society since 2020, mental health issues have become a big
issue in NYC Public Schools. Some of these issues include the Covid-19
pandemic, the rise in gun violence in the city, and many other violent
stressful issues.
Schools should take mental health
issues more seriously since students spend most of their days in school
buildings. There should be mental health awareness and education programs
embedded in school curriculum. If students are empowered with knowledge of
mental health strategies, then they will be able to get the help they need in
case a crisis occurs in their life.
Unfortunately, some schools are not
equipped with the time, resources, or training necessary to give students with
signs of mental health issues the unique attention they deserve. Also, mental
health education is seldom part of the student’s curriculum, even though
parents recognize the importance of the topic.
There needs to be laws, funding and
training resources in every NYC public school to provide students with the help
needed to tackle mental health issues.
TASK
During this unit, we will take some
time to focus on the real-world problem of the need for students to get good
Mental Health help at NYC public schools. You will be divided into groups of
three and you will be responsible for putting together a presentation that will
give us ideas about how we can help students receive the help that they need.
PROCESS/RESOURCES
In your group, you will work together
and use the steps of the PPA in order to do your research for the project. Over
the next few days in class, you will be using the PPA Process to create a
presentation of your findings about improving mental health resources in NYC
Public Schools. The steps of the PPA Process are the following:
1. Define the Problem
2. Gather Evidence
3. Identify the cause
4. Evaluate the Existing Policy
5. Develop a Solution
6. Select the Best Solution
Day One and Day Two: Define the
Problem and Gather Evidence
After such events as the Covid 19
2020 pandemic, many students are in need of mental health resources in their
NYC Public Schools. In your groups, you will research and show how serious this
problem is in the school system. You will use the laptops in order to do this
task. I will provide you with a few resources.
https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/5/4/23710326/mental-health-help-nyc-public-schools
https://www.propublica.org/article/nyc-schools-kids-mental-health-special-education
Once you have reviewed the two
articles, fill out the worksheet defining the problem.
· Worksheet 1: Defining the Problem https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet1.doc
· Worksheet 2: Gather the Evidence of the Problem https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet2.doc
· Worksheet 3: Identifying the Causes of the Problem https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet3.doc
Day Three:
Evaluate existing policy
Today you
will look at policies that are in place for your problem and then you will
evaluate them using the worksheet provided. I have provided you with some sites
to get you started on this task.
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/mental-health
Worksheet 4:
Evaluating Existing Public Policies https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet4.doc
Day Four:
Develop Solutions
For this
step, you will look back at the policies you evaluated in the day three
assignment. Use the following worksheet to develop possible solutions for the
problem.
Worksheet 5:
Developing Public Policy Solutions https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet5.doc
Day Five:
Select the best Solution
For this final step, you will use the
worksheet to analyze and select the best solution that will solve the problem.
Worksheet 6: Select the Best Solution
https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet6.doc
EVALUATION
|
Task |
Great Job 4 |
Good 3 |
Almost 2 |
Not evident 1 |
|
Group Work |
Worked well in group |
Worked well with some/all of the
group |
Worked with some group members |
Did not engage with the group
during the project. |
|
Knowledge and content and research |
Used multiple sources to research
mental health problem |
Used two sources to research
mental health problem |
Used one source to research mental
health problem |
Did not use any sources to
research the mental health problem |
|
Presentation |
Includes all steps of the PPA and
highlights solutions to mental health problem |
Includes some of the steps of the
PPA and highlights some solutions to mental health |
Includes less than three steps of
the PPA and not many solutions for mental health problem |
None of the steps of the PPA
included and no presentation about mental health |
CONCLUSION
Throughout
this project, you have worked in groups to find a solution to the lack of
mental health resources in NYC Public Schools. You have done research, looked
at policies, and created a presentation. You have also come up with solutions that you
feel would best benefit students in need of mental health resources in the
Public School system.
STANDARDS
READING
STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS 6-8 Key Ideas and
Details
RST1: Cite
specific evidence to support analysis of scientific and technical texts,
charts, graphs, diagrams, etc. Understand and follow a detailed set of
directions.
RST2:
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a source; provide an accurate,
objective summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
RST3:
Describe how and why scientific ideas and reasoning are developed and modified
over the course of a text, source, argument, etc. Craft and Structure RST4:
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other content-specific words.
NGSS Science
Standards
MS-LS2-5
Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Evaluate
competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.*
Performance
Expectation
Grade: Middle School (6-8)