Youth Mental Health and Identity-Related School Policies: Centering the Perspectives of Student Organizers

• In Event: School Policy and Strain, Black Tenure-Track Sense of Responsibility, and Flourishing: Paper Session

Abstract

This paper explores the influence of school policies related to identity on the mental health of students. The study centers the perspectives of twelve student organizers from various states across the United States. Employing Critical Policy Analysis and critical orientations to psychology, this research highlights how identity-related school policies influence student healing and wellbeing. Findings reveal that a wide range of policies, even those seemingly unrelated to mental health, can impact students' mental health. The presence of teachers who understand student identities is crucial, as is curriculum content that honors their identities. The study underscores the need for educational policies to consider the collective nature of psychological challenges and honor the diverse identities of students to promote their mental health.

Author

• Kate Somerville, University of Virginia