Before Crisis Strikes: How Five School Communities Use Integrated Student Supports to Navigate Education Emergencies

• In Event: Family-School Engagement in Diverse Environments

Abstract

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, many school communities were contending with compounding crises of economic instability, climate change, and mental health challenges. Through a multiple case study design, this study shows how five school communities navigated education emergencies before, during, and after the pandemic through systems of integrated student supports. Using schools as a central hub for delivery, the ISS approach provides a network of wraparound services to students and families. Findings show that these communities’ network of partnerships were able to address long-standing and emergent needs when crisis struck. Secondly, support for student and family mental health needs was built in almost from the start, fostering a healthier, more educationally viable environment for the whole school community.

Authors

• Kimberly Sterin, Drexel University

• Bruce Levine, Drexel University

• Elaine Weiss, Independent Researcher