SAMHSA Now Is The Time – Project AWARE: Strategies to Identify and Response to Threats to Student Safety and Well-being

• In Event: Strategies to Enhance School Climate and Student Safety: Enhanced Mental Health Services and Bullying Prevention

Abstract

The NITT (Now Is The Time)-Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) initiative is designed to make schools safer and facilitate student access to mental health services. SAMHSA provided grants to 20 state education agencies to partner with local school districts and other child-serving agencies to develop a comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated program for advancing wellness and resilience in educational settings for school-aged youth. This presentation will first describe community context and baseline school safety and school climate measures across approximately 400 middle and high schools participating in Project AWARE, followed by an analysis of strategies to promote accurate identification of and effective responses to threats to student safety and well-being in the context of these identified needs in the grantee communities.

Authors

• Duren Banks, RTI International

• Nicole Johnson, RTI International

• Lissette Saavedra, RTI International

• Anna Yaros, RTI International