National Initiative to Advance Health Equity
Equity &
Emotional Well-Being
for all students in Education
National Initiative to Advance Health Equity in K-12 Education by Preventing Chronic Disease and Promoting Healthy Behaviors: Priority 2-Emotional Well-Being is a 5-year cooperative agreement awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Healthy Schools Branch. The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), in partnership with the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), is working with states and school districts across the U.S. to advance healthy equity in K-12 schools, with a focus on mental health and emotional well-being. This work utilizes an equity-driven approach, Community of Practice and quality improvement best practices, and multi-level learning and collaboration, including collaboration with youth leaders to elevate their voices and engage them as leaders in advancing emotional well-being for all youth.
The National Initiative to Advance Health Equity in K-12 Education hosts the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Learning Collaborative which is comprised of state and local education agency teams dedicated to advancing health equity through improving emotional well-being in their schools. The WSCC framework is a comprehensive, student-centered approach to advance health equity that focuses on the connection between health and academic achievement, supported through evidence-based policies and practices with the community supporting the schools. The WSCC Emotional Well-Being LC utilizes the WSCC framework to promote the emotional well-being of children and adolescents in schools through professional development, technical assistance, training, resources, and implementation support. The LC focuses on amplifying youth voices by engaging youth as collaborative leaders in advancing youth emotional well-being. This learning community uses an equity-driven, community of practice approach to facilitate shared learning and continuous quality improvement.
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See Results from the First Year's Cohort
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