On this page, find resources exploring common frameworks used in school health, including the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model and Comprehensive School-Based Mental Health, and guidance for integrating existing frameworks for improved alignment and effective collaboration.
The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), is an expansion of the earlier Coordinated School Health approach. It emphasizes the need for collaboration between education and health sectors to ensure each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. It is foundational to effective, comprehensive school-based mental health solutions.
Why?
https://www.cdc.gov/whole-school-community-child/about/index.html
An overview of the WSCC model, a breakdown of each of the model’s core components, and tools for getting started.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/vhs/index.html
This tool demonstrates how the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model shows up in every area of the school building, from the classroom to the playground to the staff lounge and more. It also provides a comprehensive list of resources for each area of the WSCC model.
Returning soon!
A ready-to-use PowerPoint presentation that provides an overview of the WSCC model and can be modified to meet the individual needs of a school or district.
Coming soon! (NACDD) WSCC and Mental Health Strategy Guide and Reflection: This tool supports school and district leaders in mapping each component of the WSCC model to mental health and emotional well-being.
Coming soon! (NACDD) WSCC Inventory Worksheet: This tool supports school and district leaders in taking a structured look at how the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is being implemented across their setting and inform more strategic, aligned decisions.
(UCONN Collaborative on School and Child Health) WSCC Blueprint: This Blueprint takes school health teams through a ten-step process to improve their practice alignment with the WSCC model. It includes resources related to teams, resource mapping, assessment, and more.
(UCONN Collaborative on School and Child Health) WSCC Practice Briefs: Each brief provides an overview of the evidence supporting each component of the WSCC model and concrete strategies (broken down by the level of effort needed) to strengthen that model component.
(SOPHE) WSCC Team Training Modules: The WSCC Team Training Modules are ready-made professional development resources for states, districts, or local schools to build, strengthen, and sustain school teams implementing the WSCC model.
A comprehensive mental health system is an integrated approach that includes:
According to national guidance and field experts, there are 8 essential components of a comprehensive school-based mental health system. These are the building blocks for schools and districts to create systems that are responsive, effective and sustainable.
Coming soon!
This tool helps school leaders reflect on how well their current systems support student mental health across 8 core components and identify meaningful steps to move forward.
On this page, find field guidance, reports, and more for advancing comprehensive school mental health systems from the National Center for School Mental Health.
This report outlines actionable strategies for state policymakers to strengthen school mental health systems through cross-sector collaboration, sustainable funding, and aligned policies that promote student well-being and academic success.
No matter the framework used in your school community, aligning the WSCC model as a foundation ensures a holistic approach that addresses all aspects of student well-being and promotes a unified and comprehensive strategy for mental health support in schools.
Explore how to align the WSCC model with comprehensive school-based mental health and other commonly used frameworks below. Continue reading to discover a breakdown of these frameworks and resources for effective implementation.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework, which centers around five core competencies, is a widely recognized approach for promoting social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools:
In the context of comprehensive school-based mental health, the CASEL framework provides a structured approach to nurturing students’ emotional intelligence, resilience, and interpersonal skills, which are vital for mental health.
https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/
An overview and introduction to social and emotional learning, how it helps students and adults build essential life skills, how SEL supports academic success, mental well-being, and more.
https://casel.org/systems-level-implementation/
Guidance on integrating social and emotional learning from a systems level across all areas of education to create consistent, supportive environments that foster students’ social, emotional, and academic growth.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is a comprehensive framework used in educational settings to provide targeted support to all students. It integrates academic, behavioral, and emotional well-being into a unified system and features a tiered approach:
MTSS emphasizes data-driven decision-making, regular student progress monitoring, and evidence-based strategies and interventions at each tier to proactively identify and address student needs for academic, behavioral, and social success.
https://mtss4success.org/essential-components
This resource breaks down the MTSS framework and looks at the core components, including the commonly used pyramid representing a multi-tiered prevention and response system. Here, you will find resources and guides for each of the four elements of MTSS implementation, including 1) screening, 2) multi-tiered prevention systems, 3) progress monitoring, and 4) data-based decision-making.
https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/mtss-comprehensive-guide
This guide provides an overview of MTSS in schools and includes examples of how different states and school communities have adapted the framework to align with their needs.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based framework focused on promoting positive behavior and creating a supportive school climate. Similar to MTSS, it operates on a tiered system, with the first tier providing universal supports for all students, the second offering targeted supports for those at risk of behavioral challenges, and the third delivering intensive, individualized interventions for those with significant needs. PBIS emphasizes the proactive teaching of positive behaviors, reinforcing appropriate behavior, and data-driven decision-making.
https://www.pbis.org/pbis/getting-started
This resource helps education leaders implement PBIS step-by-step, whether as a classroom teacher, school leader, district, or state leader.
https://www.pbis.org/resource-type/blueprints
Here, you will find blueprints for implementing and evaluating PBIS, strategies for professional development and staff training for PBIS, and more.
https://www.pbis.org/resource-type/practice-guides
A collection of practice guides on various strategies to support effective PBIS implementation.
For questions or more information, connect with us.
Heidi Milby, MPH
Associate Director, Center for Advancing Healthy Communities
hmilby@chronicdisease.org