JED and AASA District Mental Health Initiative

Helping you build best-in-class mental health systems districtwide

District Mental Health Initiative

The JED and AASA District Mental Health Initiative is a transformative two-year initiative developed by JED and in partnership with AASA tailored to support district leaders as they improve their school mental health systems.

The initiative is grounded in JED’s Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Districts. This evidence-based framework brings together recommended practices with expertise from the field to help districts create a best-in-class school mental health system that fosters truly connected, thriving school communities.

Districts are encouraged to sign up for the next cohort of the initiative, which will begin September 2025!

Student Mental Health: The Challenges

In 2023, 40% of high school students said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. More than one in five students reported having seriously considered suicide.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 34.
The rate of suicide in students ages five to 11 rose 15% every year from 2013 to 2020.
75% of mental health challenges arise during adolescence and young adulthood.
When adolescents experience symptoms of mental health challenges, it takes an average of eight to 10 years to access treatment.

Support Includes

Comprehensive Assessment

Diversity of perspective and community context are key to systems change. That’s why we begin by administering JED’s comprehensive suite of assessments to understand your district’s strengths and areas of opportunity. Our assessment tools include a district self-assessment, a districtwide staff survey, a principal survey, and surveys for middle school and high school students.

Policy Review

Drawing on the district self-assessment, the team is able to evaluate existing district- and school-level programs and policies that support crisis planning and response. Our review identifies strengths and areas for improvement by comparing your current policies to recommended best practices.

Resource Maps

The JED team guides your district to create a system resource map of the programs, services, and supports currently available in the district to support student mental health, well-being, suicide prevention, and substance misuse. The system resource map helps leaders visualize the distribution of supports and resources, increase awareness of resource allocation (e.g., staffing, funding, evaluation processes), and evaluate for equitable implementation.

Customized Feedback

Your district receives a data analysis drawing on the suite of assessments, the policy review, and the resource map to give you specific feedback on the state of your district’s mental health support system. The team also integrates information gathered from an in-person site visit and an environmental scan of school campuses. Taken together, these insights help our team gain a deeper understanding of your district community through a data-informed lens that propels the strategic planning process.

Data-Informed, District-Level Mental Health Strategic Plans

Drawing on the assessment findings and customized feedback, our team works with your district to create a mental health strategic action plan that will serve as your roadmap for systemic change. The robust plan targets areas in each domain of the Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Districts. Our team guides your district to efficiently and effectively enhance what is already working and support innovation to address unmet needs.

Recommended Practices to Support Strategic Plan Implementation

Our team is at the forefront of suicide prevention and comprehensive school mental health. Our experts help your district make informed decisions and enhance resources, policies, and programs with insight from JED’s extensive library of current research on clinically informed and peer-reviewed recommended practices.

Expert Insight and Technical Assistance

Our District Mental Health Specialists are experienced professionals in education, and they understand the challenges districts face today. Through expert insight, technical assistance, in-person site visits, and on-going consulting services, your district will receive personalized support as you implement your strategic plan and develop your team’s capacity.

Postvention Support and Consultation

Our team of nationally recognized experts work to ensure your district is prepared to respond in the event of a suicide or other tragic event. In the event your district experiences a loss, our team can provide postvention consulting to help navigate the aftermath in your community. Our support is customized to compassionately address your immediate needs, reduce the risks associated with exposure to suicide, and support your students and staff in healing.

Measurable outcomes and lasting impact

The JED team administers a second round of assessments at the end of the initiative and provides a comprehensive post-assessment report to reveal growth and continued opportunities for system-wide integration.

Sustainability plan

At your completion of the JED and AASA District Mental Health Initiative, your district will receive a detailed report about its progress in the program and the mental health and well-being of your district community, including data about students, leaders, staff. Your district will also create a sustainability plan to document success and outline future steps to maintain and build on your progress.

Membership in a leading learning community

Districts take part in the initiative as part of a cohort working on the same timeline, with intentional opportunities to collaborate and problem-solve together. The cohort model empowers senior leaders to learn from peers who are equally dedicated to protecting student mental health. You’ll also receive free access to newsletters, high-quality trainings by JED and AASA experts, and curated resources to meet today’s district mental health needs.

Ongoing Support

Upon completion, your district will be part of a broader alumni community of districts committed to excellence in school mental health. You’ll have access to an active network of resources, events, and professional development from JED.

Fees and Funding

Partner

Students do better when they feel safe, supported, and connected, and teachers and staff are happier and more productive when they feel respected and supported. We are eager to make this investment in the District Comprehensive Approach because we feel it is an important opportunity to learn and grow alongside other innovative and proactive educational and mental health leaders.

David Law
Superintendent, Minnetonka Public Schools (Minn.)

Our charge now is to create a cohesive, integrated framework so that all of our services and supports are aligned and data-driven to assess both need and impact. We envision that by partnering with JED, we will develop a comprehensive districtwide framework built upon the foundation of JED’s seven domains.

Damon Monteleone
Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools (Md.)

Details

September 1, 2025 to January 31, 2027

Sign Up to Receive Information

Contact

John Malloy

Assistant Executive Director, Leadership Network

AASA, The School Superintendents Association

jmalloy@aasa.org

Information Session

AASA and JED hosted an informational webinar including insights from two superintendents who are actively engaged in this initiative and gain valuable perspectives on how this initiative can help foster a culture of well-being in your school communities.

Access Recording Here

Initiative Brochure

Download

District Spotlights

Learn more about the districts engaged in the pilot of this transformative initiative and how it's helping their school community!