A preliminary investigation of emotional and behavioral screening practices in K–12 schools

Abstract

Recently, the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) highlighted the need to “actively screen for those in need of mental health services.” Questions remain, however, about the prevalence of screening and associated processes. The purpose of this study was to gather initial evidence through an electronic survey about current screening practices such as the types of screeners being used in K-12 schools and barriers to implementation. Participants in the study were 454 school or district-level administrators representing a range of school levels, locales, and socioeconomic levels. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the chi-squared test of goodness-of-fit statistic. Only 12.6% of respondents indicated their school or district conducted schoolwide emotional or behavioral screening (SEBS), with access- and awareness-related issues cited as reasons for not conducting SEBS. Results of this preliminary investigation are discussed in terms of CCBD’s goals, and with caution, recommendations for research and practice are offered.