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Teen stress: why adults should be concerned

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Sheri Gazitt, Teen Wise

Issues of teen stress and anxiety, suicide, bullying, drug use and internet safety are top concerns among parents today. Sheri Gazitt is the founder of Teen Wise, an organization that provides life coaching, workshops, presentations and one-to-one coaching for middle and high school students. We recently spoke with her about these topics and what she’s seeing and hearing directly from teens.

Question: The latest Healthy Youth Survey conducted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and other state agencies revealed an increasing percentage of students in Washington experience significant anxiety or have contemplated suicide. Do these numbers surprise you? Are they consistent with what you are seeing and hearing in your work?

Answer: These numbers are sad but not at all surprising. Anxiety and stress often go hand in hand. Anxiety and stress seem to be something that we have accepted as the norm for our youth these days. It also starts much younger than in the past. In my coaching practice, which focuses on stress, I see girls as young as eight years old. They are worried about tests, homework, friendships, fitting in, and living up to the high standards that we are setting for them.

The numbers that we need to be most concerned about, though, are the number of teens with a suicide plan and who have attempted suicide. The numbers are staggering and brought tears to my eyes. The thought of a young person with a life of possibilities and choices ahead of them feeling so helpless that they want to give up is devastating.

Unfortunately, mental illness begins to emerge during puberty, which is the same time that they are going through so many changes and experiencing so much confusion. At a time when we should be lending them more support in all areas of life, we actually expect more from them and expect independence to emerge overnight.

Question: What can our schools do better to help address the significant mental health challenges we are seeing in teens today? Also, what are some promising practices that you are already seeing in our schools and would like to see more of?

Answer: The schools and teachers cannot be the primary source of mental health triage for our teens. However, the school environment could make changes that would increase the likelihood of teens reaching out for help if needed. The same changes would decrease stress and anxiety for our students. That one change is to create an atmosphere where our youth feel their overall well-being is just as important as grades. This doesn’t mean that teachers can’t be demanding in their standards of excellence or that they should coddle the students. It means that they understand that their students are people. They aren’t machines or robots that trod through life unscathed by demands. It means that teachers understand that there is life outside of school. It means encouraging questions and divergent thinking. It means staying above the fray of student life. In my book, teachers are heroes and have boundless energy to be in a classroom all day in front of their students.

Although paraphrased, this is a real-life example of how a teacher recently introduced a new assignment.

TEACHER: [The teacher chuckles as she says this.] “Now this is a tough assignment. In the past, a lot of students have had trouble with it. They came in to ask me questions and I told them they had to figure it out on their own.”

This tells the students that they’ll struggle, they won’t get help, and the teacher thinks it is funny. The teacher could have said “This next assignment is really tough. You might struggle with it, but I know that you can handle it on your own. You might have some questions but I’d like you to try and work it out for yourselves. If you get stuck, though, you can come and talk to me.” This is bolstering the students’ confidence and growth mindset rather than setting them up for anxiety. Because when students feel that teachers care, they put forth more effort in that class.

Another important change is to have the counselors interacting with the kids on a more regular basis. I don’t mean in the form of more lectures or class presentations. Instead, more class discussions and dialogues. The counselor can come into the classroom and start a discussion about stress or sadness or homework load. Starting these discussions gives the students a chance to talk about it and to hear support and compassion from the counselors.

Right now, from what I hear in the trenches, students don’t see the counselors as approachable. Students are concerned about confidentiality and getting in trouble, and they don’t feel the counselors will make much difference. There is also an issue of counselor availability. When a student comes to a counselor about a problem, it’s taken forethought, contemplation, and courage. If they get to the counselor office only to be told to come back later, that moment of courage is gone. This is a shame because I know that counselors care.

One approach that has been making a huge difference in schools is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Ironically, it seems that the biggest difference comes when it is embraced by the staff. It’s almost like the teachers and staff are given permission to show compassion and empathy for their students. Rather than punishing it becomes teaching. Rather than showing annoyance by missing homework they ask “why”. When a student acts up, they can consider the emotions involved rather than automatically reaching for the detention slip. One thing that I hear teens talk about quite often is that they feel like they aren’t supposed to show any emotions in the halls of school. SEL shows our youth to embrace, acknowledge, and understand their emotions rather than suppress them.

Question: What about parents? If you could give parents just a few quick tips on how to get started – to help them better understand the emotional climate our teens experience  – what would you tell them?

Answer: Our youth are stressed to the max which can lead to so many other issues-anxiety, suicidal thoughts, depression, withdrawal. Much of the stress comes from academic pressures and expectations that are put upon our children from society, teachers, parents, media, and from within. From a young age, we have our children in extra tutoring, extra coaching, lessons for sports, extra testing to get into better programs, tutoring for testing, music lessons, etc. It’s a self-induced rat race.

Maybe parents can’t change society, but they can set the tone in their own household. Don’t buy into the notion that your child needs to be the best of the best at everything. Don’t buy into the notion that being stressed out, sleep deprived and miserable is just a part of being a teenager. And don’t buy into the notion that your child won’t be successful without a 4.5 GPA, 200 hours of volunteer work, 15 AP classes, and five sports championships. Grit, passion, creativity, and the willingness to learn and grow are the essential qualities of someone who will be successful. Become an ally in your child’s growing up process. Encourage learning, failure, and growth rather than expecting perfection. Ask about your child’s well-being before asking about their grades.

Question: A recent Netflix series – “13 Reasons Why” – had received a lot of attention and viewership. Some mental health experts have expressed serious concerns that the show may pose a risk for some teens, particularly those thinking about suicide or self-harm. Are you concerned? What do parents need to know?

This series brings up so many issues- consent, suicide, popularity, sexuality, violence, fitting in, and gossip just to name a few. These issues are intense, the scenes are graphic, and the overall message is one of hopelessness.

For teens who are currently considering suicide, this series can put them over the edge. The character that commits suicide in this show is getting revenge on the people who wronged her, she’s controlling people’s action post mortem, and the whole school is talking about her. It glorifies suicide and, because of flashback scenes with her, it does not show the finality of death. Her suicide notes create almost a game-like scenario with her classmates visiting certain locations around town and doing certain things she tells them to.

My biggest concern is that students are watching this unsupervised and with no follow up discussions. It isn’t just a discussion about suicide either. It’s a discussion about the other issues in the show. Perhaps what is the most dangerous about “13 Reasons Why” is the message that adults are helpless, clueless, and unsupportive. Every time an adult was involved, nothing positive came of it. The counselors were non-direct and aloof. The parents were demanding and not understanding. The school made no changes. All in all, the viewers walk away with the sense that teenage life sucks, adults are completely unaware of the challenges, there is no way to get help, and you are helpless to make any changes.

I would suggest that parents find out if their child has watched this show. Start a conversation about it (not a lecture). Ask them their thoughts, their feelings, their takeaways. Let them know that they can come to you no matter what difficulties they are having. Let them know that they would not be in trouble. And let them know that you love them fully and unconditionally.

Teens helping teens make better choices

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Understanding that actions have consequences and that your behavior can directly impact others is a big part of growing up. For many teens, it can be one of the more challenging aspects of the transition to independence. And for some teens, the learning curve is steep, and may even include run-ins with law enforcement due to criminal behavior such as shoplifting, truancy or assault.

Recognizing the need for community-based solutions to the challenge of helping youth offenders, King County Superior Court launched the Bellevue Youth Court program in 2008 with the City of Bellevue and other local partners. The program aims to help first and second-time offenders understand the impact their choices have on others, and serves as an alternative to traditional juvenile justice systems.

What’s unique about Youth Court programs like the one in Bellevue is that students serve as volunteers for all the jobs in the legal process – judges, jurors, bailiffs, clerks, as well as prosecuting and defending advocates. There are approximately 20-to-24 of these programs across the state, and about 1500 nationwide.

How does it work? Prosecuting and defense advocates present relevant facts about the case to a jury. For example, the prosecuting advocate might review the police report and other evidence about the crime. Then, the defense advocate shares the accused’s side of the story, which may include information about efforts undertaken to make amends, such as punishment at home.

To participate in the program, teens forego determinations of guilt/innocence and instead agree in advance to the interventions and strategies developed by the volunteer jurors and advocates, such as community service or an after-school program. Once the agreed-to requirements and programs are completed, the youth reports back to Court on progress made (known as a “Completion Hearing“). If successful, the teen earns praise and recognition from the program’s leaders and participants.

A different theory of justice – Restorative justice brings together the offender, the victims and the community at large to help mediate a solution. Bellevue Youth Court’s program uses this approach to help teens understand their conduct has tangible impact in their communities. Teens learn that crimes like shoplifting or property damage aren’t victimless. They have real costs that are passed on to other shoppers, or to property owners/renters who must pay for the cleanup. Put simply, the victim of a crime is your own community.

The community in turn shows its compassion by giving youths the opportunity to share their perspective and take responsibility for their conduct. Recognizing every person has a unique life story, and that people are more complex than any single action they take on any given day, restorative justice looks to rehabilitate teens by providing supports to help them learn to make better choices. So, teens get to share their perspective, which helps create buy-in around the solution.

What participants learn – Helena Stephens, Teen Services Supervisor with the City of Bellevue, says going through the program helps youths better understand the serious implications of what might seem like petty criminal behavior. For example, if a teen convicted of shoplifting at Bellevue Square Mall later shows up on the mall’s premises for any reason, that same teen could be charged and convicted of trespassing. For the volunteers, Stephens observes the program “has been an effective way for young people to contribute to the juvenile justice system” and take their civic responsibilities like jury duty seriously as adults. In fact, some program volunteers end up pursuing careers in the criminal justice system.

Programs like Bellevue Youth Court provide a community-based solution to challenges faced by teens in their initial encounters with the juvenile justice system. You can follow the program on Facebook here.

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Matthew Le, a sophomore at Bellevue Big Picture School, worked with EEN on the research, writing and interviews used in preparation for this article.

 

Feedback wanted from Lake Wash, Bellevue parents

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Both the Bellevue and Lake Washington school districts are seeking parent and/or community feedback on important issues.

Bellevue seeks general feedback from parents on how the district is doing. Click here to learn more and take the survey (note: survey closes June 16, 2017).

Lake Washington is looking for input on school start/end times. Click here to take the survey if you are a parent of a student in the district.

Finally, a vision for Washington’s schools

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The last thing most of Washington’s public school students probably wanted to hear – especially in the last weeks of school – was that their state schools’ chief wants to add more days to the school calendar. Yet that’s exactly what State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said recently in his launch of a six-year plan to reshape our state’s public schools.

Superintendent Reykdal’s “Education Vision and McCleary Framework” offers up a number of ideas and goals, including more dual language programming, longer and more school days for grades K-8, more options for post-high school careers, improved access to dual-credit options in high school and better pay for teachers.

While these ideas are all worthy of discussion, what’s most notable about Reykdal’s plan is the fact that he has one at all. Because for the past 10 years, the bulk of our statewide education conversations have in large part been consumed – whether by default or by design depending on whom you ask – by the McCleary education funding case. Although Washington has invested $4.6 billion in K-12 education since 2013, and the budget proposals currently under consideration would invest nearly $2 billion more, we still seem mostly stuck in arguments about funding models and pay schedules. And while these are important topics, they aren’t particularly visionary or inspiring.

That’s why Reykdal’s push for a renewed focus on a vision for our schools stands out. From Superintendent Reykdal:

“The challenge to amply fund schools to the satisfaction of the State Supreme Court is not the final goal – it is merely the first step in a much larger transformation that will propel Washington state’s K-12 public schools atop the national conversation in quality, outcomes, and equity. In our state’s history we have engaged in this transformative work only a few times. This is a once-in-a-generation moment to redesign our public schools to achieve our highest ideals.”

Along those same lines, veteran Olympia reporter Austin Jenkins recently asked the president of the state teachers’ union and the head a statewide education nonprofit “what is your post-McCleary vision when we put our 21st century hats on?” Of course, there’s no right answer. But at least we’re finally starting to ask the question.

School spending in Washington – some context

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There’s a lot of data out there about how much we spend on schools. One consistently reliable source is the U.S. Census Bureau. It collects and publishes exhaustive financial information about public elementary and secondary school systems, broken down using multiple measures.

Here are some data points from the most recent Census Bureau report to help give perspective on how much Washington invests in education relative to other states in our region.

StatePer pupil amount
Wyoming
$15, 797
Montana$11,017
WASHINGTON$10,202
Oregon$9,945
New Mexico$9,734
California$9,595
Colorado$8,985
Texas$8,593
Nevada$8,414
Arizona$7,528
Idaho$6,621
Utah$6,500

Note: numbers reflect 2014 data – the most recent available – and includes federal, state and local dollars.

Washington spends more per pupil on education than all but two states in the Western region – Overall, Washington sits at 28th out of 51 states (includes Washington D.C.) for per pupil spending on education, at $10,202 per student. Of neighboring/regional states, only Montana ($11,017) and Wyoming ($15, 797) spend more per pupil than Washington.

Washington is among top four in nation for education spending increases – per the most recent data available, Washington is one of only four states to increase education spending by more than five percent in a one-year span. From 2013 to 2014, Washington’s per pupil spending increased by 5.5 percent, trailing only two other states (Connecticut and New Mexico) with Hawaii following closely at 5.4 percent. As a state, Washington invests nearly 50 percent of its entire operating budget on education.

What matters moving forward – there are countless ways to slice and dice data on education spending. These rankings don’t consider other factors, such as cost of living, student demographics, local labor market conditions, and other forces that can drive the cost of paying for schools up or down.

Under both the Senate and the House plans being considered right now in the state legislature, schools would see substantial additional investments. The Senate plan would increase K-12 spending by $5.79 billion over the next two budget cycles while the House would invest $5.173 billion over that same time. Under the Senate plan, every student in Washington would receive a guaranteed minimum of $12,500 in funding, and additional supports if the child has a disability ($7,500), is living in poverty ($2,000 to $5,000), learning English ($1,000) or is homeless ($1,500).

Of course, while money is necessary, it cannot, standing alone, assure Washington students receive a world-class education. There are states that spend more than Washington where students don’t fare as well, states that spend less where students outperform those in Washington, and pretty much everything in between. That’s why the way we invest our dollars in education is just as important as how much we spend.

A quick look at some important numbers

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May is an important month in the school year. It’s the month when college seniors graduate and when high school seniors settle on their choice of college or some other plan. It’s the month when Washington students take statewide tests and when year-long school projects culminate on tri-fold boards.

The Washington Roundtable, a statewide business group, is using May to draw attention to some important benchmarks that contribute to the vitality of our state. In education, they looked at certain metrics to see how Washington’s schools and students measure up against other states. Here’s an overview of what they found:

Math and science test scores for Washington eighth graders remain high

  • Top 10 in math – In 2015, 39 percent of eighth graders in Washington scored at or above proficient on the National Assessment of Education Progress (“NAEP”) exam in math, ranking Washington 7th in the nation. Background: NAEP “is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas” and is considered the gold standard for academic comparisons across states.
  • Top 20 in science – In 2015, 38 percent of Washington’s eighth graders scored at or above proficient on the NAEP in science, ranking Washington 16th in the nation, up from its previous ranking of 19th.

High school graduation rates are up but still down – while Washington’s statewide high school graduation rates improved from last year, its overall rank declined. With a 78.2 percent graduation rate for the Class of 2015, Washington ranks 41st nationally. Of particular concern are graduation rates for certain demographics, such as Black and Hispanic/Latino students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families. Opportunity Washington, a non-profit policy group representing businesses, broke down the data, and it’s worth reviewing.

The rate of bachelor degrees awarded is in decline – In 2014, Washington’s colleges and universities awarded 4.5 bachelor degrees for every 1,000 students, earning it rank of 42nd nationally, dropping from a previous ranking of 39th.

There are many ways to measure the progress of our students and our education system. As state lawmakers look to invest billions of dollars in education as part of current budget talks, they should consider driving dollars towards policies and practices that move the needle on these and other important areas.

AP exams begin for millions of high school students

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Starting today, millions of high school students across the country will take Advanced Placement (AP) exams. These tests are the culmination of rigorous, college-level course work available in 38 different subjects. Developed by The College Board, AP classes afford students the chance to experience in-depth learning while potentially earning college credit.

While there’s been a steady rise of criticism against some types of standardized testing, AP courses remain a popular option for students. And it’s easy to see why. The College Board reports that “eighty-five percent of selective colleges and universities say that a student’s AP experience favorably impacts admission decisions” and that ” students who take AP are much more likely than their peers to complete a college degree on time.” In 2015, over two million students took over four million AP exams.

The Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) collects data from each school district about AP testing. We took at look at that data for EEN’s districts to provide a snapshot of how many students are taking AP exams and what scores they earned. Note that many (not all) colleges will grant credit or placement with a 3, 4 or 5 score.

School DistrictTotal # of HS students (grades 9-12)# of exam takersPercent of HS students taking AP examsTotal # exams takenNumber of exams with scores of 3, 4 or 5Percent of exams with scores of 3, 4 or 5
Bellevue5,0503,53970%7,8995,94475%
Everett 5,7691,17120%1,8661,08958%
Issaquah6,0671,08918%1,8141,52584%
Lake Washington7,8112,02126%3,8953,11480%
Mercer Island1,50135424%69160087%
Northshore6,4251,02316%1,7851,29773%
Riverview1,07915615%26621079%
Snoqualmie Valley1,93539821%65251879%

Recently in Washington, Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib headed up a successful effort to raise money to cover the testing fees for AP and other tests for low-income students this school year, covering a one-time gap federal funds (exam fees range from $53 to $116).

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EEN intern Cami Brix provided research and data analysis for this post.

More funding for schools under Senate budget proposal

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The State Senate has released its two-year budget proposal. Education spending consumes the bulk of the budget’s attention, both in terms of dollar amounts as well as overhauling the hopelessly complex local levy funding system that creates substantial inequities across the state.

Here’s a brief overview of the main education parts of the budget, along with related items.

The numbers 

  • $43 billion operating budget proposal for 2017-19.
  • $21.9 billion invested in K-12 schools. This amount reflects an increase of almost $3.8 billion over the previous budget.
  • With this investment, for the first time since 1983, over 50 percent of the state budget will be devoted to funding Washington’s public schools.
  • $493 million towards reducing class size in grades K through 3.
  • Using a four-year projection, under this proposal, by 2019-21 education funding will have doubled since the 2012 McCleary ruling that held the State was not amply funding schools.
  • 1,800 additional in-state student spots at four-year state colleges and universities, set up to support focus on science, technology, engineering and math.

A new way to pay for education

  • Establishes a statewide, per pupil funding system that guarantees every student in Washington $12,500, with additional amounts added if the child has a disability ($7,500 more), is from a low-income family (from $2,000 to $5,000 more), is learning English ($1,000 more), or is homeless ($1,500).
  • Under this new “backpack” funding model, dollars are invested based on the individual needs of each student. Washington is one of only seven states that does not use some variation of the “backpack” funding model.
  • Increases starting teacher pay from $35,700 to $45,000.

How to pay for it

  •  A new statewide property tax (called a “local effort levy”) would replace maintenance and operation levies collected at the local level.
  • Right now, local levy rates vary widely and result in substantial inequities in school funding.
  • The Senate proposal takes aim at that problem through a flat, statewide rate at $1.55 per $1,000.
  • At that rate, 83 percent of property owners in Washington state would see a tax cut, while the rest would see a tax increase.
  • Click here to see a district-by-district analysis of how tax rates, district budgets and per student investments are impacted by the Senate plan.

Common ground

  • The Senate plan and Gov. Inslee’s plan both propose substantial increases in education funding. Under either plan, over 50 percent of the state budget would go to education. The House plan is expected to increase education funding as well.
  • There are now two plans in play, Gov. Inslee’s and the Senate, that raise teacher pay in some form.

Next up

  • The House will propose their budget, which will include education spending and possibly new taxes, next week.

More in-depth media coverage of Senate budget plan – Seattle Times; Spokesman-Review; KNKX

Coming soon to a ballot near you: school board elections

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This November, voters on the Eastside and across the state will choose who will serve as the voice of the community in their public schools. Yes, it’s time to think about school board elections.

Why do school board elections matter? This explanation from the Issaquah School District sums it up well:

The local school board is a uniquely American institution that has made public schools flexible and responsive to the needs of local communities. It represents a continuing commitment to local citizen control and decision-making in education.

At Eastside Education Network we’re committed to engaging parents and the broader community in the school board election process. Our candidate questionnaires in past elections helped parents and others make an informed choice at the ballot box. Starting today and up until the election, we’ll provide tools for those interested in running for this important office, information about prospective candidates, and regular analysis of the big issues facing school districts.

Here are the seats for school board open this November in the school districts EEN covers. Note that board members serve four-year terms in all districts  except Everett, where the term is six years.

Bellevue – District #3 position currently held by Chris Marks and District #5 position currently held by My-Linh Thai

Everett – District position #5 currently held by Pam LeSesne

Issaquah – District #2 position currently held by Marnie Maraldo and District #4 position currently held by Lisa Callan

Lake Washington – District #3 position currently held by Nancy Bernard (who is retiring) and District #4 position currently held by Mark Stuart

Mercer Island – District position #2 currently held by Adair Dingle and District position #4 currently held by Dave Myerson

Northshore – District #1 position currently held by Kimberly D’Angelo, District #4 position currently held by Sandy Hayes and District #5 position currently held by Amy Cast

Riverview – District #1 position currently held by Lori Oviatt and District #5 position currently held by Sabrina Parnell

Snoqualmie Valley – District #1 position currently held by Tavish MacLean and District #4 position currently held by Marci Busby

 

Time to start thinking about summer

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If your child has a disability, March is a good time to start thinking about whether your child qualifies for services over the summer months.

Federal and state law recognize that sometimes students with disabilities need to continue receiving services over the summer to help them make meaningful progress on their IEP goals. Those services are commonly called “Extended School Year” or ESY.

Note that all IEP teams must discuss ESY services at some point during the school year. There are no exceptions to this rule. So, while not every child will be eligible for ESY, all students with IEPs must be considered for it. Also note that ESY services are provided to eligible students at no cost. It is commonly (though not always) provided as part of a four or five-week summer school program.

The ESY two-step – Whether a student qualifies for ESY is a two-step process. The framework districts use is complicated, so as a parent you’ll want to make sure you understand each step. In the first step, the team considers these factors:

  • Will the student show significant regression in a critical life skill related to their IEP goals absent ESY?
  • Is the severity of the student’s disability mean that they need ESY services so that they can benefit from their educational program during the regular school year?
  • Is the student at a critical juncture towards mastery of an important life skill?

If the student meets any one (doesn’t have to be all) of these three criteria, then the team considers these factors in the second step of process:

  • Regression – will the student see a significant loss of skills or behaviors if educational services are interrupted in any area specified on the IEP? This can be a common area of disagreement on IEP teams.
  • Recoupment – at what rate will the student recover academic or other skills to a level demonstrated before interruption of services provided through the IEP?
  • Critical Learning Stage – is the student at a critical stage of developing an important academic, social or behavioral skill? Will that skill help promote self-sufficiency?

In making this determination, the IEP team will rely on data or other objective measures, such as in-class observations of the student, a review of the student’s work, or before/after test scores.

Special Education Pro Tip – Don’t wait for the district. Ask for ESY every year. 

While schools are supposed to discuss ESY for every student with an IEP (and early enough so that parents have time to appeal any denials), the reality is that ESY is one of those services parents need to advocate for early and often. So, if you feel your child needs summer services, ask the IEP team to observe and collect data on how your child performs before and after long breaks from school (e.g.,  mid-winter break, spring break). Take note of any emerging skills, such as managing school routines with minimal meltdowns or reminders. Look at your child’s completed school work and see if you notice any trends, such as failure to consistently complete assigned tasks. You’ll need to play both the role of advocate and detective to make the case for ESY.

Want to learn more? Here is ESY information for parents from local school districts, and article from a national parent/family advocate

Issaquah School District

Lake Washington School District

Bellevue School District (scroll down to “ESY” section)

Wrightslaw: Extended School Year Services