Abstract

Excerpted From: Maria Chiara Parisi, Whole Child Education and Integrated Support Systems, 33 Boston University Public Interest Law Journal 69 (Winter, 2024) (295 Footnotes) (Full Document)

Though the United States is among the world's most developed nations, many of its children face adversity. A lack of basic necessities--like food or housing--are among the most obvious examples, but adversity can come in many forms. For instance, mental health conditions considerably impact a child's well-being, particularly when left untreated. Environmental factors, such as rural disconnectedness or urban neighborhood violence, cause everyday stress. A child may experience adversity due to identity-based discrimination or alienation. And familial hardships, like parental substance abuse or terminal illness, often result in trauma and placement in foster care.

Adverse childhood experiences are more pervasive than one might think. In the United States, twenty-five percent of families face food insecurity and over one million children experience homelessness. More than sixty percent of children are exposed to violence, crime, abuse, or psychological trauma each year. With the rise in social media use, cyberbullying has grown exponentially. Mental health is ranked first in causes of hospitalization for children aged 0-17 and suicide is ranked second in causes of death for youth aged 10-24. Additionally, seventy percent of children in the juvenile criminal justice system have a diagnosable mental health disorder.

In the last few decades, there has been an explosion of scientific research on how social circumstances affect learning and development. The scientific findings confirmed what many already knew--academic learning is negatively impacted by adversity. Research demonstrates that out-of-school factors explain a whopping two-thirds of the variation in student achievement. Luckily, the science also draws optimistic conclusions: children's brains are malleable and learning barriers caused by adversity can be reversed when children are connected to services that address their full range of needs.

The scientific findings make clear that we are in need of a new approach to education--one that addresses the needs of the “whole child.” A whole child education, an emerging term in education reform circles, draws from the science of learning and development to address the multidimensional aspects of a child's ability to learn. Unfortunately, the education system is far removed from this ideal and the scientific knowledge remains largely underutilized.

Views have fluctuated over the years on the education system's role in addressing broader social and economic inequities. For a period, education leaders heroically insisted that schools alone were capable of closing academic achievement gaps caused by adversity. Later, some shifted to the position that the education system could not change outcomes for disadvantaged students until social and economic inequities were eliminated. Today, many advocates have reached a reasoned middle ground: the education system must work together with other government entities to improve physical, mental, and academic outcomes. This Article calls for an integrated support system that weaves education together with social service agencies to provide a comprehensive set of services to children and families in need.

The Article proceeds as follows: Part I discusses the science of learning and development and explains how adversity impacts a child's ability to learn. Further, it describes the ways child-serving systems are currently disconnected from each other. Part II proposes that children need an integrated support system. Part II.A outlines the essential components of an integrated support system, like joint leadership and aligned funding. Part II.B then takes a deep dive into the leading examples of integrated support systems in the United States, exploring their legal infrastructure and operations.

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The science of learning and development tells us that adversity not only impacts a child's well-being, but also their academic performance. Yet, this knowledge remains underutilized in education, leaving children and families without access to necessary support. Schools must address the needs of the whole child through integrated support systems that weave education together with other social service agencies.

States seeking to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children and adults should consider the essential components of integrated support systems and examples in New Jersey, Maryland, and Indiana. Most states have some level of integration taking place and can build off existing efforts. States that already have state level coordinating bodies, for example, can learn from the essential components in this Article to strengthen and expand their initiative. States that only have small-scale integration efforts, on the other hand, can fold them into a new state-wide system of integrated supports.

Decades of reform efforts aimed at increasing educational equity have only marginally moved the needle. New evidence-based practices for closing achievement gaps are necessary to create equal opportunity. Though there is no silver bullet, integrated support systems are an important part of the patchwork of programs in an equitable education system.

Legal Policy and Program Analyst, The Opportunity Institute; J.D., U.C. Berkeley, School of Law, 2018.