ABSTRACT
Approximately one in five children and adolescents (20%) has a mental-health disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has been the leading cause of youth mental-health problems in the United States (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2004; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2008; World Health Organization [WHO], 2001). Some researchers argue that society has not made internalizing problems in children, such as depression, a global or even a national public health priority, and others believe that mental health concerns have increased minimally in importance during the last 20 years (Herman, Merrell, Reinke, & Tucker, 2004; Horowitz & Garber, 2006; National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2008). The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation has been evidence of the slow maturation of school-based mental-health initiatives. Although the legislation included components to advance school-based mental health, little progress in the school-based mental-health movement has occurred because of the complexity of the provisions in NCLB (Daly et al., 2006; NCLB, 2001). For example, stakeholders, teachers, and mental-health professionals have struggled to understand provisions about accountability for student performance, funding issues, community awareness, and the teacher’s role in school-based mental-health initiatives (Daly et al.).
