Asbury Park School Finds Success With Mental Health Amid COVID

As the state approaches the one-year mark of most students learning remotely as a result of the pandemic, schools have faced incredible challenges resulting in as many as 3 million kids falling off the grid. Students of color and low-income students have especially suffered.

But there have been successes that have defied the national trends. College Achieve Asbury Park’s students should have been among the 3 million, serving mostly students of color who fall below the poverty line, school officials said.

But their academic progress during the pandemic and 94 percent daily attendance rate showed that certain schools were able to find the key to success to keep students engaged when other school districts across the state are seeing a decline in these areas.

First, the school was nimble in pivoting to virtual learning at the onset of the shutdown. They provided all students with the basics they needed to succeed: computers, wi-fi access, two meals per day, school supplies and five hours of daily synchronous instruction.

They also provide additional academic support in the form of tutoring to make sure students don’t fall behind.

School leaders credit the success to a key element mostly brushed to the side by schools throughout the nation during the pandemic: a focus on mental health.

With student mental health at an all-time low, College Achieve invested in expanding its team of counselors and social workers, and embedded check-ins into the school day, including making in-person visits (which continued during winter break).

Teachers would report concerns about students to the health and wellness team through a robust internal reporting system, leading to swift responses.