DPI Updates Winter 2018:
Title IV-Part A Update- The Title IV, Part-A application is now live in WISEgrants. This Title is eligible for 100% carryover if sites are not able to strategically allocate the dollars this school year (consultation with private schools is still required). With the passage of the 2018 Omnibus, districts will receive a new allocation in the 2018-19 school year. For more information on Title IV-A, visit https://dpi.wi.gov/titleiva. For the Safe and Healthy Students component of this Title, professional development opportunities can be found here http://wishschools.org/
Trauma Sensitive Schools-This year DPI has committed to provide intensive training and coaching support to an additional 30 schools across the state of Wisconsin. This brings the cadre of DPI sponsored TSS schools and districts up to 87 across the state. DPI and its partner agencies have received much interest in this initiative and presented at state, national, and international conferences.
State Budget- DPI received funding to support mental health among youth. Funding for training will focus on Youth Mental Health First Aid and SBIRT (Screening Brief Intervention Referral to Treatment). A NEW Mental Health Grant Program is also being developed for the 2018-19 school year.
The 2017 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey was conducted with randomly selected schools through May 2017. Weighted data was achieved and the results are now available on the YRBS website https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/yrbs
The Online YRBS system is available for https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/yrbs free to districts, counties and CESA for collection of local youth risk behavior survey data. This system allow for replication of the 2017 Wisconsin YRBS along with state and national data comparison. They system also allows for some customization for local questions of interest. More information can be found here: https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/yrbs/online
The DPI’s Suicide Prevention Curriculum is available for download for free on the webpage linked here: http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/youth-suicide-prevention/student-programs/curriculum.
New!! DPI’s Gatekeeper Training Module
An important step in protecting all students from the dangers of suicide is the ability to understand the context of youth suicide in Wisconsin, recognize the warning signs of suicide ideation, and take appropriate steps to keep a suicidal student safe. This new, interactive suicide prevention gatekeeper module is being piloted for schools and districts to use with their staff. The module takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, and there is an opportunity to provide feedback on how to make the module more effective and user-friendly. Found here:https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/youth-suicide-prevention/training
All school safety crises do not involve externalized behavior. DPI’s full-day School-Based Suicide Prevention Training is being revamped and can be scheduled to be delivered by DPI consultants at CESAs around the state. The purpose of the revision is to build-in more planning/work time for school safety teams around their processes and procedures regarding suicide ideation, suicide attempt, and death by suicide. In addition, the new training will increase focus on students at more disproportionate risk for suicide and programmatic/curricular means for providing universal prevention. The WISH Center is accepting requests for trainings for the 2018-2019 school year. Please contact your WISH Center regional director to request a training be scheduled for your CESA region.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Of Trainers (TOT) in coordination with WISH and through funding at DPI’s Project AWARE, one remaining training of trainers will take place in Wisconsin. This is a 5 day training. Trainers learn how to train YMHFA to 30 participants at a time for 8 hours to become literate in Mental Health issues affecting our youth, learn a 5 step technique to listen, assess, and refer and develop anti-stigma perspectives around mental health. Application to participate is required and once complete can be sent to jschoening@cesa6.org for review.
The grant is focused on building capacity in underserved areas. Scholarships are available to pay for trainers to attend as long as they qualify as an applicant and agree to the terms of an MOU. This TOT is scheduled in the Madison area for August 6-10, 2018.
Request a YMHFA training in your area. YMHFA trainings are available to school district staff by request. Trainings can be paid for through Project AWARE and a request for a training can be made at: //www.wishschools.org/resources/YMHFA.cfm schools must agree to the terms of the training and sign an MOU. Coordinator of Youth Mental Health First Aid is Beth Herman at beth.herman@dpi.wi.gov Coordinator of Youth Mental Health First Aid at WISH is Christine Kleiman CKleiman@cesa7.org
Wisconsin School Mental Health Framework Update-Making its debut in 2015, the framework continues to be ever evolving to supply schools with resources that are needed to create a comprehensive response to mental health needs in the school. New this year: Emotional Regulation Plans (Revised), Family Engagement specific to youth with mental health challenges, and Resilience toolkit for staff. Coming soon: Solution-Focused modules for pupil service staff.
State Alcohol and Drug Abuse (AODA) Mini Grant competition is complete- Comprehensive school health programs require youth involvement to create environments conducive to healthy, resilient, and successful learners. As part of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) efforts to encourage youth initiatives, we are offered the AODA Student Mini-Grant Program for the 29th year, in the 2017-2018 school year. Funds were made available to 64 programs throughout the state to support education, prevention, and intervention programs designed by the students, targeting alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) and other youth risk behaviors such as tobacco use, alcohol traffic safety (ATS), violence, suicide, etc. In addition, a major funding priority of the mini-grant program is the involvement of youth in the planning and implementation of the project. Consideration was given based on the educational value of the project and statewide geographic distribution of funds.
Earlier this summer, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction awarded $5.2 million in 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants which can renew for five years. The 41 sites receiving funds were among a pool of 108 that requested more than $13 million through the competitive grant program. Including sites funded with 2017-18 competitive grants, students will have access to 209 after-school programs funded by the state’s $17 million 21st CCLC grant. https://dpi.wi.gov/news/releases/2017/community-learning-center-grants-support-after-school-learning
Applications for 21st CCLC grants are currently being accepted. Public school districts, private schools, charter schools, and community-based organizations (including faith-based organizations) primarily serving students attending schools with 40 percent or more of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced price lunch, or with similar or equivalent economic need, are eligible to apply. Applications are due on or before February 9, 2018. More information and application materials are available on the DPI 21st CCLC website at: https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/clc/grant-information.
When updating your school district’s tobacco policy use the newly compiled checklist aligned with the sample school policy language from the Public Health Law Center available on DPI’s Tobacco Prevention website at: http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/aoda/tobacco-program. If your school district has updated your tobacco policy, notify Emily Holder at emily.holder@dpi.wi.gov and we will add it to our list of school districts on our website.
Wisconsin DPI has awarded the 2017 Wisconsin School Health Award to 67 schools as a way to recognize and celebrate schools with policies, programs, and the infrastructure to support and promote healthy eating, physical activity, physical education, health education, parental and community involvement, and staff wellness. The goal of this award is to motivate and empower Wisconsin schools as they create and maintain healthy school environments. The 2017 awards ceremony was held at the Building the Heart of Successful Schools Conference in Appleton. https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/coordinated-school-health/wisconsin-school-health-award
Academic and Career Planning (ACP) is completing year one of mandated implementation. The 12 CESAs around the state will be scheduling ongoing professional development sessions for 2018-2019 to help district teams continue to improve and better meet their individual needs for effective ACP implementation. DPI has a website dedicated to ACP professional development events at:https://dpi.wi.gov/acp/events/upcoming.
As implementation across the state evolves, changes and additions are being made to the comprehensive ACP webpage (https://dpi.wi.gov/acp); including the inclusion of the ACP evaluation process (https://dpi.wi.gov/acp/quality) and the posting of lessons for districts/schools to use with their staff https://dpi.wi.gov/acp/implementation/pl. ACP lessons are grouped into two levels. Level one focuses on “Preparation and Planning” aspects of infrastructure; while level two focus on “Supporting Students in ACP.” Lessons are downloadable and are designed to be user-ready. However, users are free to use as much or as little of the lessons as appropriate.
Current DPI grants in progress:
State Alcohol and Drug Abuse (AODA) Grant There were 72 applications representing 93 school districts submitted for consideration. The four consortium projects have a total of 25 districts between them, while 68 of the applications were submitted to address program development in 68 individual districts. Forty-five projects representing 66 school districts were recommended for funding, including all four consortium projects. This is a funding rate of 63% of the districts seeking funds, totaling 62% of the dollars requested by all applicants. All CESAs have at least one funded project. Grant projects include SBIRT, AODA screening, LifeSkills Training classroom curriculum and N-O-T on Tobacco smoking cessation programming. Further information is available at: http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/aoda.
Wisconsin DPI was awarded a one year In School Pregnancy/Parenting Interventions, Resources, and Education Project (InSPIRE) Grant through the Office of Adolescent Health. DPI will work with 8 Wisconsin school districts and with local grants through 2018. Outcomes include increasing high school graduation and enrollment in higher education, increasing parenting knowledge and skills, and decreasing repeat pregnancy. A grant application for 2018-2020 was recently submitted.
Through the Safe Schools Healthy Students grant, and a recent grant and partnership with CASEL, Wisconsin is developing state level Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies for grades K-12. These competencies will align with the current Model Early Learning standards. The competencies will be available to all schools who choose to use them and will be accompanied by a number of resources to help schools fully implement social emotional learning. Additional focus will also be on developing a model for high school SEL implementation and a model for after school sites in order to provide them a method of effectively teaching and enhancing SEL skills in children in a manner that is consistent with in-school SEL application. For more information contact Beth Herman at beth.herman@dpi.wi.gov.
Wisconsin DPI was awarded the competitive School-based HIV/STD Prevention and Surveillance Grant through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, year five in a five-year project. The HIV grant will have statewide activities around policy and curriculum, but will have targeted activities to 15 priority districts in policy, curriculum, referrals for health service and safe school climate. All grantees are required to address school climate for LGBTQ+ youth. More information is available here: http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/health-education/aids-hiv.
Wisconsin DHS, in collaboration with DPI, was awarded the enhanced Chronic Disease Prevention Grant, currently in year five of a five-year project. Areas of focus in 16 priority districts are asthma and anaphylaxis, diabetes, epilepsy, and obesity prevention. Active Students are Better Learners with Active Schools Core 4+ trainings were available at 5 CESA’s during 2017-18.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) received the School Climate Transformation Grant, funded by US Department of Education at $578,521/year for five years, through 2019. The project will effectively build local capacity to provide, improve, and expand multi-level systems of support by directly strengthening positive behavioral interventions and support (PBIS), as well as integrating school mental health services and supports into PBIS. The work of the grant is to strengthen Wisconsin state capacity to: a) deliver expanded effective training and technical assistance through an existing statewide PBIS Training Center; and b) deliver training and technical assistance on school mental health. Mental Health Framework Roll-out trainings are available upon request. For more information on the School Mental Health contact Elizabeth Cook at elizabeth.cook@dpi.wi.gov
Wisconsin was one of seven states that received a Safe Schools-Healthy Students Grant. DPI received this federal grant to address school safety in the Beloit, Racine, and Menominee Indian School Districts. It is a four-year project, ending in 2017. A project summary with more detail is available by contacting the Project Coordinator, Beth Herman at beth.herman@dpi.wi.gov.
Wisconsin DPI received the Project AWARE Grant, funded by SAMHSA for $9.8 million for five years through 2019. The purposes of this project are to: 1) make schools safer; 2) improve school climate; 3) increase capacity to identify warning signs of mental health problems among children and make appropriate referrals to mental health care; and 4) increase capacity of the state and local education agencies to connect children and youth with behavioral health issues with needed services. The focus is on the needs and supports of students, staff, and families in the School District of Ashland, Adams Friendship Area School District and Milwaukee Public Schools, with project innovations and lessons learned available to all schools statewide. Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings will be available to those involved in working with youth ages 12-18. The Project Coordinator of Youth Mental Health First Aid is Beth Herman at beth.herman@dpi.wi.gov. For more information on AWARE contact the Project Coordinator, Monica Wightman at monica.wightman@dpi.wi.gov.
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