 Dear reader,
The pandemic has taken a toll on all of us this last year, and some of the consequences may not be clear for months. We do know that schools are being severely tested: Many do not have enough mental health supports to meet the needs of students who are struggling with loneliness, anxiety and even severe or suicidal depression.
School counselors, mental health workers and psychologists are all in short supply, our reporting shows, just when they are most needed. That’s leading to new ideas around how to help: One option would be to include a mental health component in summer school. And on the question of how we’ll catch up students academically, we take a look at post-Katrina lessons from New Orleans.
Also this week, we bring you a powerful story from our hidden debt trap series, involving a little-noticed way students are forced into deepening debt: the fees and interest that accrue when their bills are referred to private debt collection agencies. As always, we’d love to hear from you as well.
Liz Willen, Editor
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