Mental Health Stigmas

Mental health stigmas exist as a considerable barrier to students’ social and emotional
health and academic success.  The stigma surrounding mental illness is formidable and can
lead to poor academic performance, limited support from friends and families, diminished
quality of life, and inadequate access to resources.
Fear of stigmatization and discrimination associated with mental illness discourages
individuals and their families from seeking help and receiving the treatment necessary. 
Mental health stigmas can also disrupt family relationships and family functioning and cause
individuals to withdraw from normal social interactions in an effort to maintain secrecy
surrounding a mental illness in the family.  Stigma can cause individuals to feel ostracized,
damaged, flawed, defective and unwanted.
Stigmatization of mental illness refers to a cluster of negative associations and stereotypes
that motivate and are reinforced by fear, rejection, avoidance, and discrimination of those
with mental illnesses.  Mental health stigmas result from an evident lack of knowledge or
misunderstanding about mental illness and a lack of awareness of mental health issues. 
Obstacles rooted in negative cultural conceptions of mental illness present a significant risk
to the health and wellbeing of students of all ages.  The stigmatization of mental health is a
complex phenomenon related to loss of status and disrupted or distorted identity.  Certain
religious and cultural values associate mental illness with guilt and shame that affect the
entire family.  In many cultures, mental illness reflects poorly on lineage and bloodline and
is believed to influence others’ opinions about the suitability of family members and
individuals for marriage or employment.   Denial and concealment of mental illness intended
to preserve family honor and reputation commonly occur as a result of stigmatization and
discrimination.  Individuals with mental illness may fear rejection by siblings and relatives as
well as by members of the larger community if exposed.  
Listed below are some of the adverse consequences of mental health stigmatization that
hinder student success and wellbeing:
 Refusal or unwillingness to recognize and admit that a
problem exists
 Minimization of symptoms due to fear of stigmatization or
lack of education about adolescent social and emotional
health and development
 Inability or reluctance to seek treatment, because doing so
would mean the individual is “crazy”
 Reluctance to inquire about how and where to seek services
 Uncertainty about how to address concerns or avoidance due
to fear of blame
 Lack of awareness that culturally appropriate treatment and
services are available         
 Refusal to cooperate with mental health providers or adhere
to treatment recommendations for fear of exposure, lack of
confidentiality, and/or widely held stigmatized beliefs about
psychiatric medications
Mental illness is not the result of moral failings or personality flaws, nor are they
indicative of limitations in ability or aptitude.  Further, mental illness is not the fault
 of the family of an individual with mental illness.  However, family support is a
crucial factor in the successful recovery from mental illness.
 
 
Socio-Economic Barriers
          The Dynamics of Power and Privilege in Education.  The cycle of privilege and
opportunity is perpetuated in schools today by social and economic inequalities and the
illusion of meritocracy. The notion that students can perform well in school and advance
their position in life relying solely upon innate abilities, a strong work ethic and positive
attitude, sound moral character, and personal integrity persists in modern society, lingering
just beneath the consciousness of dominant American culture and just beyond the reach of
the marginalized masses.  In truth, a student’s performance in school reflects a confluence
of cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, family, health, and individual factors and life experiences.
Difficulties in school and lapses in student performance resulting from socioeconomic
barriers and inequalities within the school system are often misconstrued as a lack of
student effort or a lack of concern for academic achievement within the family.  A number of
students in attendance at Oxford Academy face considerable socioeconomic challenges in
meeting the rigorous demands of academic life at Oxford.  Students and parents are
encouraged to communicate openly with teachers and bring to the attention of the school
such unfair expectations that present obstacles to student success.   It is the responsibility
of the school to assist students in overcoming any such obstacles, and all students are
entitled to a fair and equal opportunity to succeed in school. 
 
          Common Barriers.  There are several ways in which socioeconomic disadvantages
may present obstacles to academic success:
One common misconception among educators is the false assumption that all students
have access to computers and regular access to the internet outside of school and in the
home.  This expectation places students without personal computers or internet service in
the home at a great disadvantage.  Other financial barriers include the purchase of books
and other school supplies.
Other students live with multiple family members in confined spaces and may not have their
own bedroom or other designated area in which to study.  Students living in low-income
communities and high-crime areas may further encounter obstacles such as limited
availability and reduced access to libraries and other similar resources, limited access to
tutoring due to financial constraints, lack of transportation to and from after-school
programs, and risks to personal safety associated with public transportation or travel by
foot.  Access to after-school programs and outside support resources remain inequitably
distributed across socio-demographic groups.
Additionally, several students at Oxford live in single parent homes or homes in which both
parents are required to work full-time in order to meet the financial demands of daily living. 
Oftentimes parents are required to work night shifts or during after-school hours and are not
able to supervise the completion of homework or provide help when needed.  Parents in
low-income families have less time, less money, and oftentimes less education, all of which
place their children at a further disadvantage to succeed in school.
Other logistical barriers to academic success include conflicting familial obligations and
work responsibilities that prevent participation in after-school programs, the timely
completion of class assignments, and adequate preparation for exams.  Such
responsibilities, including employment to help support the family or care for siblings can
disproportionately fall upon the shoulders of disadvantaged youth.
 
 
Lack of Parental Involvement
Collaboration and communication among the family, school, and mental health systems are
crucial to students’ academic success and emotional wellbeing.  When parents and
educators fail to address the emotional and mental health needs of students, academic
performance suffers, and quality of life declines.  Indeed, there is a strong link between
parental involvement in students’ education and overall student success.
Parents are the most important advocates for students and are always encouraged to
communicate their concerns as well as the need for any additional student support at
Oxford.  Parental involvement can include attending school functions, responding to school
obligations such as parent-teacher conferences, assisting their child with homework and
basic organization, encouragement and emotional support, making appropriate study
arrangements, modeling desired behavior, communicating with teachers and administrators
regarding special needs or life challenges,  and actively tutoring the child at home.
Educators at Oxford Academy also understand that there are significant economic and
demographic deterrents to parental involvement.  Factors such as language barriers, work
schedules, and lack of knowledge about how to navigate the school system all present
obstacles to parents’ participation in student success.  Teachers, administrators, and
counselors are all available to assist parents with such obstacles and are eager to hear
from parents about how the school can best provide for students
Common Obstacles to Student Success • Page - Oxford Academy (auhsd.us)

https://oxford.auhsd.us/Oxford/Department/12721-Student-Social-and-Emotional-Health/42120-
Common-Obstacles-to-Student-Success.html

n order to spend the PPG effectively, it is of course imperative to have a clear

understanding of the barriers faced by disadvantaged children, in particular those who
are eligible for the grant.  As you would imagine, these barriers vary from child to child,
and at Willow Bank we believe the most important thing is to have an understanding of
the barriers facing children individually, as well as knowing the strengths and support
factors which will aid their educational achievement.  This is why we believe that working
closely with our families is vital in developing an understanding of how best to support
children's education, and at the same time supporting the family's development as a
whole.  The two biggest mistakes we need to avoid making are a)  to forget that
children and families in disadvantaged situations also have strengths to offer, and b)  to
assume that the needs of all children are the same.  However, there are some common
themes which can be identified, and most children facing disadvantage will be having to
cope with one or more of the following issues:
 
 lack of resources in the home to support learning, such as books or computers or
even such simple things as pens and paper;
 lack of family aspiration in terms of educational development;
 high family aspiration but without the skills and resources to support children's
educational development;
 social factors which make focusing on school work difficult, such as poorer
housing, overcrowding and family tensions.  Of course, this last element can be
found in more affluent families as well, but the stresses and anxieties which
commonly go alongside poverty and low income can often exacerbate such
issues;
 lack of money to engage fully in extra-curricular activities, with the risk of social
exclusion;
 low self-esteem and low expectations in children with regards to their own
abilities and potential;
 lack of wider support structures, or at least the ability to access them, for instance
by not having a car;
 subliminal social conditioning around not being expected to have high
expectations, as well as potentially explicit negative attitudes from others, both of
which can lead to children feeling a lack of the same entitlement they believe
others to have;
 lack of access to enriching experiences, from being able to afford to go to the
cinema to being unable to afford to go on holiday.
 
Significantly, children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are over-represented among
children who are eligible for PPG, a factor which the government recognises as being
double disadvantaged.  This national picture is reflected here at Willow Bank Junior
School, where 50% of our children eligible for PPG are also on the SEN register,
compared with 10% of the school population as a whole.  It remains imperative that we
have a full and proper recognition of the potential impact of double disadvantage, and
that this is reflected in our strategies for developing individually-tailored support for
these children.
 
Where barriers to learning have predated the start of a child's schooling, the risk is that
they have become deeply embedded within the child's sense of self.  It is our
responsibility, and indeed our privilege, to support children in overcoming such barriers,
and to develop the educational skills which are fundamental to this, and which will
reduce the risks of such disadvantage being perpetuated in the next generation of the
child's family, and the generations that will follow.
Barriers to educational achievement | Willow Bank Junior School
https://www.willowbankjunior.com/barriers-to-educational-achievement/

Obstacles to academic success

There can be many distractions and obstacles to academic success. Below is a quick checklist
that includes some of the most common distractions and obstacles to academic success.
Read over the list and answer "Yes" to any item which regularly interferes with your doing well
in school. If you feel that you have too many "yes" answers, or know that a particular problem is
interfering with your academic success, learn more in the Academic Success section of this
website or reach out for help from Counseling and Psychological Services or the Learning
Center. 

 Lack of a study schedule

 Priorities unclear (What to study first)
 Failure to use short blocks of time constructively
 Failure to use long blocks of time constructively
 When sitting down to study, usually too tired or listless to study
 Leaving tasks unfinished; jumping from one task to another
 Studying on bed & falling asleep
 Daydreaming
 Can't resume studying after study breaks
 Spending too much time socializing, playing games or sports
 Unable to say "no" to invitations and requests
 Making unrealistic time estimates
 Attempting too much at once
 Getting behind in one course because of having to study for another
 Getting involved in unnecessary details
 Accomplishing very little in relation to the amount of time spent studying
 Distracted or frustrated by cluttered desk
 Not having or unable to locate needed materials
 Study area faces a window, door, TV, phone or other distractions
 Interruptions by outside interference (phone calls, visitors, noises)
 Frequently waiting until the last minute before starting to study or begin major project
(i.e., Procrastination.)
 Feeling of intense panic while taking tests

Why Your Students Aren’t Learning: 10

Silent Disruptors Of Academic
Performance
By Terry Heick
March 5, 2020

The reality of learning in today is a matter of perspective, but it’s clear that most
K-20 learning environments are teacher-led and academic (as opposed to self-
directed and authentic).

While we often write about new ways to learn using new thinking, new models,
and new technology, there is absolutely a role for teacher-led, academic learning
in the 21st century; being ‘led by the teacher’ isn’t always a bad thing.

In fact, the role of the human being is likely to becoming increasingly important
in education no matter how deeply technology is infused in the learning process.
While content-area expertise may seem to be less important with modern access
to information, no matter how intelligent adaptive learning models become in
the next ten years, nothing will surpass the intimacy of a human being—a person
that can view and adjust the persistent interaction between a student and
content.

It is in this ‘teacher important’ and highly-academic context that we’re going to

take a look at common disruptors of academic performance.

The pedagogical approach of curriculum–>teacher–>student rewards efficiency,

data extraction, and meaningful responsiveness to that data. This naturally makes
some things (assessment and feedback) more important than others (grading).

In terms of student performance in the classroom (which is different than how

deeply they understand content), there are a variety of potential disruptors. Two
of the most powerful of these are basic literacy skills and socioeconomic status,
facts that have spawned dozens of programs over the years—including Title I—in
response.

It is likely clear to most educators then that reading levels and poverty impact
academic progress, as do peer pressure, self-confidence, personal events in
students’ life, the luck of the draw in terms of what peers and teachers a student
gets assigned to, and dozens of other factors. It’s not all on you.
Only it kind of is, because these all are ‘excuses’ in this modern—and dangerous
—game of accountability in education.

No matter the circumstances, every student deserves the best education possible
—a fact both swelling with rhetoric and absolutely true.

Which means as educators we have to understand many of the potential barriers

to both understanding and classroom performance. So below we look at 10 of
the less common, ‘silent’ disruptors of student academic performance—factors
that move beyond literacy, poverty, lack of technology access, and other
admittedly powerful but already widely disseminated ideas.
Note, two of the more common reasons students aren’t learning (reading level,
student engagement/motivatio) are well-covered and well-known. This post is
about the less-obvious factors that could harming student performance.

10. Student Disorganization

Every teacher has that student—the one that comes into the classroom with a pile of papers
stacked high enough to hide their face as they waddle in.

Middle school teachers especially have seen the way disorganization can impact note-taking
(unlikely), note-keeping (ha!), and careful study of notes and other learning materials that can
result in understanding of content, and thus academic success.

9. Student Work Not Within ZPD

Without differentiation or personalized learning, for the majority of the class any work given
will likely fall outside of their Zone of Proximal Development.

In the same way it wouldn’t stress a marathon runner to run three times around the block, nor
would it makes sense to have them run a thousand miles, choosing the right work at the right
time in just the right amount can be a huge boon not only to student understanding, but long-term
classroom success.

8. Poor Response to Data

We’ll talk more about data below, but suffice to say that while teachers are getting better at
extracting, analyzing, and sharing data, meaningfully responding to that data in a timely manner
every single day is another matter entirely.

Timely, meaningful, and consistent responses to data are crucial to student learning.
7. Lack of Specificity and/or Clarity

Whether it’s a lack of clarity in learning goals, muddy procedures, difficult-to-follow teacher
questioning, a confusing instructional sequence, or a disconnect between a literacy strategy and
the content to be learned, it very well may be that you make sense to most of the class while still
leaving 1/3 or more behind—a large portion that learns to smile, give eye-contact, and ask
cursory questions, then seek out peers to fill in the gaps the best they can.

6. Imbalanced Teacher Content Knowledge vs Pedagogical Knowledge

Or a disconnect between the learning goal and the planned lesson.

Many teachers are experts—or near experts—in their content areas, passionate life-long learners
that eat up every science essay, literary magazine, or war monument they can find.

Others are ‘master teachers,’ engrossed in the planning of authentic learning experiences for
students.

Very, very few teachers are both. At some point, one or another takes hold in a teacher’s
professional pathway, making it easy to lose sight of the other. When that happens, some area of
student learning will suffer: dry, irrelevant expertly delivered content, or interesting, critical
poorly-packaged learning activities.

And both can disrupt academic performance.

5. Curriculum Mapping Mistakes (no iteration, practice, awkward sequencing, etc.)

Curriculum maps aren’t staid and static documents for you to adhere to and ‘be compliant with
district expectations’—or rather they shouldn’t be. A well designed—and responsive and flexible
—curriculum map is your friend. Mistakes at the curriculum planning level can take years for
teachers and students to overcome.

4. Unmanageable Data

You may have data, but it’s incredibly time-consuming to extract. Planning, designing, and
producing the assessment, then administering it (with make-up assessments), evaluating student
performance (i.e., grading it), organizing learning feedback in a way that makes sense and it
helpful to students, then reporting said progress (i.e., entering grades), then taking that data,
repackaging it in a way that can be visualized and comprehended, then performing item analyses,
making inferences about missed questions and distractors, etc., then taking all of that data and
modifying and personalizing planned instruction for each student—and doing all of this
consistently—is a significant burden even with technology.

The first step in mitigating this elephant-in-the-classroom of problematic data is to make it more
manageable on a consistent basis, and simply organizing teachers into “data teams” is a decent
but ultimately insufficient response.
3. Assessment Design

The test results may show weak academic performance, but it could be because the test isn’t
assessing what you think it is. Or you’ve chosen an assessment form that only obscures what
students understand rather than letting them show it.

If you suspect students know more than they show, you might be right–and this could be a big
reason why.

Assessment design is one of least well-understood areas of pedagogy. For an overview, there are
many, many ways to measure understanding.

2. Limited practice transferring knowledge

You may have done well explaining what a thesis statement is and is not, where they do and do
not belong, and why every argument essay needs one, but students may have no idea why having
a position on a given issue is important, much less how to communicate it and what on earth that
has to do with a column on a rubric you just handed them.

Moving from big picture—the why and when—to the little picture—exactly how—can help
those students that struggle to make that kind of transition themselves. Some students are
detailed, micro-thinkers, while others are design-level, big picture surveyors. This means you
need to move back and forth as often as you want them to.

This is a kind of transfer, and transfer both reflects and strengthens understanding.

See also 14 Ways Students Can Transfer What They Know

1. Student Understanding/Minimal Depth to Knowledge

Whether you use Bloom’s Taxonomy, Depth of Knowledge, Understanding by Design’s 6

Facets of Understanding, TeachThought’s Learning Taxonomy, or something else entirely,
not all understanding is created equal.

While a student may be able to define tone, or perimeter, or immigration, or mitosis, or any
number of other content strands, being able to transfer that understanding—to use that
knowledge in new and unfamiliar situations without prompting—is another matter entirely.

Simply put, students that deeply understand content—and the context of that content—are far
less likely to underperform on an assessment, struggle to complete assignments, or perform
poorly in school.

Neal H. Cruz
Open high school for underprivileged students | Inquirer Opinion
https://opinion.inquirer.net/30121/open-high-school-for-underprivileged-students