The school setting represents the most common setting by which youth receive mental and behavioral health (MBH) services (Farmer et al., 2003, Psychiatr Serv, 54, 60–66). Nevertheless, many school psychologists are not providing MBH services despite the high prevalence of need. Additional research is needed to understand factors leading to these deficits, as well as potential solutions to ameliorate these concerns. The current study surveyed 341 school psychologists across seven states and found current ratios are one school psychologist for every 1,500–2,000 students. Study results suggest school psychologists are providing a half to full day of universal, prevention‐oriented MBH services each week whereas more targeted, direct services (e.g., individual or small group counseling) are offered 1–4 hr each week. The school psychologist‐to‐student ratios also demonstrated a statistically significant and inverse association with the provision of targeted MBH services, with higher ratios resulting in fewer MBH services. Respondents provided potential solutions for how to expand the delivery of MBH services within schools, including increased awareness and support among school and district administrators, as well as access to training and professional development related to MBH services.

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This study examined the associations among race/ethnicity, school climate, and social‐normative expectations (expectations about peers' future achievement) in high and low socioeconomic status (SES) schools, with a particular focus on school climate as a process that might influence social‐normative expectations. Results showed that more positive perceptions of school climate were significantly associated with higher levels of social‐normative expectations in both low and high SES settings. Additionally, identifying as Black was negatively associated with social‐normative expectations in both high and low SES schools. School climate significantly moderated the negative relationship between race and social‐normative expectations in high SES schools; however, there was no moderation in low SES schools. In both high and low SES schools, school climate was a robust predictor of social‐normative expectations, highlighting the importance of social‐normative expectations as a metric of school climate improvement in both high and low SES schools. In conclusion, policies related to school culture and climate, school improvement, and turnaround should explicitly focus on the connection of racial and ethnic equity, specifically for Black and Latinx students, to reflect the range and reality of students' social‐normative expectations.

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