Designing School Health Services to Provide Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for All Students

Abstract

A system-level health equity lens is needed to meet the needs of today’s students. School nurses stand at the intersection of health and education, poised to improve the health and academic outcomes for all children in collaboration with school health and education colleagues with a focus to reframe “learning and health losses” to “learning and health recovery.” The Multi-Tiered System of Support is a familiar approach used in schools to address education equity for students. Working alongside educators, school nurses can demonstrate how including health in this framework augments reaching the goal of supporting student academic success.

State School Nurse Consultants Issue RN Action Agendas

“…School nurses function at each of the three MTSS levels: providing systemwide prevention and health promotion strategies for all, targeted group interventions for some students who are at risk, and intensive individual services for the few who are in high need. The third level includes children with chronic health conditions and families with multiple economic and social needs who require supports so children can attend school consistently and participate fully in regular and special education (Bobo et al, 2023;Rau & Lytle, 2020).…”