Rising rates of depression and suicide among adolescents have pushed states to explore new approaches to school-based mental health support. This post examines New Jersey’s universal mental health screening initiative, drawing on evidence from large-scale efforts in Pennsylvania and policy lessons emerging from Illinois.

Rutgers CESP and a participant from the Rutgers EIR project shared two key resources at the premier CS education conference: an engaging Scratch programming project that has students create arcade-style games, and a tool that helps educators evaluate and select middle school computer science curricula.

New study shows computer science enrollment in high schools grew from 10% to 15% over six years, but gender gaps are widening.

New study of 500+ rural educators reveals 80% receive professional development in one-time sessions outside school hours, while teachers want hands-on, collaborative learning during the school day to better serve the 12+ million rural students nationwide.

Program Director Perry Sandler partnered with Rutgers CESP to strengthen evaluation of the EDGE program for vision-impaired students. The collaboration enhanced data collection, organized programming into themed quarters, improved outreach, and delivered measurable results including increased student confidence and record program enrollment.