Recently, my 9th grader was part of a social-emotional learning program where the students felt exposed, vulnerable, and isolated. This was not the outcome parents, teachers, or administrators hoped for.

When I arrived at a follow-up meeting, I mentioned the SPARK program, a social-emotional learning program that has already shown significant improvements in adolescent mental health outcomes in Florida schools.

The administration at my school said, "What program is that?" They said this because middle- and high schools in the United States are struggling to locate and deliver quality mental health programming to adolescents.

I know about this program because our team is part of a research award to examine the efficacy of the SPARK program in middle schools. This federal grant will allow RTI, SPARK, and Innate Health Research to compare the SPARK program across 3 states, with 2000 students, and through a randomized control design.

Our kids need positive and impactful mental health programs. Innate Health Research is here to help share the outcomes of this gold-standard research project!

Read more about our partnerships with the Research Triangle Institute and SPARK.