In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, school leaders had resources for student mental health — but struggled to pull them together into something that actually helped kids. Then a partnership with Brown University changed that.
The Student Mental Health Network, launched in September 2025 by the Evidence in Action – Rhode Island team at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, is now working with 11 public school districts across the state. Those districts together educate more than 40% of all public school students in Rhode Island, according to Brenda Santos, who directs the institute's Rhode Island research partnerships and networks.
"When you're in what is regarded as a high-needs district like Woonsocket, there are many different resources and supports, but figuring out how that fits into the puzzle of benefiting students can be tricky at times," said Kyle Quadros, who leads social-emotional learning for the Woonsocket Education Department.
The program pairs school leaders with coaches from Brown University — including assistant professors Ruben Martinez and Hannah Frank — who provide one-on-one guidance tailored to each district's specific needs. They also run monthly group sessions where leaders from different districts share what works and what doesn't. Topics have included research on best practices, recognizing signs of depression and trauma, and strategies for connecting students and families to help quickly.
"A lot of what students and educators face is internal and difficult to see," Martinez said. "That makes it hard to know who needs help and when. Our goal is to help districts identify students who need additional support and connect them and their families to help as quickly as possible."
In Woonsocket, for example, Martinez and Quadros identified a gap: parents didn't always know the signs that their child might be struggling with anxiety or suicidal thoughts, or how to get help through the schools. Now they're creating materials for families, including short videos on those difficult topics, hoping to build trust between parents and the school system.
Santos said the approach isn't about telling districts what to do — it's about helping leaders build stronger systems that can keep working even when resources are tight. "We believe that helping people get better at their jobs involves doing the work not for them but alongside them," she said.
The initiative focuses on four areas: catching students who need help early through screening; improving how school teams work together; supporting students directly in schools; and connecting families to community resources outside school walls. To build it, Brown researchers partnered with the BRIDGE Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School, which helps bring research into real-world classrooms.
With the program now reaching tens of thousands of students across Rhode Island, leaders say the model could spread — proof that when universities and schools work side by side, kids benefit.