Giving Compass' Take:

• Shawna De La Rosa calls attention to the need for better mental health services in schools, especially for chronically underserved black students.

• What will it take to establish widespread concern over mental health? How can you help attract the public eye to the effects of mental health on young people?

• Want to start giving to young people struggling with mental health issues? Here's a good place to begin.

Though 25% of American teens experience mental health issues, rural students and students of color are less likely to feel that they can reach out to a counselor or teacher for support, according to the ACT Center for Equity in Learning’s "Supporting the Mental Health Well-Being of High School Students" survey.

While 57% of white students report feeling supported by mental health experts at school, only 48% of African Americans do. Only 65% of rural students say they have access to a mental health professionals at school, compared to 71% of suburban students. To address this, ACT recommends schools promote the availability of existing mental health services and provide access to universal mental health screenings.

School counselors should receive ongoing professional development, ACT suggests. State and federal funding should be available for schools to improve mental health service offerings, but schools can also increase capacity of these professionals through community partnerships. States and districts can support the effort by providing competitive grant programs to evaluate program effectiveness.

Read the full article about promoting schools' mental health services for black students by Shawna De La Rosa at Education Dive.