Needs Assessment Interview Questions – SAMPLE

Questions for Principals or Other Administrators:

1. What are the most pressing behavioral health needs (i.e., anger outbursts, eloping, anxiety, withdrawal) facing

students in the school? How are those needs being addressed?

2. I have noted that your school provides behavioral health services. What do you see as the primary strengths of

these services across the three tiers? What do you see as needing improvement?

3. How are students referred for services? To what extent are behavioral and referral procedures followed by the

wider school community?

4. Does your school conduct screenings to help identify students who need support?

9. How does the school assess the effectiveness of its behavioral health services?

10. How do district staff help to support school-based programs?

11. Does your school partner with other schools in the district to share resources or ideas? If so, how?

12. Are practices across all three tiers trauma-informed? If so, how?

a. Does your school have a directory of school- and community-based resources available to support student

behavioral health? How is this resource map shared with staff and members of the school community?

b. What connections have been built with providers in the community? Who oversees maintaining this

relationship? How are new connections sought?

13.How are these and other mental health service providers integrated into the school community?

those needs being addressed?

3. What are the specific challenges or needs of the various subpopulations on your campus, students from low

socioeconomic status, students who are undocumented, or students who are English learners?

4. Who provides therapy for students? How are they trained? How does their training reflect the needs of the

diverse student population that they serve?

5. Are there any therapeutic groups that would be particularly helpful that aren’t available at this time? If so, which

6. Are practices across Tiers 1, 2, and 3 trauma-informed? If so, how?

7. Do you partner with other mental health service providers? How are these and other mental health service

providers integrated into the school community?

10.What types of behavioral health trainings and workshops do you provide to families and staff?

11.How does the school ensure that behavioral health supports and services are culturally responsive and aligned

with student and family priorities?

12.How can the school become a place that is even more inclusive, supportive, and empowering for all students?

Potential additional questions:

1. Are services integrated and coordinated across the three tiers? If so, how? What connections have been built

with providers in the community? How are they sustained and by whom? How are new connections sought?

2. How are behavioral health services funded? Has new funding been sought?

3. How does the school assess the effectiveness of its behavioral health services?

4. How does your school promote a positive school climate?

5. When you have a student with behavioral or mental health concerns, what do you do?

6. What do you know about trauma and trauma-informed care? What trainings have you had on trauma and

trauma-informed care?

7. In what ways do students engage in creating a positive school community? Do they form groups or activities?

How do they give feedback about their own school? What additional resources or opportunities could increase

student engagement?

8. How do you reach out to parents? How are they included in the student’s education? Is that method something

common across the school community, or does it differ between teachers, and if so, how?

9. To what extent is the cultural or ethnic backgrounds of students reflected in the curriculum taught at your

those needs being addressed?

2. I have noted that your school provides ______ services. What do you see as the primary strengths of those

services across the three tiers? What do you see as needing improvement?

6. How does the school assess the effectiveness of its behavioral health services?

7. How does the district help to support school-based behavioral health programs in your school?

Potential additional questions:

1. Does your school partner with other schools in the district to share resources or ideas? If so, how?

2. What are the specific challenges or needs of students of color, students from low socioeconomic status, students

who are undocumented, or students who are English learners? How are those addressed?

3. How do district staff help to support school-based programs?

4. What connections have been built with providers in the community? How are they sustained and by whom? How

addressed?

2. Tell me about a typical day in your job. How do you spend your time?

3. How much of your job is focused on mental health as distinct from behavior? What do you see as the primary

strengths of the services across the three tiers? What do you see as needing improvement?

4. How does the school ensure that behavioral health supports and services are culturally responsive and aligned

with student and family priorities? What are the specific challenges or needs of all student subpopulations on

your campus, students from low socioeconomic status, students who are undocumented, or students who are

English learners?

5. In what ways do students engage with creating a positive school community? What additional resources or

opportunities could increase student engagement?

11.How can the school become a place that is even more inclusive, supportive, and empowering for all students?

Questions for School Nurses:

1. What are the most pressing physical health needs related to mental and behavioral health at the school? How

are those needs being addressed?

2. Tell me about a typical day in your job. How many students visit the nurse’s office with physical health issues that

may be connected to a possible mental or behavioral health issue?

3. How much of your job is focused on mental health crises?

4. How does the school ensure that mental and behavioral health supports are aligned with student and family

priorities? What are the specific challenges or needs of students at your school?

5. How do you assess the effectiveness of health services provided to students?

academic challenges)? Is there data tracking this?

3. How many students from the following groups have been identified as needing Special Education services:

students from low socio-economic status and/or students who are English language learners? How many have

been identified as needing mental or behavioral health services as opposed to academic services?

4. Of the students referred mainly for mental health concerns, could any of these students be served instead

through General Education counseling services?

5. How much time do you think your Special Education teachers spend on training regarding mental and behavioral

health? On providing specific mental/behavioral health services?

6. Do schools generally want their students to receive Special Education services? Why or why not?

7. If your department was allotted another $50,000 each year for mental health services, what would you invest in?

same as the General Education referral process?

4. How are staff and families informed about the referral process?

5. How do most Special Education teachers work with General Education teachers and families?

6. Are any kids in Special Education accessing General Education mental health resources, such as counseling?

7. Do schools want their students to receive Special Education services? If no, why not?

8. If your department was allotted another $50,000 each year for mental health services, what would you invest in?

9. If you had to make one change in Special Education mental health practices, what would it be?

Questions for Providers from Outside Agencies:

1. Which schools do you work with, and in what capacity?

a. Please describe the services you provide.

b What do you see as the primary strengths of these services? How do you measure their effectiveness? What

do you see as needing improvement?

c. How do you ensure that these services meet the needs of students from different racial, linguistic, and

socioeconomic backgrounds?

2. What are the most pressing/common behavioral health needs you are aware of that students are experiencing in

the school/district? How are those needs being addressed?

strengths and limitations of these services? What additional groups might be helpful for the student population?

5. Are practices across all three tiers trauma-informed? How?

6. How does your organization reach out to families? Is information you receive from families shared with anyone

Secondary School Student Focus Group Questions:

1. In what ways are you a leader at your school?

2. What do you do if one of your friends is having a problem, like feeling sad or having a lot of issues at home?

What about if they are talking about suicide, either in person or on social media? What about if they are talking

about bringing a weapon to school?

3. Are there adults at school who you talk to when you are upset about something or have a problem? Who? How

easy is it to talk to them? Why do you think that is so?

4. (If not already addressed) Do you know if there are mental health counselors available at school to talk to? How

yourself?

8. Do you feel like your parents and the adults at school know each other? Why do you think that?

9. Do you feel accepted and appreciated for who you are at school, including how you look, what language you