Texas School Joins National Science Foundation-Backed Study on Groundbreaking Mental Health Companion for Kids

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Gillett Middle School in Kingsville Independent School District in Kingsville, Texas has been selected to participate in a study activated by the National Science Foundation on reThinkIt!, an AI-driven, web-based platform resolving students’ worsening mental health challenges.

Around 300 middle school students at Gillett will use reThinkIt! from September 2022 to January 2023 for needs ranging from anxiety and depression to discipline and behavior issues. Teachers and counselors will help guide students to use reThinkIt! via a classroom mobile device and interact with the built-in intelligent mental healthcare chatbot whenever students need guidance or to share what is on their minds.

Students’ confidential participation will assist the platform’s algorithm in tailoring improved responses to adolescents using reThinkIt!, which digitally triages students’ expressed concerns and then alerts educators to trends in their students’ mental wellness.

The Washington Post recently updated its findings on the student mental health crisis, and it is much larger than most people realized. The article reported “The need is real, the need is dire,” said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, who recalled hearing just that day from the district’s mental health partners that calls about suicidal thoughts had quadrupled. “We’re living through historically unprecedented times,” he said.

“Gillett Middle School in Kingsville ISD is actively addressing this crisis by partnering with OneSeventeen Media and reThinkIt! to support students who desperately need effective, accessible mental healthcare,” shared Kingsville ISD Superintendent Dr. Cissy Reynolds-Perez.

Approved by the Institutional Review Board, the study’s main purpose is to further improve reThinkIt!’s ability to determine the nature and severity of a child’s mental health needs through real-time, early detection. Bridging the gap between kids in need and the adults who care about them while minimizing the strain on schools’ limited resources, reThinkIt! has already prevented a potential school shooting and multiple youth suicides.