Equity Depends on the Definition: Examining the Impact of Segregation Definitions on Equity in School-Based Mental Health

Although government, academic, and legal agencies address the importance of racial equity, differing definitions of segregation may impact the analyses that provide the impetus for policy recommendations. This study examined how four definitions of segregation affected analyses of racial equity in access to school-based mental health in New York City (NYC), a city with some of the country's most racially segregated school districts. The definitions included those provided by the Department of Education, New York University's Metropolitan Center for Research, the U.S. Federal Court system, and the University of California Los Angeles Civil Rights Project. The researchers collected school data from online educational registers to examine a sample of 1,473 schools serving 889,637 students in the 2018-2019 academic year. Analyses suggested discrepancies based on the definitions used. Contrary to hypotheses, primarily non-White schools more frequently had mental health programs housed within the school than primarily White schools or nonsegregated schools. Across the four definitions, only New York University's definition suggested that NYC prioritizes mental health care for youth at predominantly non-White schools when examining all types of school-based mental health programs. Interestingly, the Federal Court Definition, likely the most widely applied and directly used in decision making, reported the highest proportion of nonsegregated schools compared to the other definitions. These results show that definition does matter when examining how segregation impacts the distribution of mental health services in NYC and may matter in other critical decision-making processes.