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BACKGROUND Researchers have emphasized the importance of integrating mental health education with academic curriculum. The focus of the current studies was Mental Health Matters (MHM), a mental health curriculum that is integrated with English language arts. It is taught by trained community member volunteers and aims to increase knowledge and decrease stigma toward individuals with mental health disorders. METHODS In Study 1, 142 sixth graders participated in MHM and completed pre‐ and postprogram measures of mental health knowledge, stigma, and program acceptability. Teachers also completed ratings of acceptability. Study 2 (N = 120 seventh graders) compared participants who had participated in MHM the previous year with those who had not using the same measures. RESULTS Sixth grade students and teachers rated the program as highly acceptable. Participants significantly increased their knowledge and decreased their levels of stigma. Seventh graders who had participated in MHM had significantly more mental health knowledge than peers who had not, but there were no differences in stigma. CONCLUSIONS The model appears to be acceptable to students and teachers. Future research is needed to assess the long‐term effectiveness of integrating mental health education with other academic curriculum such as language arts or science.

The value of university-based programs of teacher education in preparing high-quality teachers is currently the focus of increasingly contentious debate among researchers, policy makers, and media experts. To a large extent, public awareness and understanding of the work of teacher education is filtered through one or another of these lenses because direct public experience with programs of teacher education is limited. The authors developed a capstone event, termed the "Public Conversation," for their graduate-level, Teacher Education Program as a means of introducing graduates to the community and engaging a variety of community members in substantive dialogue around significant and enduring issues related to teaching and learning in the public schools. This article reports on impacts of the Public Conversation on community members, public school professionals, and university faculty, who participated as critical friends in this process.