1. Coordinated School Health: The Strategic Connection to Improve Student Health and Academic Achievement
Greet the audience and explain who you are and the organization you represent.
(If there is a small group, have them introduce themselves: name, place of work, position.)

2. American Cancer Society
“[Children]….who face violence, hunger, substance abuse, unintended pregnancy, and despair cannot possibly focus on academic excellence. There is no curriculum brilliant enough to compensate for a hungry stomach or a distracted mind.”
It is difficult for students to be successful in school if they are:
Hungry
Tired
Using alcohol or other drugs
Worried about violence
Being bullied
Depressed
Stressed
Sick
Abused

3. Why Youth?
Health risk behaviors are established in childhood and adolescence
It’s easier to prevent the adoption of health risk behaviors than to change established behaviors
Chronic disease health risks are already common among young people
Many health risks associated with adults were established in childhood

4. An Opportunity: Every school day in Nebraska, 300,000+ students attend more than 249 public school districts

5. “Schools are places where needs must be accommodated, remediated, and met—both health and academic. We must focus on the Whole Child!” Dr. Gene Carter ASCD

6. Coordinated School Health
Education
Physical
Education
Family &
Community
Partnerships
Employee Wellness
School
Health
Services
Healthy
School
Environment
Nutrition
Services
To be effective, coordinated school health programs must
be directed toward the needs of students,
Be responsive to the needs of families, and
Be reflective of the values of the local community.
All eight components must be linked to each other and supportive of each other.
Often, schools with effective coordinated school health programs develop a committee or TEAM of representatives from each component area. The committee meets to develop school health priorities and programs to address student needs. Many school districts employ a coordinator who works to optimize the connections between the eight separate component areas to prevent duplication and to seek additional resources.
Counseling,
Psychological &
Social Services
8 Components

7. Coordinated School Health is a STRATEGY to improve health and academic achievement
STRATEGY, NOT A PROGRAM
It is not a program which is implemented and then eliminated when schools experience administrative turnover, or the program is cut when schools run into budgetary constraints.

8. Coordinated School Health is a FRAMEWORK to organize existing programs and services
We aren’t advocating for additional and expensive programs, just better use of the ones school’s and communities currently have.

9. DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR? Lots of programs, but very disconnected.
Source: Talking About Health Is Academic, 1990

10. Coordinated School Health Is:
A process to integrate planned, sequential & school-affiliated strategies, activities, & services designed to promote the optimal physical, emotional & educational development of students. CSH begins with a comprehensive planning process & continues to the implementation of a sustainable infrastructure CSH is multidisciplinary & accountable to the community

11. NDE Coordinated School Health Policy
Each school district/school develop, adopt, and implement a comprehensive plan for coordinated school health based on the CDC/DASH model
Each school district establish a School Health Council and each school building establish a School Health Team that meets four times per year
Each district/school designate a School Health Coordinator to assist with implementing and evaluating coordinated school health efforts

12. Coordinated School Health
The Framework

13. Great Ways to School Health: 3 or 4 Are Super Starters!
School Environment
Health Education
School Meals and Nutrition
Physical Education
Health Services
Counseling, Psychological, and Mental Health Services
Staff Wellness
Parent/Community Partnerships

14. 1 Healthy School Environment
To learn effectively, children must: ■ Feel comfortable and supported ■ Attend a safe, proper functioning school ■ Have minimal distractions ■ Have health-enhancing environments ■ Reinforce health messages

15. Yale School Of Medicine
“With every interaction in a school, we are either building a community or destroying it.”
Jim Comer
Yale School Of Medicine

16. 2 Health Education Classroom instruction that:
addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and social dimensions of health
develops health knowledge, attitudes, and skills
Is standards- based
is tailored to each age level
Is based on best practices
GOAL = motivate and assist students to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, and reduce health-related risk behaviors.

17. 3 School Meals and Nutrition
The Reality: Students often eat one or two meals a day at school
Integrate nutritious, affordable, and appealing meals, snacks, etc.
Teach standards-based nutrition education
Teach skill-based nutrition education
Provide an environment that promotes healthy eating behaviors for all children

18. 4 Physical Education Curriculum instruction that: Is standards-based
Is planned, sequential, age appropriate
Promotes lifelong physical activity and fitness
GOAL = develop basic movement skills, sports skills, and physical fitness as well as to enhance mental, social, and emotional abilities

19. 5
Health Services
- Growing kids require a regular health “maintenance” program (immunizations, dental checkups, physicals, & eye exams) - Preventive services, education, emergency care, referral & management of acute and chronic health conditions - GOAL = promote the health of students, identify & prevent health problems and injuries, & ensure care for students

21. 6 Counseling, Psychological, and Mental Health Services
Designed to: ■ prevent and address problems ■ facilitate positive learning and healthy behavior ■ enhance healthy development
■ enhance social- emotional learning

22. 7
Staff Wellness
Educators and school staff are important role models - Successful schools have healthy, highly motivated staff with low rates of employee absenteeism

23. 8
Parent/Community Partnerships
Benefits: ■ A closer working relationship between parents and schools ■ Parents, businesses, community groups, and schools can form powerful coalitions to address health needs of students

24. Coordinated School Health
The Process

25. CSH: The Process
Understand the Evidence/Research Link Between Health & Learning
Create a School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and School Health Teams
Make Decisions Based on Data
Conduct School Health Index (SHI) (Assessment)
Get Administrative support

26. CSH: The Process Plan For Action Utilize Evidence-based Practices
Conduct Evaluation
Provide for Sustainability
Create Policy and
Environmental
Change

27. Coordinated School Health Best Practices
Centered on the needs of students:
Increases connectedness
Develops life skills and competence
Identifies and builds upon youth assets
Builds on a TEAM effort:
Coordination between councils and teams
Partnerships
Involvement of students/families and communities
Links to school improvement plans, school-based site management

28. Coordinated School Health Best Practices
Data-driven:
Builds on accurate data
Utilizes sound science
Aims to eliminate gaps and duplication of services and programming
Step-by-Step:
Assess health needs
Prioritize
Plan for action
Implement
Monitor, evaluate and refine

29. Lessons Learned About CSH
Every school does it differently. CSH is a framework, not a recipe.
Changing a system takes time.
Implementing CSH is a process, not an event.

30. Coordinated School Health Results
Increased test scores on standardized tests
Decrease in suspensions & detentions
Reduction in expulsions from school
Reduction in drop-out rates
Reduction in number of students assigned to SPED classes
Decrease in teen pregnancy rates
Decrease in juvenile crime arrests out of school
Increased graduation rates
Schools gain and communities gain when a CSH approach is initiated in schools

31. Coordinated School Health in Action McComb School District, MS
Issues:
High teen pregnancy
Low graduation rate
Low test scores
High special education rate
High juvenile arrest rates
High suspension, expulsions, and delinquency rates

32. Coordinated School Health In Action Dr. Pat Cooper, McComb, Mississippi
Results:
Standardized Before CSH After CSH Test by Subject (Grades 3-6)
Reading 32% 46%
Lang. Arts 32% 47%
Mathematics 28% 48%

33. Coordinated School Health In Action Dr. Pat Cooper, McComb, Mississippi
Results:
3% of teens in Teen Parent Program has a repeat pregnancy before the age of 20, (compared to 23.5% for MS & 21% for the US)
66% decrease in juvenile crime arrests out of school
42% decrease in suspensions and detentions
33% reduction in expulsions
Graduation rates increased from 77% in to 95% in 2005 (10% higher than the state average)

34. Coordinated School Health In Action Dr
Coordinated School Health In Action Dr. David Jones, Eisenhower Schools, CA
Results:
18% free or reduced lunch 38%
19.79% minority students 37%
Assessment scores (percent at standard)
40% Reading 72%
23% Math 53%
43% Writing 68%
No students of color passed the state math assessment
Minority student performance is much more similar to overall school population.

35. Keep ‘em goin’. . .
Start ‘em early . . .
For the end result!

36. Coordinated School Health
improves academic performance, graduation rates, & standardized test scores
improves social outcomes by decreasing suspensions, detentions, & expulsions from school
improves students’ knowledge, behaviors, attitudes & skills in health

37. Coordinated School Health = Healthy kids = better learners
Coordinated School Health = Healthy kids = better learners! Not one more thing to do but another way to do your thing!

38. Now It Is Your Turn Now and When you return home:
Look for gaps in your School Wellness Policy
Think of policy ideas that you can readily infuse into your School Wellness Policy
Be bold and dream big
Communicate with students,
staff, community
Celebrate Your Successes!