Coordinated School Health: The Strategic

Connection to Improve Student Health and

Academic Achievement

“[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.”

American

Cancer Society

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

An Opportunity:Every school

day in Nebraska, 300,000+ students

attend more than 249

public school districts

“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

Coordinated School Health

Family &CommunityPartnerships

PhysicalEducation

School Health

Services

Nutrition Services

Counseling, Psychological & Social Services

HealthEducation

Employee Wellness

HealthySchool

Environment

8 Components

Coordinated School Health is a STRATEGY

to improve

health and academic

achievement

Coordinated School

Health is a FRAMEWOR

K to organize existing

programs and

services

Source: Talking About Health Is Academic, 1990

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

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

Coordinated School Health

The Framework

Great Ways to School Health:

3 or 4 Are Super Starters!

1. School Environment

2. Health Education

3. School Meals and Nutrition

4. Physical Education

5. Health Services

6. Counseling, Psychological, and Mental Health Services

7. Staff Wellness

8. Parent/Community Partnerships

http://nelovesps.org/story/the-whole-child/

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

Healthy School Environment

1

“With every interaction in a school, we are either

building a community or destroying it.”

Jim ComerYale School Of Medicine

Health Education2

• 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.

School Meals and Nutrition

3 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

PhysicalEducation4

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

- Growing kids require a regular health

“maintenance” program (immunizations, dental checkups,

physicals, & eye exams) - Preventive services,

education, emergency care, referral & management of

acute andchronic health conditions

- GOAL = promote the health of students,

identify & prevent health problems and injuries,

& ensure care for students

Health Services5

Counseling, Psychological, and Mental Health Services

6 Designed to:■ prevent and address

problems■ facilitate positive learning and healthy behavior ■ enhance healthy development

■ enhance social- emotional learning

- Educators and school staff are important

role models - Successful schools

have healthy, highly

motivated staff with low rates of employee absenteeism

Staff Wellness

7

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

Parent/CommunityPartnerships8

Coordinated School Health

The Process

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)

• Plan For Action• Utilize Evidence-based

Practices• Conduct Evaluation• Provide for Sustainability• Create Policy and

EnvironmentalChange

26

CSH: The Process

Coordinated School Health

Best PracticesCentered 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

Coordinated School Health

Best PracticesData-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

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.

• Changing a system takes time.

• Implementing CSH is a process, not an event.

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

Coordinated School Health in Action

McComb School District, MSIssues: • High teen pregnancy • Low graduation rate • Low test scores• High special education rate• High juvenile arrest rates• High suspension, expulsions, and

delinquency rates

Coordinated School Health In Action

Dr. Pat Cooper, McComb, MississippiResults:

StandardizedBefore CSH After CSH Test bySubject (Grades 3-6)

Reading 32% 46%Lang. Arts 32% 47%Mathematics 28% 48%

Coordinated School Health In Action

Dr. Pat Cooper, McComb, MississippiResults: • 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

1996-1997 to 95% in 2005 (10% higher than the state average)

Coordinated School Health In Action

Dr. David Jones, Eisenhower Schools, CAResults: 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 assessmentMinority student performance is much more similar to overall school population.34

Start ‘em early . . .

Keep ‘em goin’. . .

For the end result!

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

Coordinated School Health

Coordinated School Health =

Healthy kids = better learners!

Not one more thing to do but another way to do your thing!

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!https://www.gonoodle.com/brain-breaks/happy