American Cancer Society

1. Coordinated School Health: The Strategic Connection to Improve Student Health and Academic AchievementNebraska Department of EducationJulane Hill, CSH Director

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.”

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. Health Education Family & Community Partnerships Physical Education Employee Wellness School Health Services Nutrition Services Healthy School Environment Counseling, Psychological & Social Services Coordinated School Health 8 Components

7. Coordinated School Health is a STRATEGY to improve health and academic achievement

8. Coordinated School Health is a FRAMEWORK to organize existingprograms and services

9. 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 MentalHealth Services • StaffWellness • Parent/Community Partnerships • http://nelovesps.org/story/the-whole-child/

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. “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 PhysicalEducation 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 andchronic 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/CommunityPartnerships 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)

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

27. Coordinated School HealthBest 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 HealthBest 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. Every school does it differently. CSH is a framework, not a recipe. Lessons Learned About CSH • 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

31. Coordinated School Health in ActionMcComb 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 ActionDr. Pat Cooper, McComb, Mississippi Results: Standardized Before CSH After CSHTest bySubject (Grades 3-6) Reading 32% 46% Lang. Arts 32% 47% Mathematics 28% 48%

33. Coordinated School Health In ActionDr. 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 1996-1997 to 95% in 2005 (10% higher than the state average)

34. Coordinated School Health In ActionDr. 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 ‘emgoin’. . . 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!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! https://www.gonoodle.com/brain-breaks/happy