ASCD Whole Child: Resources: Healthy

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Healthy

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Research
Facts and Stats
Tools
Other Resources

Strengthen your school and community's commitment to health using resources related to

School Health Advisory Councils
Routine Student Health Screenings
Lifetime Healthy Behaviors
Healthy Food Choices

School Health Advisory Councils

2009 Health and Wellness Best Practices Guide for Colorado School Districts. Colorado Legacy Foundation, 2009. (web resource) Designed for administrators, school board members, parents and community members, this online guide highlights school district level best practices for healthy schools, students and staff. A shorter version of this guide is available for download in English and Spanish.

Local Wellness Policies: Assessing School District Strategies for Improving Children's Health. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2009. (PDF, 102 pgs.) While most students nationwide are enrolled in a school district with a wellness policy on the books, these policies are weak, failing to provide our children with the healthy foods and physical activity they need to learn and grow, according to a new report released today by Bridging the Gap and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Research Review: School-based Health Interventions and Academic Achievement. Washington State Board of Health, 2009. (PDF, 33 pgs.) This report provides important new evidence that links student health and academic performance. It identifies proven health interventions and practical resources that can positively affect both student health and academic achievement.

School Health Policy Resources from the CDC. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2009. (web resource) The CDC and its funded partners provide information, tools, and resources to support school policy and program development, implementation, and evaluation.

A National Snapshot of Local School Wellness Policies. Journal of School Health, American School Health Association (ASHA), 2008. (article, available for purchase) The study finds schools need assistance in staff development, implementation, revision, and evaluation of wellness policies as mandated by the federal government.

The Quick & Easy Guide to School Wellness. Healthy Schools Campaign and School Health Corp., 2007. (free web guide) This multimedia how-to guide is filled with comprehensive information, practical advice, tools, and resources to help you take action.

A Supersize Problem. Education Update, ASCD, 2007. (web article) U.S. schools are increasingly adopting wellness policies to tackle the problem of overweight students.

Build Stronger Schools with ASCD's Healthy School Report Card. Education Update, ASCD, 2006. (web article) This article describes the ASCD Action Tool, Creating a Healthy School Using the Healthy School Report Card, which helps schools assess their health practices, identify needs, and incorporate appropriate changes into a school-improvement plan.

Healthy Youth! Coordinated School Health Program. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion provides an informative website outlining the eight components of a coordinated school health program (CSHP) model.

Healthy School Communities: An ASCD Whole Child Initiative. This website contains a variety of resources designed to help schools achieve their vision of a healthy school community.

Routine Student Health Screenings

Give it a Shot!: Toolkit for Nurses and other Immunization Champions working with Secondary Schools. American School Health Association (ASHA), 2006. (PDF, 67 pgs.) A tool to help schools prepare for and implement immunization requirements for adolescents. Includes tips for working with students, families, other health care providers, and the media.

Lifetime Healthy Behaviors

Childhood Obesity & Schools. National School Boards Association (NSBA), 2010. (web resource) NSBA shares information on childhood obesity, why it matters for schools, and the role school leaders play in addressing childhood obesity. Find relevant data and research; resources for developing sound policies and practices related to childhood obesity; and examples of school successes in addressing childhood obesity.

Recommendations on Helpful Ways for School Professionals and Families to Talk about Mental Health Related Concerns. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and coalition partners, 2007. (PDF, 2 pgs.) Developed by a national coalition of parents, educators, mental health professionals, and physicians, this tip sheet helps educators and families talk together about children's mental health issues.

Move It! And Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes School Kit. National Diabetes Education Program American Indian Work Group, 2006. (PDF, 24 pgs.) Encourage physical activity in the school setting to help reduce risk for diabetes among youth using fact sheets, customizable posters and newsletter items, resources, and activity ideas.

The Learning Connection: The Value of Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in our Schools. Action for Healthy Kids, 2004. (PDF, 54 pgs.) The seminal report on the connection between achievement, inactivity, and nutrition.

Healthy Food Choices

School Food Unwrapped: What's Available and What Our Kids Actually Are Eating. Child Trends, 2008. (PDF, 9 pgs.) An examination of the prevalence of vending machines, school stores, other outlets in elementary schools that often provide non-nutritious foods, the types of food and beverages sold within these outlets, and student consumption of food at school among a nationally representative sample of fifth-grade students.

Research

Helping Immigrant and Refugee Students Succeed: It's Not Just what Happens In the Classroom. Center for Health and Care in Schools, 2009. (PDF, 8 pgs.) Problematic behaviors exhibited by students have a direct impact on student success and the importance of engaging families for student academic achievement has been well documented. The challenges are more pronounced among immigrant and refugee students and their families. This research highlights a number of successful strategies used to engage immigrant and refugee families in support of their children's mental health.

Latest Child Well-Being Indicators. Child Trends, Fall 2009. (PDF, 10 pgs.) This issue of The Child Indicator summarizes the latest child indicator data and includes surveys and articles on racial/ethnic disparities in behavioral and learning disorders, young children in the criminal justice system, high school graduation rates, and international child well-being. Also in the issue is information on the new editions of the KIDS COUNT Data Book and America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being.

A Policy-Based School Intervention to Prevent Overweight and Obesity. Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008. (web article) A multi-component school-based intervention can be effective in preventing the development of overweight among children in grades 4 through 6 in urban public schools with a high proportion of children eligible for free and reduced-priced school meals.

"We Move Kids": The Consensus Report from the Roundtable to Examine Strategies for Promoting Walking in the School Environment. The American College of Sports Medicine, 2008. (web report, available for purchase) In conjunction with the Walking for Health Conference, a dialog between practicing school teachers and a group of researchers was initiated to identify practical and effective strategies for increasing physical activity, particularly walking, in the school setting.

Adolescent Health, Wellness, and Safety. National Middle School Association (NMSA), 2006. (web article) A research summary from the NMSA addressing the specific health, wellness, and safety needs of adolescents.

Student Health, Supportive Schools, and Academic Success. California Department of Education, 2005. (PDF, 89 pgs.) This report reviews original research from WestEd on the link between health and academic success, and offers suggestions on putting research into action in schools.

Making the Connection: Health and Student Achievement. Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (SSDHPER), 2003. (PPT, 74 slides) A presentation developed by SSDHPER and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) which presents the research supporting each aspect of a coordinated school health program in a clear and concise format.

Facts and Stats

Unclaimed Children Revisited: The Status of Children's Mental Health Policy in the United States. National Center for Children in Poverty, 2008. (PDF, 160 pgs.) This report is based on a study that documents how current child mental health policies across the United States respond to the needs of children and youth with mental health problems, those at risk, and their families.

America's Health Starts With Healthy Children: How Do States Compare? Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America, 2008. (PDF, 32 pgs.) This report ranks states based on two metrics: infant mortality and children's general health status; provides benchmarks for states to strive towards; and makes recommendations for practice.

2007–08 School Beverage Guidelines Progress Report. American Beverage Association, 2008. (PDF, 24 pgs.) The beverage industry continues to significantly cut calories in schools two years into a three-year implementation period of the national School Beverage Guidelines. The guidelines limit portion sizes and reduce the number of calories available to children during the school day.

School Foods Report Card 2007. Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2007. (PDF, 27 pgs.) A state-by-state summary and grading of school food policies.

School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006. (PDF, 4 pgs.) A quick fact sheet from the latest School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) that identifies changes between 2000 and 2006 in school health policies and programs at the state, district, school, and classroom levels.

School Wellness Policies Fact Sheet. Action for Healthy Kids, 2005. (web brief) A brief description of the local requirements for wellness policies.

Tools

Choosing the Right Treatment: What Families Need to Know about Evidence-Based Practices. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 2007. (PDF, 52 pgs.) NAMI is a grassroots mental health organization that works with persons living with mental illness and their families. This pamphlet provides families with information about evidence-based treatment options for their children and questions to ask providers about treatment plans for children with mental illness.

Other Resources

Healthy Bodies, Well Minds. American Association of School Administrators (AASA), 2008. (web publication) AASA shares articles and resources for school district efforts to reduce obesity and provide critical mental health services in The School Administrator magazine.

Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacher. ASCD, 2006. (book, available for purchase, 125 pgs.) The first book written by someone who is both a neurologist and a classroom teacher identifies and translates the brain research most relevant to classroom teaching.

Who Cares for the Caregivers? Education Update, ASCD, 2005. (web article) This article discusses the importance of providing aid to administrators and faculty in times of crisis in schools.

Healthy and Ready to Learn. Educational Leadership, ASCD, 2005. (web article, available for purchase) Former Surgeon General David Satcher describes the link between health and academic achievement, and urges schools to play a role in better health.

The Center for Safe and Healthy Schools. A website developed by the National Association for State Boards of Education (NASBE) and the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that includes a database of state school health policies.

National Resource Center on AD/HD. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control Prevention and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), this website is a clearinghouse for science-based information about all aspects of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Content is offered in English and Spanish.