Week 2: Student Involvement

Coordinated School Health is an effective model that schools use to coordinate interventions that address students' social, emotional, behavioral and health needs. A well established Coordinated School Health system strengthens prevention, intervention, and other 'learning supports' resulting in a coordinated, integrated and seamless system of support that allows all children to thrive in school—regardless of barriers to learning. Through this process, schools will develop partnerships with the community and families to set in place the collaborations that will allow programs to be sustained and grow. In time, this support system will lead to improvements in student health and well being, academics, and graduation rates.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Coordinated School Health Model consists of eight components. These components include:
 

  • Counseling & Psychological Services
  • Physical Education
  • Health Services
  • Nutrition Services
  • Healthy School Environment
  • Health Promotion for Staff
  • Family/Community Involvement


Meaningful Student Involvement:
The CDC suggests that schools should actively solicit parent and community involvement to respond more effectively to the health-related needs of students in the Coordinated School Health approach. Unfortunately, the most important partner in this effort is routinely left out-the students themselves. Engaging students as partners in Coordinated School Health involves changing our perceptions of students as the recipients of school health to the leaders in coordinating school health among the school, family and community members involved.

Washington has several tools to help you learn to listen to your students talk about school health. However, rather than simply talking about school health, students can be more meaningfully involved in planning, researching, teaching, evaluating, decision-making and advocating for Coordinated School Health. School professionals have natural allies in students, and you each have the ability to engage them throughout school health activities.

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TWO ACTIVITIES.
Then TAKE THE SURVEY BELOW to earn 5,000 bonus miles.

  1. Read “The Architecture of Ownership” by Adam Fletcher in Educational Leadership magazine. Reflect on ways you can incorporate some of these ideas into your school health activities, and identify one activity you are going to pursue in the future.
  2. Visit www.SoundOut.org to locate helpful resources to use in your classroom or throughout your school to promote student voice in Coordinated School Health and school improvement in general.


CLICK HERE TO EARN YOUR 5,000 BONUS MILES.

For more information on meaningful student involvement, see:

 

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