Adriane Tasco
For schools to sustain changes and build capacity within their health and wellness plans, they must build structures that provide continuity even through changing committees and administrations. Having a clear mission and vision is not only essential for the success of businesses, but also serves as the foundation for successful promotion of school health in schools. The supports built internally and externally include the leadership and management of the plan, implementing supportive policies and procedures, and the professional development of staff (Hoyle, Samek, & Valois, 2008), all important components of structures that support the mission of health promoting schools.
Creating a Healthy School Using the Healthy School Report Card (Lohrmann, 2005) outlines characteristics of healthy schools, one of which is the successful coordination of school health programs. At the foundation of this process is the development of essential structures, such as a school health team that can plan and identify areas for improvement. Such planning can also provide continuity if and when the team experiences any participant changes.
The team should include parents, students, administrators, school support staff, health professionals, and community and business leaders with an interest in improving student health and wellness. The school should also designate a coordinator of the various health programs. This person can be a school administrator or counselor, or really anyone who has decided to steer the committees; it does not have to be restricted to the school nurse or physical education teacher. As long as, ultimately, every school has a champion to promote the cause (Joyner, 2007), as well as communicate regularly with key constituencies such as staff, parents, local businesses, and community health services.
Regular meetings of the health team are a necessity. Here the team will work together to identify problem areas the school is facing, and plan for activities to alleviate or change the behavior of the students. Meeting during school hours or previously scheduled teacher workdays can increase staff involvement. Regular meetings of the health team are a necessity. Here the team will work together to identify problem areas the school is facing, and plan for activities to alleviate or change the behavior of the students. Meeting during school hours or previously scheduled teacher workdays can increase staff involvement.
The members of the health team should be provided with opportunities to work together, learn about theory and models for change, and receive coaching and feedback (Hoyle, Samek, & Valois, 2008). This along with regular meetings is an important way to encourage professional development in the staff. Also, the opportunity for retreat away from the school environment may bring about creativity and renewal for the members of the team as time goes by.
The health team must also be sure to research and allocate a variety of available resources. In addition to applying for federal grants, the team might be able to identify resources within the school that aren't as obvious. Blending all of their resources will benefit the students and the team when actual dollars are not available. The idea is to help foster change over time as opposed to making a one-time purchase of an item. For example, if the team wanted to have the students learn about the nutritional value in foods and how to read food labels, the cafeteria manager or school dietician could provide resources to the team and change the cafeteria signage to help the students make healthy dietary choices. The team should also realize that other teachers, staff, and administrators can contribute to this effort with their time and participation. By tapping into staff as a resource, the team can gain more advocates for the importance of school health promotion.
Once the team has identified areas for improvement and formulated a plan, it must advocate for change. By regularly informing individuals not participating on the team of the importance of doing so, the plan for health promotion becomes embedded in the current plan for the school and community. Whenever possible, principals should be members of the health team, as they have the means and resources to champion the cause at district and regional meetings. Informing the superintendents about health promotion and the plan for the school brings visibility and the opportunity to gain information about the potential for health-focused state and federal programs.
It's important to make connections with the local community as a way to identify issues beyond the school fence that affect the students--such as teen smoking, food and nutrition education, and adolescent health and wellness--and address them in the school health plan. This might include partnerships or agreements with organizations and agencies like fitness gyms, Lions Clubs, the Department of Health and Human Services, and fire and police services. The health team may find it useful to solicit consultants to provide critical assessments, trainings, and evaluations about the current state of the school (Hoyle, Samek, & Valois, 2008).
The team can also invite community partners to bring their resources into the school and educate the families of the students about local health promotion programs and events. For example, the community gyms can support faculty and staff wellness by donating equipment or memberships (Michael, Dittus, & Epstein, 2007). The designated coordinator for school health should invite potential participants to join the health promotion team and help to facilitate an environment where the members are not intimidated by one another and able to come together to improve the wellness of the students. Group cohesion and togetherness may be achieved by conducting team building exercises within the health promotion team.
School health improvement is best done by taking small steps. Large amounts of money aren't required to organize a team and to set up the supports needed for lasting change. Health promotion teams should not attempt to alleviate every problem identified at one time, but prioritize goals based on what they can do immediately with the least amount of effort. As the team gains support and funding, it will be easier to implement changes where there has been resistance. There is not a plan that fits every school's unique situation (Joyner, 2007), yet by having internal and external supports identified, a school will be able to meet their individual needs. The successful implementation of the health promotion plan depends on cooperation, communication, and collaboration among all participants inside and outside of the school.
Hoyle, T. B., Samek, B. B., & Valois, R. F. (2008, January). Building Capacity for the Continuous Improvement of Health-Promoting Schools. Journal of School Health, Vol. 78, No. 1.
Joyner, A. (2007, June). The Healthy Approach. American School Board Journal, Vol. 42.
Lohrmann, D. K. (2005) Creating a Healthy School Using the Healthy School Report Card: An ASCD Action Tool. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Michael, S., Dittus, P., & Epstein, J. Family and Community Involvement in Schools: Results from the School Health in Policies and Programs Study 2006. Journal of School Health, October 2007, Vol. 77, No.8.