Making the Connection: Health and Student Achievement

2. John D. Bower MDSchool Health Network Making the Connection: Health and Student Achievement Anne Travis The Bower Foundation

4. The Bower Foundation • Health focus • Mississippi • Goals • Access to healthcare services • To promote health • To advocate for informed health policy and health education • Strategic Approach • Few Projects • Children’s Health • Health Policy • Water fluoridation • Closely managed/monitored grants • Sustainable impact • Return on Investment

5. Why Children and Schools? • WHY Children? • Good return on grant investment • Healthy Children can achieve • WHY Schools? Schools can have the greatest impact on student health and make the most efficient use of scarce resources by developing the coordinated school health programs that bring together the people responsible for all of a school’s health-related activities. Centers for Disease Control

6. Why Children and Schools?Center for Disease Control • Establishing healthy behaviors during childhood is easier and more effective than trying to change unhealthy behaviors in adults. • Schools have a critical role to play in promoting the health and safety of young people. • Schools are an opportunity to reach children. • Schools provide an opportunity to practice healthy behaviors such as healthy eating and physical activity. • Studies have shown that school health program can reduce health risk behaviors among young people and positively impact on students’ academic performance.

7. Investment in Children’s Health • Since 1996 • Total Grants Committed: $21,142,000 • School Health Grants: $7,589,000 • 36% • School Nurses • Office of Healthy Schools • Start Up Grants • Vending Machine Revenue Assessment • Network Grant

8. Lessons Learned by The Bower Foundation • Without support from the local district and school leaders project will likely fail • With support from the local district and school leaders project will likely succeed • Start with some success or “readiness” • Base payments on benchmark achievement

9. Network Grant Fundamentals • Required participation from • School District Superintendent • School Principal • School Health Coordinator • Grant payments based on benchmark achievement

10. Network Starting Point – Pilot Group Knowledge of School Health

11. Network Grant Purpose • With Select School Districts • Provide • Technical Assistance • Opportunity for Peer Support • One time funding based on benchmarks • For schools to determine how to use EXISTING school, school district and community resources to implement Coordinated School Health in one school in the district • Timeframe – 3 years

12. Network Grant Process • Serious Commitment • Meetings – 3 or 4 per year • Required attendance of Superintendent and Principal and School Health Coordinator • Information and Technical Assistance • Opportunity to Plan • Peer Process • Safe Place • Successes • Lessons Learned

13. Underlying Process Premise • Participation in the Network is an opportunity to create a healthy school environment • Plan • Take action • Get feedback • Share results • Project design and development Plan Action Feedback

14. Network Grant Outcomes • Implement Coordinated School Health in one school in the district • Improve school health environment • Implement sustainable change • Develop school health champions in state, local and district level • Create Mississippi success stories • Create statewide momentum • Support policy changes

15. Funds • 11 benchmarked time frame • 1st Benchmark April 12-13, 2006 • $9,000 payment based on • Achievement of benchmarks • Submission of your plan for use of funds to the Office of Healthy Schools • Use of Funds • Funds may only be used to implement the eight component Coordinated School Health Program Model. • Funds made available under this program shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State and local funds expended to carry out the grant activities.

16. Roles and ResponsibilitiesCommitment • School District/School • Implement coordinated school health in 1 school • Participate in the Network – share • Provide an example to the rest of the schools and districts in the state • MS Department of Education – Office of Healthy Schools • Provide assistance and support to network schools and their districts • Review Benchmark Achievement/Approve Use of Funds/Process Payments • Facilitate network schools to share stories and lessons at statewide meetings and publications • The Bower Foundation • Provide funding to MDE

17. U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Senate Report 107-84, to accompany Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Bill Fiscal Year 2002 “Children are our most valuable resource, and schools represent an opportunity to provide our children with valuable health skills.”

18. Willie Amos Emily Ashworth Amy Barham Phil Burchfield Edward Lee Childress Pallascene Bright Cole David Daigneault Thomas Edwards Marvie Fitts Karen Fioranelli Gerald George Donnie Howell James R. Hutto Teresa Jenny James Johnson Larry Johnson Mary L. Jones Milton Kuykendall Dahlia Lee Landers Ellie Lott Beverly Lowry Rita E. Mizell Elizazbeth Mosley Rueben B. Myers Henry Phillips, Jr. Janet M. Smith Thomas L. Spencer Kay Strickland Glenn A. Swan Gwendolyn Vaughn Robert Wade Mamie Warren Lynn Weathersby Liesa M. Weaver Denise Webb Ann H. Wilson