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| CA Strategic Plan |
| Recommendations |
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Public Support |
Youth Involvement
& Development |
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Access to Care |
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Service Coordination |
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Families |
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Communities |
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Schools |
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Data |
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| Outcome Areas |
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Injury Prevention |
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Mental Health and Suicide |
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Nutrition & Physical Activity |
Alcohol, Tobacco
& Other Drugs |
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Teen Pregnancy & STI’s |
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Oral Health |
Environmental
& Occupational Health |
Out of Home Youth –
Resources on Mental Health |
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Schools | Overview |
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Design schools to
promote health and development |
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| This is Chapter 2, Recommendation
7 of California's adolescent health strategic plan. To
view the full plan, click
here. |
Schools are important environments for the growth and development
of teens. Schools should provide youth with academic and vocational
skills, a secure environment that facilitates healthy choices,
comprehensive health education, and opportunities to make a
contribution to the school and community. The School Health
Connections Office, jointly administered by the California Department
of Education and the Department of Health Services, recently
completed a blueprint that provides detailed strategies for
promoting coordinated school health programs.66 |
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High School Completion |
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Within the last decade there have been several
positive trends among California’s public school students.
The percentage of high school dropouts has declined steadily
from 14% in 1989 to 10% in 1997. This trend is apparent across
all ethnic groups. In addition, the four-year high school completion
rate, an estimate of the likelihood that a ninth-grade student
will stay in school through grade 12, was 81.2% from 1996 to
1998 compared to 78.7% from 1993 to 1995. |
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School Environments |
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In terms of serious physical violence, school is one of the
safest places for teens to be. Only 1% of all adolescent homicides
occur at school. Although school violence has decreased in recent
years relative to overall enrollment, it remains a concern.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 10%
of all public schools in the country (most frequently middle
and high schools) reported one or more serious violent crimes
during the 1996-1997 school year.67
Schools in low-income and urban areas, and those in areas with
a high presence of street gangs and drugs, have higher rates
of serious violent crime.68
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Among high school students responding
to California’s 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS),
9.2% report that in the past 12 months they were threatened
or injured with a weapon on school property, and 11.8% report
being in a physical fight on school property. These experiences
were reported more among boys, younger students, and African
American students. |
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In addition to providing
youth with a safe place to learn, schools can promote adolescent
health by facilitating healthy lifestyle choices. Many schools
are also involved in promoting healthy choices in the area
of sexual behavior through educational programs and school-based
health services. These aspects of school environment are discussed
further in Chapter 3 under the targeted action areas of Nutrition
and Physical Activity, and Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted
Infections. |
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School Health Education |
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Although there are health education requirements
within the California Education Code, schools have a great deal
of latitude in choosing how much health education to provide
and how to provide it. The only specific requirement, HIV education,
can be met through a single presentation in middle school and
another in high school. A variety of factors prevent many schools
from venturing beyond the minimal requirements, including lack
of funding and resources, and fear of political controversy
over health education topics. Moreover, recent educational reform
efforts have linked school funding to improved performance on
standardized tests. Although these measures may have a positive
effect on academic performance, they are having a negative impact
on health education and health programs. Schools are concentrating
resources on subjects covered by standardized tests, while cutting
back on class time, materials, and professional development
in other areas. |
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Despite concerns about political opposition,
public opinion strongly supports health education in schools.
A 1999 poll found that Californians overwhelmingly support some
of the most controversial health education topics. Eighty-eight
percent of the parents in the sample supported age-appropriate
sexuality education, and 84% said specific instruction on pregnancy
and STD prevention should be provided.69 |
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Community Service |
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Community service and service learning provide
teens with valuable work experience and teach them that they
can make positive contributions to their communities. Career
development and school-to-work programs enable adolescents to
explore various career options and become better prepared for
their transition into adulthood. California has a number of
school-to-work transition programs, but these programs only
operate in some locations and are in differing stages of development
and implementation. The 1999 California School-to-Career State
Plan found that the existing education and training infrastructure
has much to offer as a basis for enhancing California’s
school-to-work system, but still needs better coordination of
resources and programs to form a coherent statewide system.70 |
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Strategies |
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1. Provide schools
with the human and financial resources necessary to address
the needs of youth. |
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- Improve the capacity of schools to address student health
needs by increasing funding for credentialed school nurses,
social workers, counselors, credentialed health educators,
physical education specialists and school-based health centers.
- Lengthen the school day to provide adequate time for health
and physical education, lunch, and the breaks necessary
for students to integrate learning.
- Designate funding for arts and recreation programs within
the education budget.
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2. Improve school
health education. |
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- Make a one-semester health education course a high school
graduation requirement, and promote age-appropriate health
education in every grade based on sequential standards and
curricula.
- Increase the pre-service and in-service training teachers
receive in health.
Improve dissemination of research findings and research-based
curricula for health education and prevention programs through
the Healthy Kids Resource Center, County Offices of Education,
or other channels such as regional centers.
- Administer the California Healthy Kids Survey on a regular
basis to document needs and evaluate program effectiveness.
- Improve health education programs for teens in special
education programs and for teens with learning or developmental
disabilities.
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3. Increase the
connection between schools and community. |
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- Require, promote and/or facilitate the use of school
facilities for youth and community activities during non-school
hours.
- Increase parent and community involvement in schools through
active outreach, extending the Head Start model where parents
are an integral component of the school, and/or strengthening
parental oversight mandated in Title I schools.
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4. Create safe schools
and support healthy choices. |
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- Develop comprehensive school safety plans that involve
collaboration between the school administrators, teachers,
parents, community members, and teens.
- Create a school climate that supports racial, cultural,
and other forms of diversity, and in which harassment, discrimination,
and/or violence towards others are not tolerated.
- Increase opportunities and support for healthy eating
and physical activity within schools.
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Click
here to view references |
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