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Center for School and Community Health Programs
Today’s youth face unprecedented opportunities and challenges.
Our Center for School Health programs works to improve the lives
of children and adolescents by developing comprehensive health
and mental health programs that address these opportunities and
challenges in schools and communities. The center works with national,
state, and local health and education agencies to improve their
work with the professionals who provide direct services to children
and youth.
Challenges
Children and adolescents spend the majority of their day in school,
and the school’s role in developing students’ capacities
is therefore critical. Schools provide the most logical venue for
implementing new approaches for improving academic outcomes, preventing
risk behaviors, promoting healthy lifestyles, providing access
to services, and assessing health and mental health problems. However,
to do this, schools need effective policies and systems to promote
collaboration among families and community services, as well as
effective curricula and program practices.
Mission
The Center’s mission is to develop, implement, evaluate,
and disseminate effective school health programs and curricula
and to support schools and communities as they implement evidence
based approaches to promote mental and physical health and prevent
youth violence.
Strategies
- Provide pre-service and in-service training to strengthen
practitioners’ capacities in interdisciplinary school
health interventions
- Create and disseminate print publications and online courses
to augment on-site training and professional development workshops
- Collaborate with government officials, nonprofit executives
and practitioners, community-based organizations, school administrators
and teachers, parents, and students to strengthen their knowledge
about school-based health and coordinate to their services
- Conduct research on the effectiveness of various components
of coordinated school health programs
Projects and Results
- The National Center
for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention provides
technical assistance and training to 115 school districts
and communities that receive grants from the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Teenage Health Teaching
Modules (THTM) for grades 6 - 12 is the only comprehensive
secondary school health curricula nationwide to have undergone
a large-scale controlled evaluation. Results showed that
THTM produced a positive impact on students’ knowledge,
attitudes, and self-reported health behaviors. It was recently
recognized as a “promising” model program by
the U.S. Department of Education.
- The Community and School Health Framework Project provides
staff assistance to leaders of the nation’s school and
public health authorities in Boston, Chicago, and Broward
County to assist them in coordinating resources to improve
academic achievement and health outcomes.
- Healthy Living focuses
on educating young adolescents and their parents about nutrition
and physical activity. Project staff are developing
standards-based curriculum units for grades 5 to 8 to be integrated
into English language arts, science, social studies, and health education/family
and consumer sciences classes. Materials will also be developed for
parents of early adolescents and principals and other school leaders.
Funders
-
Met Life Foundation
-
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
-
U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent
and School Health
Director
Deborah Haber
(617) 618-2226
Associate Directors
Christine Blaber
(617) 618-2364
Tim Dunn
(617) 618-2358
Sue Vargo
(617) 618-2397 |
