School Health Program News

Health and learning are profoundly connected. Students who live healthy lifestyles--and who avoid risky behaviors such as drinking, drug use, violence, and unsafe sexual activity--can achieve greater academic and personal success. The concept of comprehensive school health grew out of the recognition by many educators that schools are an ideal setting for teaching healthy behaviors and that entire school- community environment is instrumental in this effort. School Health Program News (SHPN), a newsletter from EDC’s Health and Human Development Programs, promotes the development of comprehensive school health programs nationwide and provides professionals with the information and resources to do it.

SHPN is designed for the entire array of school health professionals, including school nurses, school social workers, and health educators. Unlike many newsletters, SHPN goes beyond resource lists and announcements, offering in-depth articles on important policy developments and educational trends that may affect school health programs. For example, the May 2003 edition spotlights the concept of community schools, and the interplay between healthy school environments, school connectedness, and academic achievement. SHPN also summarizes relevant research findings, describes model programs, offers interviews with recognized experts in the field, and contains an extensive listing of resources, conferences, and training opportunities.

A popular newsletter in its eighth year of publication, SHPN is published by EDC’s Health and Human Development Programs, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health.

To download past issues, please visit the Making Health Academic website — http://www2.edc.org/MakingHealthAcademic/newsltr.asp