Articles in the Wellness category

NSBA receives award to promote coordinated school health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently awarded NSBA a new five-year cooperative agreement to promote Coordinated School Health (CSH) with school leaders and other decision makers and opinion leaders.

The CSH model, an approach recommended by the CDC for improving students’ health and learning, has eight critical, interrelated components: health education; physical education; health services; mental health and social services; nutrition services; healthy and safe environment; family and community involvement; and staff wellness.

“This project will give school board members and administrators access to targeted information and assistance to facilitate district progress toward the CSH approach, including a CSH webpage with links to the best resources and to useful webinars,” says NSBA School Health Director Brenda Z. Greene. “By using the CSH systemic approach, schools can increase their capacity to eliminate gaps and reduce redundancies in meeting student needs; build partnerships and teamwork among health and education professionals; and focus efforts on helping students engage in protective, health-enhancing behaviors and avoid risk behaviors – all of which are aligned with school leaders’ goals to increase student achievement.”

NSBA has been working with the CSH model since 1990, and this new project underscores the essential role of school boards and administrators to lead effective CSH in schools by creating and implementing school health policies and practices.

Last month, NSBA completed a five-year project to help school leaders understand the link between student health and learning and the CSH models. In one instance, NSBA worked with the Kentucky School Boards Association and the Kentucky Department of Education on a project with school districts that integrated health and wellness objectives and aligned actions in their district improvement plans.  And NSBA developed and disseminated “What School Boards Can Do To Enhance Student Learning by Supporting a Coordinated Approach to Health,” which aligns with NSBA’s Key Work of School Boards framework, created by NSBA to support and guide school boards in their goal to raise student achievement.  The Key Work framework also includes eight key action areas that foster a systems-thinking approach and, like the CSH model, contains a community involvement piece through collaboration.

Through the cooperative agreement, NSBA will work with and through its state associations to share its expertise and experience with CSH and school health issues. NSBA plans to expand its continuum of school health information services, technical assistance, and collaborations among school board members, administrators, and others to: 1) Increase the engagement and effectiveness of education leaders to promote, develop and implement policies and practices that support CSH and improve education and health outcomes; and 2) broaden and strengthen support for CSH to foster sustainability of effective policies and practices.

NSBA will conduct strategic planning in the first six months of the project, which will be guided by a workgroup comprised of various stakeholders.  Following this process, which includes the input of NSBA’s state school boards associations and their members, NSBA will form a national cadre of school board members and administrators that will educate and mentor other state and district school leaders on policies and practices that support CSH.

For more information, please contact schoolhealth@nsba.org.

Joetta Sack-Min|June 10th, 2011|Categories: Wellness|

USDA seeks to limit potatoes presence in school meals

baked_potatoOnce a staple of Americans’ meat-and-potato diets, the lowly spud may soon be banned from school cafeterias. But not without a fight.

A recently proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would eliminate white potatoes from federally subsidized school breakfasts and limit their serving at lunch has set off another round of protests about the federal government’s school nutrition regulations.

The USDA proposal would limit starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, peas and lima beans, to a total of one cup per week for federally subsidized school lunches.

The potato industry is now promoting its product as a “true gateway vegetable” that could lead kids to broccoli, according to the Wall Street Journal.

I’m not convinced about that, but Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, which is one of the leading states producing potatoes, noted at a hearing that the spud contains more nutrients than iceberg lettuce, which hasn’t been banned.

As the potato industry mobilizes its lobbyists, some school nutritionists are also defending the spud. The Gooding school district in Idaho, which won a USDA award for schools that feed children healthier meals and promote physical activity, will lose its twice-a-week potato bar, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Naomi Dillon|May 23rd, 2011|Categories: Governance, Leading Source, Policy Formation, Wellness|Tags: , |

Education headlines: NAB, NSBA host “Let’s Move” dance routine

The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation held its “Let’s Move! Flash Workout” this afternoon, where middle school students across the country danced to a pre-choreographed “Let’s Move!” exercise routine featuring Beyoncé to demonstrate support for First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative aimed at curbing childhood obesity. NSBA was a partner in the event. Watch the video and read NSBA’s statement of support.

In other news, studies show that early childhood education shows big rewards in boosting young children’s readiness for school, particularly those from disadvantaged populations, but states are cutting the programs’ funding in the wake of major budget shortfalls, CBS News reports…

A new study finds that students who work more than 15 hours a week in high school show lower rates of college completion, increased problem behaviors and decreased school engagement, according to USA Today… And the Beverly Hills Unified school district in California is setting perhaps the loftiest fundraising goal in K-12 history: $1 million in one week, the Los Angeles Times reports. Donations would help retain about two dozen teachers and staff members who would otherwise be laid off.

Joetta Sack-Min|May 3rd, 2011|Categories: Obesity, School Board News, Wellness|

Click, check, and protect for children’s safety

It’s a dangerous world out there for all of us, and children are no exception. Consumers Union has taken the lead in forging partnerships with national organizations, including NSBA and National PTA, to get the word out to parents on timely information about products that put kids at risk.

Attendees at the Saturday Annual Conference session on “Working Together to Protect Children with Vital Safety Information” learned about the National School Safety Coalition, which now has more than 40 participating national and state organizations and government agencies. Don Mays, Consumer Union senior director for technical policy and safety, said the organization aims to “empower consumers to protect themselves in four ways: through testing, informing, protecting and connecting. They are concerned that, although product recalls are frequent, not all are publicized and the information is not reaching consumers effectively.”

Explained Jamie Schaefer-Wilson, Consumers Union associate director for multimedia outreach programs, schools are seen as vehicles for reaching parents with news about product recalls. She urged school board members to sign up for text messages to receive product safety alerts and then share them with constituents, and to add a link to the safety alerts on products children use or that are used in children’s environments at school or at home at clickcheckandprotect.org. There is a link to this safety alert website on NSBA’s main Web page.

Children’s items represented 73 percent of all recalled products in 2010. Toys were the most often recalled products—13.6 million—but the most common hazard cited in recall announcements was strangulation, usually from window covering cords and children’s outerwear. Kids get caught by drawstrings on outerwear and are injured. One retailer had 11 recalls on such products last year, so parents need to know not to buy them. Consumers Union is working with manufacturers to eliminate this hazard.

Recent recalls have been for drop-side cribs, toys, infant slings, stadium lights, and a variety of foods and medicines. “Even with the most highly publicized children’s product recalls, there is generally only a 10-30 percent response rate by consumers,” said Mays. “Direct consumer contact enhances recall effectiveness.”

Speaking as a parent, Schaefer-Jones said, “We know when soccer practice is, but we don’t know about products that are recalled.” The School Safety Alert Program pushes the information out to parents through the venues where children spend time, which is why schools are integral to the alert system. “A child shouldn’t be put at risk because we couldn’t get the word out.”

Schaefer-Jones asked attendees to add the ClickCheckandProtect.org site out on all their school district websites and in newsletters. “We’re asking everyone to do more, help us get the information out,” she said.

Brenda Z. Greene

admin|April 9th, 2011|Categories: NSBA Annual Conference 2011, School Board News, Wellness|

New NSBA guide helps schools handle asthma

NSBA and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) have released In the Schoolyard and Beyond: Addressing Childhood Asthma in Your Community, a guide for schools, families, and community organizations to  create asthma-friendly environments for children suffering from this chronic condition.

Developed under a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, the publication addresses the potentially life-threatening nature of asthma, a long-term disease that narrows the passageways to the lungs, constricting breathing.

The CDC reports that more than five million school-aged children suffer from asthma, and nearly 13 million school days are missed due to asthma. In addition, asthma accounts for about one-third of all pediatric emergency room visits and annual expenditures for health and lost productivity due to asthma are estimated at nearly $20 billion, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

While no one knows what causes asthma, health experts do know that certain environmental factors like second-hand smoke, vehicle exhaust, and pollen can induce symptoms like wheezing, coughing, and tightness in the chest.

In the Schoolyard and Beyond: Addressing Childhood Asthma in Your Community recommends schools, families and communities adopt a coordinated approach to keeping asthma-afflicted youth as safe and healthy as possible. Among the steps suggested stakeholders are advised to:

  • Develop an asthma action plan for the individual child that includes information like medication, specific triggers, and symptoms;
  • Reduce exposure to known triggers; manage medications and educate youth on the appropriate way to use them;
  • Encourage opportunities for physical activity;
  • Establish and maintain good communication;
  • Provide and/or take advantage of asthma education offered by local asthma coalitions.

“This brief document underscores the importance of families, schools and youth-serving organizations partnering to make sure students with asthma have consistent supports wherever they are,” said Brenda Z. Greene, NSBA’s director of School Health Programs. “If everyone plays their part, the six action steps in this document can have a powerful impact on the success of students with asthma at school and in their other activities.”

The guide is available in English and Spanish from the NSBA website.

Naomi Dillon|April 4th, 2011|Categories: School Board News, School Climate, Wellness|

Importance of good nutrition becoming a staple of national discourse

A story in the Sunday New York Times highlighted the efforts Philadelphia’s public schools are taking to combat childhood obesity— and the challenges they face in doing so. I took a look at the issue last year for ASBJ, traveling down to Huntington, West Virginia, which had once been billed as the fattest city in America, a dubious distinction that earned them a visit and a makeover from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who goes into greater detail about this project here:

Naomi Dillon|March 28th, 2011|Categories: Leading Source, Wellness|Tags: , , , , , |

Video from the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention

Yesterday, Earl C. Rickman III, President of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), joined President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention and called for a united effort to address bullying in our schools.

Approximately 150 students, parents, teachers, non-profit leaders, advocates, and policymakers attended the conference and discussed ways they can work together to make our schools and communities safe for all students.

“School board leaders and school officials are committed to safe educational environments for all students,” said Rickman. “With the right guidance and resources school leaders can meet the challenge of ensuring schools are a safe place for all students, free of bullying and harassment.”

Here’s the White House video from the conference:

As announced at yesterday’s conference, NSBA will launch a series of student conversations between school board members and students in middle and high school about the climate in their schools. The sessions will be guided by questions from the research-based school climate surveys developed by NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) and by the Pearson Foundation’s Million Voices project.

“As school boards across the country develop policies and initiatives to combat bullying, it is important they hear from students about the current realities they face in their schools,” said Rickman.

Alexis Rice|March 11th, 2011|Categories: Boardbuzz, Federal Programs, Multimedia and Webinars, Student Achievement, Teachers, Urban Schools, Wellness|

“Let’s Move!” initiative workout event planned

The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation has announced that it is spearheading a “Let’s Move! Flash Workout” featuring 16-time Grammy Award winner Beyoncé to demonstrate support for First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative aimed at curbing childhood obesity.

The event, produced in partnership with the National School Boards Association, National Middle School Association, and the American Association of School Administrators, calls for middle school students across the country to participate in a pre-choreographed “Let’s Move!” dance exercise routine at an identical time — Tuesday, May 3, at 1:42 p.m. Eastern Time.

Beyoncé will be the exclusive featured performer for the “Let’s Move! Flash Workout.” She has re-written and re-recorded one of her songs and is providing an instruction video demonstrating the dance/exercise routine. The Beyoncé video will then be distributed to participating schools.

BoardBuzz  commends the “Let’s Move” initiative and this workout event to combat widespread childhood obesity.

Alexis Rice|March 7th, 2011|Categories: Announcements, Boardbuzz, Middle Schools, Multimedia and Webinars, School Boards, Student Achievement, Wellness|

March devoted to issue we should mind everyday: good nutrition

fruits-and-vegetablesAs the lion and lamb weather of March rolls in, the American Dietetic Association kick-offs National Nutrition Month.

This annual campaign is designed to educate citizens about the importance of exercise and making healthy day-to-day food choices.

Changing habits as an adult is possible, but extremely difficult—especially if it means reinventing your entire lifestyle. That’s why it’s especially important to education children and teens about nutrition—helping them to understand that a healthy lifestyle should be a top priority.

Statistics about national childhood obesity are nothing short of disturbing. One third of America’s children are overweight or obese, according to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign.    

On average, children spend nearly half of their waking hours in school, so it is imperative the nutritional school lunches are provided. A recent study in Michigan found that children who ate the school lunch regularly were at a higher risk for obesity, The New York Times reports.  
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Naomi Dillon|March 2nd, 2011|Categories: Governance, Leading Source, Wellness|Tags: , , , |

Overweight kids+exercise=improved math skills

1195445636200577762johnny_automatic_playing_ball_svg_medIn addition to asserting that it “controls weight, builds lean muscle, reduces fat, promotes strong bone, muscle and joint development, and decreases the risk of obesity,” Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign to fight childhood obesity can add “improves math skills” to the list of reasons to exercise.

Catherine Davis, a clinical health psychologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta, led a study in which researchers analyzed MRI brain scans of 7 to 11- year-old overweight participants after they were randomly assigned to complete 0, 20 or 40 minutes of non-competitive physical activity daily after school, HealthDay News reports.

Results of the study, which was published in the January edition of Health Psychology, showed that the amount of daily exercise positively correlated with increased activity in parts of the brain associated with executive functions, such as complex thinking and reasoning.

The results confirm what school officials should have already known and implemented – the need for a school-wide emphasis on exercise. Physical activity serves an important role “in helping kids stay physically well and mentally sharp,” Davis told e! Science News.

One high school near Chicago has used exercise outside gym class “jump start [students'] brains,” as one physical education teacher put it, for more than five years.

Naperville Central High School Students begin the day by attending gym class and continue to use yoga balls and treadmills throughout the day. As of last year, math scores had increased by 21 percent since the program was implemented and on average, students were reading more than one year beyond their grade level, ABC news reports.
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Naomi Dillon|February 17th, 2011|Categories: Educational Research, Leading Source, Student Achievement, Wellness|Tags: , , |
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