How Schools Work and How to Work with Schools

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How Schools Work and How to Work with Schools
Brenda Z. Greene National School Boards
Association Jim Bogden National Association of
State Boards of Education
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Todays Presenters
Brenda Z. Greene Jim
Bogden National School Boards National
Association of Association (NSBA)
State Boards of
Education
(NASBE)
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Web Conference Co-sponsor
Co-sponsored by the National Youth Violence
Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC) www.safeyouth
.org
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Objectives

• Increase understanding of where policy and
  decisions are made in the education system
• Identify whos who in education decision making
• Identify strategies for engaging education
  leaders to improve school health-related policies
  and practices
• Learn about valuable resources
• Become personally empowered as policy advocates

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How Schools Work and How to Work with Schools

• How education works at the school, district,
  state, and national levels
• Practical tips for how to work with educators,
  administrators, and policymakers
• Updated and expanded 2003
• Order at www.nasbe.org

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YOUTH
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A Complex Cast of Thousands
State board of education
Legislature
Governor
Chief state school officer
State level
State education agency staff
School board
Local government
School district level
Superintendent
Central office staff
School improvement council
School level
Principal
School staff
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Highly Diffuse, Radically Decentralized Decision
Making

• 50 distinct education systems
• Tradition of local controllimited federal and
  state roles
• Everyone is an expert
• Individual superintendents and principals have
  broad authority
• Change must often occur district by district and
  school by school

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Major Differences Between the Education and
Health Systems

• Multiple missions and goals
• Traditionally, less reliance on good data
  collection, basic research, and programmatic
  research
• challenges of measuring success
• little investment in basic research
• no efficient means of sharing best practices
• much instructional content driven by the textbook
  publishing industry
• faddish innovations

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When Research is Lacking

• Kids dont learn anything hanging from the
  monkey bars
• Atlanta Schools Superintendent

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The No Child Left Behind Act

• Positive
• focusing efforts on the achievement of all
  students
• emphasis on data-driven decision making and
  research-based programs
• Challenges
• health and physical education not included
• problematic testing and enforcement provisions
• unrealistic expectations for student achievement
• unfunded mandate
• keeping policymakers very busy

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More Challenges

• Students enter with extremely different levels of
  readiness
• Non-academic barriers to learning
• School finance / funding
• Sustaining support for public education
• Aging population
• Economic choices

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Whos Who at the School Level

• The principal is key
• Entry points
• School improvement team
• School health council
• Health and mental health services staff
• Classroom teachers
• Parent organizations
• Student organizations

School improvement council
Principal
School staff
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School Health Advisory Council

• Tool for identifying priorities and strategies
• Broad-based representation
• School personnel
• Community professionals
• Parents
• Students
• Others?
• School-level to advise principal
• District-wide to advise school board

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Guides to School Health Councils

• Obtain through your local American Cancer
  Society chapter, call 1-800-ACS-2345, or
  http//schoolhealth.info

From North Carolina Public Schoolswww.nchealthys
chools.org
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Community Tool Box

• Developed by the Work Group on Health Promotion
  and Community Development at the University of
  Kansas
• Over 6,000 pages of practical skill-building
  information on over 250 different topics

http//ctb.ukans.edu
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A Modern, Coordinated School Health Program
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School Health Index A Self-Assessment and
Planning Guide

• Identify your own schools strengths and
  weaknesses
• Prioritize issues
• Develop an action plan
• Involve teachers, students, parents, and
  community
• Download free at www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth

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Whos Who at the School District Level

• In theory.
• The school board makes policy
• The superintendent implements it

Local government
School board
Superintendent
Central office staff
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How to Work with School District Leaders

• Formal approaches
• Service on board and administration advisory
  committees
• Testimony at meetings and public hearings
• Written communications
• Informal approaches
• Direct contact with board members and
  administrators
• Enlist influential key communicators
• Make presentations at meetings and conferences
  attended by policymakers

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The Key Work of School Boards

• What boards do Student achievement
• How boards do it Community engagement
• www.nsba.org

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Whos Who at the State Level

• Become knowledgeable about who has what authority
  and how they interact

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Preparing a Policy Initiative

• Monitor agendas, discussions, board processes,
  and board members interests
• Identify policy gaps
• Compose rationale for adopting policy
• Develop key messages and simple strategies
• Compile accurate data from credible sources
• Anticipate and prepare for potential conflicts

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Persuading Education Leaders

• Note serious problems/needs, but emphasize
  solutions
• Link to existing policies, programs, and goals
• Use current terminology (education reform,
  ready to learn, academic achievement)
• Highlight school health as an emerging trend
• Identify policy options
• Be honest about costs and potential
  implementation problems

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Presenting Information

• Make a brief oral presentation of only the most
  important points
• Submit a succinct written rationale
• Present disparate research findings from credible
  organizations in a neutral, balanced manner
• Use clear language (avoid academic, health, and
  social services jargon)
• Unadorned charts and graphs illustrate key
  findings

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Moving the Issue Forward

• Brief sympathetic policymakers on answers to
  difficult questions that might arise in public
  meetings
• Enlist respected community members to express
  support
• Enlist business community endorsement
• Help students research issues, prepare
  presentations, and be included on public-hearing
  agendas
• Suggest a pilot study if a policy or program does
  not gain support

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Persistence Pays

• Respect the hierarchy
• Stay focused on the ultimate goal
• Dont expect quick or easy success
• Sustain the effort
• Be willing to compromisebut know your bottom
  line
• Dont burn your bridges

• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
  committed citizens can change the world indeed
  it is the only thing that ever has. -
  Margaret Meade

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A Modern, Coordinated School Health Program
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Health Is Academic
Health Is Academic A Guide to Coordinated
School Health Programs Eva Marx, Susan Wooley,
Daphne Northrup, eds., 1998, Teachers College
Press
www2.edc.org/HealthIsAcademic
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CDCs Guidelines for School Health Programs
www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth
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www.nsba.org/SchoolHealth
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Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn

• Guide to policymaking
• Sample policies - download at www.nasbe.org/healt
  hyschools/fithealthy.mgi
• Full explanations
• Research findings
• Notable quotes
• Excerpts of actual policies
• Resource lists

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www.nasbe.org/HealthySchools
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Healthy Youth Funding Database
http//apps.nccd.cdc.gov/SHPFP/
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Useful ResourcesSchool Health Starter Kit
From The Council of Chief State School Officers
(CCSSO) and The Association of State and
Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) www.ccsso.org
/ starterkit.html
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Making the Connection Health and Student
Achievement

• Association of State and Territorial Health
  Officials www.astho.org
• Society of State Directors of Physical Education
  and Health www.thesociety.org

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• Brenda Z. Greene
• Director, School Health Programs
• National School Boards Association
• Internet www.nsba.org/schoolhealth
• E-mail schoolhealth_at_nsba.org
• 703-838-6722 (main -- ask for School Health
  Programs staff)
• Fax School Health Programs--703-548-5516

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• James F. Bogden
• Safe and Healthy Schools Project Director
• National Association of State Boards of Education
• Internet www.nasbe.org/HealthySchools
• E-mail jimb_at_nasbe.org
• 703-684-4000 x108

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Full Speed Ahead!