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Background: Since returning to in-person instruction after the emergence of COVID-19 schools have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students chronically absent, with data indicating a greater increase for low-income, Black, and Hispanic students. Given the role of school attendance in both promoting positive educational outcomes as well as providing students with physical and mental health supports, it is critical to identify ways to re-engage families in a manner that is culturally responsive and equitable., Contributions to Theory: Current attendance interventions focus primarily on school-based academic and behavioral supports for students while excluding the family. Additionally, traditional family engagement models do not address the sociocultural realities of low-income and/or minoritized families. We present a strengths-based model of family engagement to support attendance., Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity: Along with our model, we provide concrete supports that schools can provide, including example measurement items. In this way, schools and districts can self-assess as well as identify action steps to promote positive school-family partnerships for equitable family engagement., Conclusions: Without consistent attendance, schools cannot support positive educational outcomes nor provide important safety net services for students. Attendance is a family engagement challenge, which addressing holistically can reduce racial and socioeconomic educational and health disparities., (© 2024, American School Health Association.)

The article presents the discussion on school-based health centers (SBHCs) providing a range of health services for addressing the physical and mental health needs of students. Topics include low cost of SBIRT, minimal potential for individual harm, large potential for population-level benefits, and the use of SBHCs by adolescents; and providing strong rationale for incorporating SBIRT into the ongoing clinical work of SBHCs.

BACKGROUND: Because healthy habits are established early in life, it is important to teach young children about foods that contribute to a healthy diet. One of the strategies recommended by the 2015‐2020 Dietary Guidelines is to implement educational programs in community settings such as child care and preschool settings. Head Start is one such educational child care setting that serves young children ages 3 to 5 years old. METHODS: A community partnership was established between Jackson County Civic Action Agency and supported by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Youth Health Coalition's Childhood Obesity Initiative. A quasi‐experimental nonequivalent 2‐group pre/post‐test study design was utilized to determine the effectiveness of a 12‐week physical activity and nutrition education program delivered in a Head Start setting. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant improvement in fruit (F = 5.602, df = 1, p = .018) and vegetable (F = 16.061, df = 1, p < .001) recognition scores, and the number of "tried and liked" fruits (F = 5.579, df = 1, p = .019) and vegetables (F = 88.559, df = 1, p < .001) between children in the control group (n = 86) and intervention group (n = 303) when controlling for scores at baseline. CONCLUSION: Utilizing the Head Start program as a setting for health education program delivery is one available strategy to combat childhood obesity on a community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Emergent evidence suggests a positive school climate may be a promising population‐level intervention to promote academic achievement and student well‐being. However, researchers have called for expanding the school climate evidence‐base to better describe how the construct is associated with student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between 10 school climate domains and academic achievement among middle and high school students. METHODS: ANOVAs were used to analyze survey data from 6–12 grade students in a Mid‐Atlantic US state (n = 2405, response rate: middle school = 82.4%, 50.5% female; high school = 62.5%, 56.1% female). RESULTS: Significant main effects were found for all school climate domains and varied between middle and high school students apart from academic support. Effect sizes ranged from small to medium, with academic support demonstrating the strongest effects among both middle and high school students. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest school climate is associated with academic achievement for both middle and high school students. Correctly identifying the role of key aspects of school climate by grade‐level may provide improved and developmentally appropriate recommendations for the delivery of instruction and school‐based interventions that promote positive school well‐being and student performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the use of a National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Brief Alcohol Use Screener to identify at risk adolescent for school discipline due to externalizing behaviors. An analysis of the generalization of screener scores is offered. Results indicate that brief screener is reliable for the identification of early-stage alcohol use problems and the scores on the screener generalize to other externalizing behaviors has implications in prevention efforts.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Adolescent substance use is associated with chronic health conditions, accidents, injury, and school-related problems, including dropping out. Schools have the potential to provide students with substance use prevention and intervention services, albeit with confidentiality challenges. School-based health centers ( SBHCs) provide confidentiality, positioning them as ideal settings to provide substance use prevention and intervention. This study identified program directors' and clinicians' barriers to addressing adolescent substance use in SBHCs. METHODS Between May and June 2013, an electronic survey was distributed to all 162 New York State SBHC program directors and clinicians serving middle and high school students. RESULTS The most prevalent perceived barriers to discussing substance use with students were time constraints (43%), the belief that students are not honest about their use (43%), and clinicians' lack of training (28%). Both directors and clinicians identified challenges in getting students to return for additional sessions to address their use, and they also indicated that confidentiality was a treatment referral barrier. CONCLUSIONS This study identified timely opportunities that may be leveraged and unique challenges that may be overcome with targeted dissemination, training, and technical assistance efforts to enable directors and clinicians to routinely address substance use in SBHCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: After-school physical activity (PA) programs promote PA among youth. Few studies have used socio-ecological health models to identify barriers and facilitators of after-school PA programs. This study examined which socio-ecological factors are associated with having an after-school PA program. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to key representatives of 114 elementary and 129 secondary schools. The association between socio-ecological factors and having an after-school PA program was analyzed at school level. RESULTS: In both types of schools more knowledge about community schools was positively associated with having an after-school PA program (odds ratio [OR] = 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.18-3.27; OR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.27-2.80, respectively). In elementary schools, environmental factors associated with having an after-school PA program included PA facilities (OR = 4.98; 95% CI = 1.08-23.05), a PA working group (OR = 3.37; 95% CI = 1.02-11.10), agreements with the community (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.05-2.43), shortage of human resources (OR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.37-0.89) and lack of support from teachers (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.33-0.80). In secondary schools, environmental factors included the presence of a remunerated coordinator (OR = 5.12; 95% CI = 1.38-19.10) and partnerships with 'sport and PA leaders' (OR = 3.54; 95% CI = 1.01-12.41). CONCLUSION: Having an after-school PA program was associated with personal and environmental factors, which supports the use of socio-ecological frameworks for explorative and intervention studies aiming to increase after-school PA programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: This article reviews challenges to collaboration in school mental health (SMH) and presents practical strategies for overcoming them. METHODS: The importance of collaboration to the success of SMH programs is reviewed, with a particular focus on collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals. Challenges to effective collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals in SMH are considered. Strategies for overcoming challenges to effective collaboration are presented. RESULTS: Marginalization of the SMH agenda, limited interdisciplinary teamwork, restricted coordination mechanisms, confidentiality concerns, and resource and funding issues are key challenges to collaboration. Strategies targeted toward each of these challenges may help improve the effectiveness of SMH programs and ultimately student outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals is critical to the success of SMH programs. Despite its promise, the success of SMH programs can be jeopardized by ineffective collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals. Strategies to overcome marginalization, promote authentic interdisciplinary teamwork, build effective coordination mechanisms, protect student and family confidentiality, and promote policy change and resource enhancements should be addressed in SMH improvement planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been much educational verbosity over the past decade related to building capacity for effective schools. However, there seems to be a scarcity of clarification about what is meant by school capacity building or how to accomplish and sustain this process. This article describes the preexisting conditions and ongoing processes in Pueblo, Colorado School District 60 (Pueblo 60) that built capacity for the development and continuous improvement of health-promoting schools. Methods: Capacity building strategies and a program-planning model for continuous improvement for health-promoting schools were used that included: (a) visionary/effective leadership and management structures, (b) extensive internal and external supports, (c) development and allocation of adequate resources, (d) supportive policies and procedures, and (e) ongoing, embedded professional development. Results: Pueblo 60 strategically developed an infrastructure through which they successfully delivered a wide array of health programs and services. Conclusions: Through building organizational capacity at the school district and school level, additional school health programming can be developed and sustained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This study determined the extent to which a coordinated school health program (CSHP) infrastructure was in place and functioning adequately within a two- to three-year developmental period in South Carolina. The Mariner Project's eight-component model was implemented in three middle schools and their four feeder elementary schools in three communities. Evaluation criteria for the Mariner Project reflect rigorous, minimum adequacy performance standards, and were based on national standards for school health practice and research and objective judgments of project performance. Eleven critical performance elements were developed, and a modified indexing procedure was utilized for project evaluation efforts. Results suggest that a combination of four critical performance elements, 1) Administrative Support/Buy-In, 2)Coordination of the Eight-Component Personnel School-Based Health Promotion Team, 3) Program Champion/Liaison/Facilitator, and 4) Staff Wellness Coordinator, served as the foundation for adequate or less-than-adequate performance for each school among the remaining critical elements, and subsequently for the overall Mariner Project. (J Sch Health. 2000;70(3):95-103) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]