For Immediate Release: December 15, 2015

Contact: Renee Rybak Lang, renee.lang@nasbe.org, 703-740-4841

State Boards Can Improve Student Achievement by Improving School Health Policies

Alexandria, VA – Education and health outcomes are linked. Yet despite a growing body of evidence tying health to academic achievement, many school systems have not established and coordinated policies, processes, and practices that will improve both health and learning of all students. State boards of education have a role to play in facilitating this effort, according to a new NASBE policy update released today.

Promoting Student Achievement through Improved Health Policy is a quick primer of the CDC’s “Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child” model, which highlights 10 important areas for connecting health and learning: health education; physical education and physical activity; nutrition; school health services; counseling, psychological, and social services; employee wellness; safe physical environments, social and emotional school climate; family engagement; and community involvement. By adopting policies that are sensitive to these connections, state boards of education can create pathways for schools and districts to better meet children’s physical, social, and emotional needs and ensure their academic success, says NASBE health consultant Erima Fobbs, author of the update. Fobbs highlights the work of the Virginia State Board of Education in this area.

Read Promoting Student Achievement through Improved Health Policy.

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. Our principal objectives are to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, promote excellence in the education of all students, and ensure responsible lay governance of education. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

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