Each Student Successful 1

Each StudentSuccessful:Exploring Policies to AddressHealth Disparities and theAcademic Achievement Gap

“You cannot educate a child who is not healthy and you cannot keep a child healthy who is not educated.”

– Dr. J. Elders

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Session Objectives

• Discover the relationship between health and learning for those students impacted by both health disparities and the academic achievement gap.

• Discuss the applicability of policy and program approaches that address the needs of the whole child.

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Why it is important:

You cannot educate a child who is not healthy and you cannot keep a child healthy who is not educated. – Dr. J. Elders

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What we know:

• “The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income.”— New York Times

• “Culturally appropriate school programs that address risk behaviors among youth, especially when coordinated with community efforts, could improve the health of populations at risk for health disparities, and the health of the nation as a whole.”— Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

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A Summit to Consider…

• Which students are disproportionately affected by the academic achievement gap and health disparities--and why.

• What we know about programs and policies that can positively impact both health and learning.

• What strategies and partners are needed to work on closing these gaps.

• What messages are needed to help us reach a common understanding of the issues and solutions.

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Institutional Biases

Trust in Health

System & Research

Stress Due to Social

Factors

Environmental Risk Language &

Other Cultural Factors

Education Background

& Opportunity

Economic Opportunity

& Equity

Mental Health and

Social Support

Access to Health

Services

Health Behaviors &

Personal Risk Factors

Social Determinants

of Health

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Pregnancy or

Parenting

Gender

Cognitive Ability

Peers and Leisure Time

Institutional Bias and

ExpectationsHousing and

Mobility

Drug and Alcohol Use

Physical Health and

Chronic Disease

Socio-Economic

Status

Risky School Environment

Adult Relationship

s(Family and school staff)

Health Factors

AffectingAcademicSuccess

Redd, Z., Brooks, J., McGarvey, A.M. (2002). Educating America’s youth: What makes a difference. Downloaded from: www.childtrends.orgHanson, T.L., Austin, G., Lee-Boyha, J. (2004). How are student health risks and resilience related to the academic progress of schools? Downloaded from: www.wested.orgMcNeely, C. (2002). The untapped power of schools to improve the health of teens. The State Education Standard, Autumn 2002, 18-23.

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Measuring Academic Achievement

• Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL)

• Graduation Rates

• The achievement gap is narrowing in reading and writing for all ethnic groups

• The achievement gap is not narrowing in math

• Graduation rates continue to reflect the achievement gap

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5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

0.0

45.0

50.0

55.0

60.0

Total students, Class of ’08: 68,476

Met 0/3

8.3

Met 1/3

10.8

Met 2/3

28.8

Met 3/3

52.1

56.9%45.2%31.5%16.5%

of 3/3

Low-income students: 18,677

2006 WASL: All students10th-grade students meeting standard in one or more subject areas

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2006 WASL: Hispanic students

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

0.0

45.0

50.0

55.0

60.010th-grade students meeting standard in one or more subject areas

Total Hispanic students, Class of ’08 : 6,608

Met 0/3

21.9

Met 1/3

18.9

Met 2/3

32.4

Met 3/3

26.9

84.2%75.1%

66.9%

50.2%of 3/3

Low-income Hispanic students: 4,477

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2006 WASL: Black students

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

0.0

45.0

50.0

55.0

60.0

10th-grade students meeting standard in one or more subject areas

Total Black students, Class of ’08 : 2,959

Met 0/3

17.1

Met 1/3

17.6

Met 2/3

39.7

Met 3/3

25.5

63.5%58.7%

44.5%

35.8%of 3/3

Low-income students: 1,422

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2006 WASL: White students

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

0.0

45.0

50.0

55.0

60.010th-grade students meeting standard in one or more subject areas

Total white students, Class of ’08 : 50,742

Met 0/3

6.0

Met 1/3

9.2

Met 2/3

27.9

Met 3/3

56.9

43.5%36.4%24.4%

13.2%of 3/3

Low-income students: 10,299

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Some students are leaving school less prepared to succeed than others

On-Time Graduation, Cohort Class of 2005

85%

79%82%

68% 67%61%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Perc

ent of stu

dents

gra

duate

d in

4 y

ears

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Academic Achievement and Health

• Recent data from Washington’s Healthy Youth Survey describing youth health risks

• Associations between health risks and academic risks

• Highlights for youth of color

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How does this relationship between health & academics work?

Health Risk Academic Risk

RACE/Ethnicity

Individual Factors

Peer Factors

Family Factors

Community Factors

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Washington State Healthy Youth Survey

• School-based youth behavior survey

• 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th graders

• Given in fall of even-numbered years

• Fall 2006 participation: – Almost 200,000 students – More than 1,000 schools– All 39 Washington counties

• Interactive website: www3.doh.wa.gov/hys

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Healthy Youth Survey Analysis

• Academic Risk– Students reporting they get mostly Cs, Ds, or Fs

• Health Risk– Behaviors/conditions that may lead to disease

• Race/Ethnicity– “How do you describe yourself?”- multiple responses

allowed– Hispanic/Latino is asked in combination with race

* indicates significantly “worse”** indicates significantly “better”

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Source: 2006 Healthy Youth Survey, state sample only grades 8-10-12 combined. Graph uses unadjusted estimates; relative risk ratios are for estimates adjusted for grade (8-10-12), maternal education (3-level), gender.

In comparison to non-Hispanic white youth, academic risk is about double for Native American and Black youth, about 40% greater among Hispanic and Pacific Islander youth, and 50% lower among Asian youth.

Academic Risk by Race/Ethnicity

27.2%

16.6%

47.1%42.8% 40.1%

32.1%

0%

20%

40%

60%

White, non-Hispanic

Asian NativeAmerican

Black/ Af.Amer. Hispanic/Latino

Nativ.Haw/ PacIsl.

Aca

dem

ic R

isk *

**

* * *

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Health/Safety Risks Associated with Academic Achievement

Many highly prevalent health risks found to contribute independently to academic risk– Overweight– Exercise– Cigarette smoking– Feeling safe at school– Depression – Soda pop consumption– Severe persistent asthma– Alcohol and marijuana use

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A Few Considerations in Planning Health Disparity/Academic

Achievement Gap Interventions

• Within race/ethnic groups (esp. “Asian/Pacific Islander” grouping), youth can be quite different from each other with regard to risks

• Interventions planned to address health disparities among students of color need to be culturally competent

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Impacting Health and Learning: Some programs and policies to consider

• Universal breakfast programs

• Coordinated school health

• School based health centers

• Lifeskills Health Education

• Youth Development

• Discipline policies

• Focus on learning, not just test scores

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Programs and Policies that Have Proven Effective

An Example: School Connectedness (n.) The belief by students that adults and peers in

the school care about their learning as well as about them as individuals.

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Adolescents who feel connected to school have

better academic outcomes…• Better school attendance

• Higher academic performance

• Higher school completion rates

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…and better health outcomes

Adolescents who feel connected to school are less likely to

• Exhibit disruptive or violent behavior

• Carry or use a weapon

• Engage in early-age sexual intercourse

• Consider or attempt suicide

• Experiment with illegal substances or drink to the point of getting drunk

• Smoke cigarettes

• Be emotionally distressed

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Policies to Encourage Connectedness

• Discipline Policies– Zero Tolerance negatively impacts connectedness– Inconsistent/inequitable enforcement negatively

impacts connectedness

• Opportunities for Students to Form Diverse Friendship Groups– Variety of extra-curricular activities– “Mix-It-Up” lunches– Analyzing school policies for consequence of

segregating (tracking, busing, etc.)

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State Policy Impacting School Health PolicySB 5093-Cover All Kids Bill

• Goals for 2010…– All school districts to have

School Health Advisory Councils

– All schools to meet defined nutrition standards

– Ensure that PE staff are certified and minute requirements are met

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Programs and Policies that Have Proven Effective-Coordinated School

Health

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Opportunities for Involvement in Coordinated School Health

• Activate youth in Coordinated School Health promotion and Wellness Committees

• Washington Health Foundation Healthiest State in the Nation and Health Bowl School Recognition (www.whf.org)

• Educate local administrators with resources from www.healthyschoolswa.org

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Discussion-Sharing Our Experiences and Successes

• How have you used local health data?

• Have you implemented policies and/or programs to address both health and learning?

• Have you implemented these specifically to meet the needs of students of color?

• Have you articulated a framework or direction for addressing the needs of the whole child?

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Summary

• Health and education are linked– Health disparities and the

educational achievement gap are linked

• Strategies to address health disparities and the educational achievement gap include:– Collaborate across sectors– Implement a coordinated

approach to school health– Address root causes such as

school connectedness

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Challenge to Health & Education• Balance our traditional roles with innovative

community based approaches.

• Agree on a frame work for policy change.

• Have one voice.– Dr. Maxine Hayes; Each Student Successful

Keynote