Why a coordinated accreditation system benefits school health education programs: a response to Clark's commentary

BACKGROUND: Concerns about a coordinated accreditation system for professional preparation programs in school health education were raised by Clark in a commentary published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of School Health. The purpose of this article is to clarify information presented by Clark as well as offer alternative views to some of his opinions. METHODS: To provide context, an overview is provided about efforts to strengthen quality assurance systems for school and community health education. Additional topics address the Dallas II conference, generic competencies, unification of the profession, National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education/Teacher Education Accreditation Council, competency‐based vs settings approach, and CUP implications. RESULTS: In the discussion, the authors address several key points raised by Clark and note areas of agreement, alternative views, and clarification of facts. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusion summarizes the benefits of accreditation for school health education and the health education profession.     

Coverage of Adolescent Substance Use Prevention in State Frameworks for Health Education: 10‐Year Follow‐Up

BACKGROUND: The use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) by adolescents is a national health issue. One way in which the United States approaches the prevention of substance use among adolescents is by teaching high school students about ATOD at school. The curriculum for health education courses is based upon each state's framework. The purpose of this study was to conduct a 10‐year follow‐up to a study that analyzed state frameworks for key mediators of adolescent substance use. METHODS: Researchers performed an extensive content analysis of all 50 states' curriculum frameworks for high school health education to identify if, and to what degree, key mediators of adolescent substance use were included in each state's curriculum framework. After training, inter‐rater agreement was greater than 95%. RESULTS: Mediators identified most often in the 50‐state curriculum frameworks for high school health education were beliefs about consequences, decision making, social skills, assistance skills, and goal setting. Twenty‐two of 50‐state curriculum frameworks for high school health education had dedicated sections for ATOD. CONCLUSION: There were modest improvements since 2001 in the inclusion of mediators of adolescent substance use within state curriculum frameworks. There still exists many opportunities to more effectively use curriculum frameworks to improve classroom health instruction.     

It's all in the delivery! An analysis of instructional strategies from effective health education curricula

BACKGROUND: This study explores the relationship between instructional strategies and effective health education curricula. METHODS: A content analysis of 10 health education curricula was conducted to determine if they include common instructional strategies for actively engaging students in acquisition of health skills. To be included, the curricula had to (1) be research‐based and proven via empirical testing to positively influence the health behaviors and (2) address 1 of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 6 priority health risk behaviors. RESULTS: Content analysis revealed 5 active learning strategies incorporated to involve students in acquiring health skills. Role play, group cooperation, and small group discussion were found in all 10 curricula. To a lesser extent, interactive technology and team games were also included. CONCLUSION: When combined with previous research regarding the characteristics of effective teachers, it becomes clear that effective health education is delivered by teachers who employ a wide repertoire of active learning strategies while devoting substantial instructional time to those specific strategies that involve students in skills practice.     

A qualitative analysis of success stories from Michiana Coordinated School Health Leadership institute participants

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to detect and document common themes among success stories, along with challenges, as related by participants in the Michiana Coordinated School Health Leadership Institute. Four‐member teams from 18 Michigan and Indiana school districts participated in semiannual Institute workshops over a 3‐year period and were tasked with implementing Coordinated School Health Programs (CSHPs). METHODS: Qualitative methods were used to generate themes from interviews. Data were gathered through a combined survey/interview process related to programmatic successes, evidence of success, and implementation challenges. One participant from 11 of 18 participating school districts completed the survey/interview. RESULTS: Each participant reported at least 1 success that had a positive effect on students and/or staff, many of which were related to the federally mandated wellness policy. With some notable exceptions, success was based on subjective judgments rather than systematically collected data. Unanimous expression of time constraints and being overworked in their current positions constituted major challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Although the Institute required only process evaluation, some participants collected outcome data, a task that is important in validating the benefits of CSHPs. Most districts were not able to hire the recommended coordinator to ensure implementation of health program planning initially developed during the institute. Encouragingly, at the time of data collection many teams were still acting to ensure health programming remained a priority. Nevertheless, without the network of social support provided by the Institute, some respondents struggled to maintain momentum.     

Impacts of a School‐Wide,Peer‐Led Approach to Sexuality Education: A Matched Comparison Group Design

BACKGROUND

Teen Prevention Education Program (PEP) is a school‐wide, peer‐led comprehensive sexuality education program currently implemented in more than 50 schools across 2 states. Many teen pregnancy prevention researchers and practitioners view peer‐led programs as a promising approach for reducing teen pregnancy and associated sexual risk behaviors. However, prior research on the effectiveness of these programs indicates mixed results.

METHODS

We randomly assigned schools to implement Teen PEP immediately (intervention group) or on a delayed schedule (comparison group) and used propensity score matching to improve the comparability of the study groups. We surveyed students at baseline and about 6 months after the program ended.

RESULTS

Teen PEP did not significantly impact rates of sexual activity or unprotected sex; however, the program led to improvements in exposure to information about sexual health topics and knowledge of preventing pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

CONCLUSIONS

Teen PEP succeeded in accomplishing some of its most proximal goals, increasing students' access to information and knowledge. However, we found little evidence that the program affects sexual risk‐taking within 6 months of its conclusion. Future research will examine the program's longer‐term impacts on sexual risk behaviors.