Compared with the volume of research on school effects on educational outcomes, and in spite of growing interest in the health promoting school, there are very few studies that have investigated the way schools influence pupils' health behaviours. This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study of over 2000 young people in the West of…

Children can be exposed to dangerous chemicals and toxins in the most unlikely of places: Their schools. This brief article describes the types of threats that school environments pose to students' health, including such pollution and chemical exposures as lead, mercury, arsenic, molds, and poor indoor air quality. The article provides tips for…

The Commissioner's annual report provides the Legislature with information reported by school districts concerning incidents of serious student misconduct grouped into the following four major reporting categories: violence, vandalism, weapons, and substance abuse. An analysis of trends yields indications of progress and of ongoing concern, and…

This paper complements Fritjof Capra's paper in this issue, "Sustainable Living, Ecological Literacy, and the Breath of Life." It explores how concepts essential to ecological literacy can also guide strategies for overcoming barriers to introducing integrated, multidisciplinary pedagogy into school curricula. It examines how the crisis…

After deducting holidays, the annual school term in most American cities is not more than 180 days. In many cities and towns the number of actual school days is still less. This means that children who are never absent attend school less than half the days of the year, a little more than 1 hour in 10. Formerly the school year was much longer in…

The school system plays an important role in a child's vaccination status, whether by directly offering immunization services, maintaining immunization records, or providing an incentive for up-to-date immunizations through the enforcement of school entry laws. Within the American educational system, however, children do not all attend the same…

The process of describing existing services for American Indian and Alaska Native children with serious emotional disturbance by the Circles of Care strategic planning initiative is overviewed. We explain why service system description is important and how it helped define the role of evaluation within the initiative. Primary goals and…

Overweight has reached alarming proportions among America's youth. Although the cause of the rise in overweight rates in children and adolescents is certainly the result of the interaction of a variety of factors, the presence of vending machines in schools is one issue that has recently come to the forefront. Many states have passed or proposed…

The purpose of this guide is to provide analyses and advice that help philanthropists determine where their capital can have the greatest impact in the lives of U.S. disadvantaged students. To meet this objective, three critical questions were addressed: What is a meaningful change to target? What activities lead to that change for at-risk…

For more than 50 years, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has been conducting comparative studies of educational achievement in a number of curriculum areas, including mathematics and science. TIMSS 2011 represents the fifth cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),…

Hurricane Katrina resulted in a disaster of proportions not previously known in the United States. The traumatic experiences of children and families during Hurricane Katrina, the flooding that resulted from the breach of the levees, the evacuation, and the aftermath are unprecedented. In responding to the enormous mental health needs of children…

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared his intention to open health centers in 500 elementary schools across the state, which would bring the total number of such school-based clinics to 646. This initiative builds on California's 30-year history of using the school setting to increase access to care for children, improve clinical outcomes,…

This paper presents a transcript of the speech delivered by the author at the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing, Washington, DC, May 15, 2007. The author talked about how the Healthy Schools Network works to ensure that every child will have an environmentally healthy school that is clean and in good repair. The organization…

Background: Comprehensive school-based physical activity programs consist of physical education and other physical activity opportunities including recess and other physical activity breaks, intramurals, interscholastic sports, and walk and bike to school initiatives. This article describes the characteristics of school physical education and…

This bulletin comprises the results of personal investigations supplemented by official reports covering the entire work of medical inspection as developed in Great Britain, including: (1) History of the development of medical inspection in England, Wales, and Scotland; (2) Administration by the chief medical staff, (3) Medical examination--the…