Better health for better grades.

AuthorBlackman, Kate
PositionTRENDS

The new federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires needs assessments to evaluate how to boost achievement in low-performing schools. The assessments could help identify health and other underlying issues affecting academic performance, according to a new analysis conducted by the Health Impact Project (a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts).

The assessments examine various data, such as standardized test scores and school performance on state accountability goals, to measure the unmet needs of students and schools. They can also be a vehicle to identify issues related to school climate, family and community involvement, as well as underlying factors like students' housing stability, health or food security, that can affect academic performance.

Healthier students are more successful in school. For example, research has demonstrated links between asthma and absenteeism, as well as other health conditions and dropout rates. In turn, better educated citizens have greater employment opportunities and earnings, according to the Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health. And studies show that better educated people enjoy better health over time and live longer with lower rates of chronic disease.

Disparities in health and education track each other closely, too. According to an analysis of data by the Health Impact Project, students from low-income families and students of color are more likely than their peers to have higher rates of diabetes, asthma, obesity and...

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