Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New NASBE Database Tracks State School Health Policies Related to Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model

  • 01/31/19

Alexandria, Va. — The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is pleased to announce the redesign of its popular online resource, the Healthy Schools Database. The new version, now called the NASBE State Policy Database on School Health, aligns all existing state statutory and regulatory language on student health to the components of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s framework for school health promotion, known as the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model.

The WSCC model defines 10 important areas of a healthy school: health education; physical education and physical activity; nutrition environment and services; health services; counseling, psychological, and social services; social and emotional climate; physical environment; employee wellness; family engagement; and community involvement. Combined, these elements provide a road map for comprehensive policymaking that fully supports students’ well-being.

The NASBE State Policy Database on School Health is a product of NASBE’s partnership with Child Trends, the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and EMT Associates, Inc. The database documents state education policies and analyzes their alignment with WSCC. Made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Together for Healthy and Successful Schools Initiative, the database encompasses policies enacted as of September 2017 for 136 variables across the 10 WSCC domains, as well as a category capturing references to the WSCC model itself. Further information on methodology, a summary of findings, and profiles for each state can be found on Child Trends’s website. As state boards of education and others consider adoption of policies and processes that support the whole child, these resources will supply important information on existing statutes and best practices.

“NASBE first designed its health database over 10 years ago to help state policymakers learn from each other’s policies on student health and wellness,” says Robert Hull, NASBE’s president and CEO. “Over the years, researchers, advocates, health professionals, and the media have also depended on the database as a source for the latest information on health policy in the states. We are thrilled to revitalize this database in such a robust and timely way to help all policy actors—be it the state board, education agency, legislature, or governor—find ways to ensure that the policies they adopt fully address all children’s physical, social, emotional, and academic needs.”

Visit NASBE’s State Policy Database on School Health at statepolicies.nasbe.org/health.

Featured

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).