School Health Index—A Self-Assessment and Planning Tool for Schools
Promoting healthy and safe behaviors among students is an important part of the fundamental mission of schools. To help schools meet this challenge, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed the School Health Index (SHI). This self-assessment and planning guide will enable you to:
- identify the strengths and weaknesses of your school's policies and programs for promoting health and safety,
- develop an action plan for improving student health and safety, and
- involve teachers, parents, students, and the community in improving school policies, programs, and services.
The SHI will provide structure and direction to your school's efforts to improve health and safety policies and programs. There is growing recognition of the relationship between health and academic performance, and completing the SHI can become one of your school's important No Child Left Behind educational reform activities.
The SHI is available at no cost, and the assessment process can be completed in as little as five hours. A small investment of time can pay big dividends in students' improved health, safety, and readiness to learn. Many of the improvements you will want to make after completing the SHI can be done with existing staff and with few or no new resources. For those priority actions that do require new resources, your SHI results can help to provide information needed to stimulate school board and community support for school health and safety, and establish data and justification to support funding requests.
You may obtain a printed copy of the SHI in the following ways:
Request by email: healthyyouth@cdc.gov
Request by telephone: (888) 231-6405
Request by fax: (888) 282-7681
Download from CDC web site: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/SHI
When ordering, please specify either the elementary school version or the middle/high school and the number of copies desired.