Education TAG Resources

Create a Supportive and Safe School Climate

• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
  Information tailored for states, districts, schools, institutions of higher learning, and communities focused on improving student supports and academic enrichment. (U.S. Department of Education, National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments) 
• Safe Youth, Safe Schools
  Information to help keep youth safe throughout the school day, including as they travel to and from school, during sports and at school. (HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 
• Bullying Prevention Online Course
  Everyone engaged in addressing bullying can use this free professional development tool. (StopBullying.Gov)
• Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention Training 
  This online module is a free, online course available to educators, school personnel, youth mentors, and others dedicated to improving teen health. It provides scenarios, interactive exercises, and information from leading experts. (HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Creating and Sustaining a Thriving Youth Advisory Council - PDF 
  This guidebook describes youth experiences and best practices for developing and maintaining a youth advisory council in school-based and school-linked health centers. (University of Michigan Health System, Adolescent Health Initiative)

Strengthen or Increase Health Curricula and Activities to Support Healthy Development

• Health and Physical Education Resources 
  A vast library of resources and tools to help guide students towards a more healthy and fit lifestyle by implementing quality physical education programming. (Society of Health and Physical Educators)
• Youth Compendium of Physical Activities 
  This tool can be used to identify activities of interest along with the estimated energy expenditures for those activities, including participating in games, walking, and running. (National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research)
• Healthy Native Youth 
  This website houses health curricula and resources that are culturally- and age-appropriate for American Indian youth. (Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board) 
• Lesson Plan and Activity Finder
  Teachers can find lesson plans on drug use with information on brain science, prescription drugs, risk taking, and peer pressure. (HHS, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse)
• Wellness Policies 
  This webpage has tools for forming a wellness committee, refreshing your wellness policy, and evaluating progress, as well as a model wellness policy and wellness committee toolkit. (Alliance for a Healthier Generation) 

Support Social and Emotional Development

• School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth
  Six strategies that teachers, administrators, other school staff, and parents can implement to increase the extent to which students feel connected to school. (HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Relationships Between Students, Adults and Peers in School
  Background information on the importance of connectedness for improving students' lives and health. (National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, a project of the U.S. Department of Education)
• Resources on Resilience and Positive Youth Development 
  Research-based resources that align with a positive youth development framework and are geared for promoting well-being outcomes of all youth (ages 9-26), with a focus on youth in, or transitioning from, foster care. (Center for the Study of Social Policy) 

Be a Health Resource for Students and Their Families

• School Health Resources 
  A vast library of research and tools to support health education and health services programs.  (American School Health Association) 
• Parents for Healthy Schools
  These resources help schools and school groups (e.g., parent teacher associations, parent teacher organizations, school wellness committees) engage parents to create healthy school environments. (HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 
• https://teens.drugabuse.gov/teachers/infographics
  These infographics provide the latest statistics and trends on teen drug use in the United States. (HHS, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse)
• The Role of High School Teachers in Preventing Suicide 
  This resource provides information on the role of high school teachers in suicide prevention. (HHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

Implement Annual Health and Safety Assessments and Coordinate with Community Efforts  

• Healthy Schools:School Health Index
  The School Health Index (SHI): Self-Assessment & Planning Guide 2017 is an online self-assessment and planning tool that schools can use to improve their health and safety policies and programs. It was developed in partnership with school administrators and staff, school health experts, parents, and national nongovernmental health and education agencies.  (HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 
• Threat Assessment for School Administrators and Crisis Teams 
  Information and guidance on conducting threat assessments to keep schools safe. (National Association of School Psychologists) 

Ensure Schools Are Environmentally Healthy Settings for Learning

• Healthy Schools, Healthy Kids
  A comprehensive schools website offering an array of resources to establish, maintain, or enhance a school environmental health program. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
• Team Nutrition
  Team Nutrition is an initiative that supports training those in food service, educating caregivers on nutrition, and supporting schools and communities to promote healthy eating and physical activity. (USDA, Food and Nutrition Service)
• Local School Wellness Policy Briefs
  This series of briefs can guide local educational agencies or school districts in supporting school nutrition and physical activity environments. (HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Use Open Spaces to Promote Physical Activity

• Youth Physical Activity: the Role of Schools - PDF
  A brief outlining how physical activity affects academic achievement, as well as steps that schools can take to provide time for organized and free physical activity. (HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Playgrounds 
  A series of resources to help certified playground professionals and novices alike in developing and improving the safety of playgrounds. (National Recreation and Parks Association)
• Activity-Friendly Environments 
  Tools and resources such as webinars, videos, and presentations to help practitioners, policy-makers, and others create more activity-friendly environments. Resources include measures to assess schools, parks, streets, and other neighborhood settings to see how well they support physical activity. (Active Living Research) 
• Young People and Placemaking: Engaging Youth to Create Community Spaces 
  An article featuring examples of community spaces designed with and for youth and concrete suggestions for creating spaces for youth in your community. (Project for Public Spaces) 

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