A paper released by the Brookings Institute, USA, adds more support for the policy direction of providing integrated student services to drive educational outcomes. "Effective approaches to the problems of struggling neighborhoods—from health to school success and poverty—require the focused use of integrated strategies. Consistent with this, community schools and many charter schools now function as hubs, helping to deliver a range of services beyond education in order to prepare their students to learn and to assist families. These include social services, “two-generation” support, and population health services. There is debate over the potential of schools as hubs and the impact on school achievement. For success, we need to explore how schools can best “integrate backwards.” That requires us consider how schools can function in an interdependent manner with providers of, say, mental health care or social services yet maintain the control needed to customize services to a student’s needs and achieve academic objectives. Despite their considerable potential, schools face many challenges in operating as hubs. These include (1) Sharing student information with other services sectors is often difficult because of privacy rules and interoperability problems. (2) The wider community impact of hub-based services is rarely measured fully or reflected in city or county budgetsSchool leaders need specialized training to coordinate services efficiently. (4) Intermediaries can help schools coordinate services, but turning to outside organizations can alter the focus of a school and the locus of control." Read more>> (An item from the ISHN Member information service)
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A report on the evidence base supporting the use of integrated student supports (ISS) or services, published by Child Trends in the USA, is a timely find for us this week, as ISHN, ASCD and Education International move into the next phase in our global dialogue on better integration of health and social programs in education systems. (Integrated services for students, especially vulnerable students is one way to secure better integration). The report estimates that "ISS programs serve more than 1.5 million students in nearly 3,000 elementary and high schools across the USA. "while individual programs vary somewhat in the ways they provide integrated student supports, all ISS providers employ common components (needs assessment, integration within schools, community partnerships, coordinated supports, and data tracking); all provide wrap-around supports to improve students’ academic achievement and educational attainment; and all embrace the premise that academic outcomes are a result of both academic and non-academic factors". The Child Trend review of the research found that (1) There is emerging evidence that ISS can contribute to student academic progress as measured by decreases in grade retention and dropout, and increases in attendance, math achievement, reading and ELA achievement, and overall GPA. (2) ISS, as a student-centered approach, is firmly grounded in the research on child and youth development. (3) ISS programs are also aligned with empirical research on the varied factors that promote educational success. (4) Preliminary studies find a positive return on investment in ISS. Read more>> (An item from the ISHN Member information service)
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) We have been discussing the value of integrating various health, social and other services to support students in this blog. This week we identified three aspects of the approach recommended by the UCLA school mental health program which focuses on removing barriers to student learning. These include: a policy-oriented overview (Transforming Student and Learning Supports: Developing a Unified, Comprehensive, and Equitable System) an analysis of implementation issues (Processes/Lessons Learned in Facilitating Systemic Transformation towards integrated student services) and a model school board policy (Board Policy for a Unified and Comprehensive System of Learning Supports/Integrated Services) Go to the weekly report for all three items at: http://www.schoolhealthinsider.org/page/Aug+3-9%2C+2015
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