Educators

How is education related to health?

The link between education and health begins early and extends throughout our lives.

Research confirms what educators have long known: students who are healthy, present, engaged and supported learn better.¹

We also know that those with more education live longer, healthier lives than those with less. Their children are more likely to thrive. They have a greater sense of control over their lives.

The relationship between health and education is reciprocal. Achievement gaps in education and disparate health outcomes look similar. Students of color and students from economically disadvantaged homes are more likely to have negative health outcomes and lower academic achievement.

These relationships make the education sector a key partner in promoting and achieving health equity. Learn more about the role of education and universities in promoting health equity.

Employers, educators, and other community leaders can partner to create opportunities for youth. Working together, changemakers can prepare the individuals and families of today and tomorrow to live long, healthy lives.

What can educators do to build healthy communities?

Education shapes health in a number of ways, including:

• Employment opportunities and related benefits (e.g., income, health insurance, etc.)
• Health knowledge, literacy, coping, and problem-solving skills
• Social and psychological factors (e.g., self-efficacy, social supports)³

Use data to drive action

Educators rely on data to better understand the needs of their students and to improve what’s happening in their classrooms, schools, and districts. Data can help identify needed resources and assess impact on student achievement.  

When schools align their data with community data, they can begin to paint a picture of the impact of education on health outcomes. By identifying neighborhoods with both education and health challenges, educators can identify new partners from public health, health care, and other sectors willing to work together on behalf of their students.

But student data comes with real privacy concerns.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) establishes certain parental rights and sets rules for sharing student data. The Data-Sharing Tool Kit for Communities from the U.S. Department of Education provides schools and partner organizations with tools for responsible data-sharing to boost student achievement while respecting privacy.

Use policies and programs

School administrators and board members are key decision-makers for policies and programs that impact youth and adult learners, including several strategies listed in What Works for Health.

Specifically, changemakers are working on a variety of approaches across the lifespan to address educational attainment:

• Increase early childhood education
• Create environments that support learning
• Improve quality of K-12 education
• Increase high school graduation rates
• Provide Parent education programs
• Increase education beyond high school

Educators can also leverage existing policies and programs to improve the health and well-being of students.

Engage with others

Schools are one of the most efficient systems for reaching children and youth. Approximately 95% of all U.S. children attend school.2 There is no shortage of national, state, and local groups organizing efforts to ensure healthy school environments and provide health services to students. (Not sure where to start? See some examples below.)

Business practices

Employees. Education institutions are often major employers in a community. They set internal policies that impact the health of the people they employ. For example, as employers, these organizations can help ensure:

• All of their employees earn a living wage.
• Employees have access to comprehensive benefits, including quality health care.
• The work environment supports healthy choices.

Learn more about what employers can do to impact the health of their workforce in What Works for Health.

Institutional practices. Academic institutions can shape their institutional business practices to benefit the community. This can include examining things like:

• Where they purchase goods and services
• Where they locate new buildings
• Hiring and workforce development practices

How can you connect with educators?

Do your research

Get specific. Identify which level or levels of education you’re interested in connecting with.

Understand the rules. Take time to learn how decisions are made and by whom so you can tailor your ask to the key players.

• Parents for Healthy Kids has put together a helpful primer on how schools work. It lays out the key players in your school and district and offers some tips for success.
• The Decision-Maker Analysis tool (from Working Partnerships USA & Community Catalyst) helps you identify who can give you what you want, what their “rules” are, which specific individuals are key decision-makers and how you may influence them. It walks you through the types of questions you’ll want to answer about individual decision-makers.

Look for common ground and common language. 

Get connected

Early childhood. It may be helpful to connect with a member organization that supports early care and education providers at the state or regional level.

School-aged. Look to your local school districts.

• Check out their websites for information on school- or district-level wellness policies.
• There is no shortage of national, state, and local groups organizing efforts to ensure healthy school environments and provide health services to students. Consider first working with existing groups or coalitions that are already connected with schools in your area.

Postsecondary. Consider reaching out to local or state-wide postsecondary institutions. This could be a community college, technical school, or university. 

• Community colleges and technical schools play an important role in workforce development. They often partner with business to ensure that workforce training needs are met.
• Universities, as anchor institutions in states and communities, offer partnership opportunities around evaluation, internship placements, and community-based participatory research.

What’s in it for them?

Improved academic outcomes. “Are the children learning?” This question sits at the heart of nearly everything educators do on a daily basis. As you approach education professionals, be prepared to demonstrate the benefit to learning.

Help. Educators face many demands. Resources are often limited and time is among the commodities most difficult to come by. Consider what you can offer to lighten the load.

Citations

1. Lawrence J, Thorne E. A Systems Approach to Integrating Health in Education. Cairn Guidance, Inc.; 2016. https://cairnguidance.com/wp-content/uploads/RWJF_SystemsApproach.pdf. Accessed July 5, 2023. 
2. Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child: A Collaborative Approach to Learning and Health. Alexandria, VA: ASCD and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2014. www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/wholechild/wscc-a-collaborative-approach.pdf. Accessed August 24, 2017. 
3. Dubowitz T, Orleans T, Nelson C, May LW, Sloan JC, Chandra A. Creating Healthier, More Equitable Communities By Improving Governance And Policy. Health Aff (Millwood). 2016;35(11):1970-1975. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0608.