Washington, D.C., Healthy Schools Act: The Relationship Between School Health and Educational Opportunity

• In Event: 35.081 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 35.081-22 - Schools, Nutrition, and Health Outcomes

Abstract

Healthy children are better learners. This simple statement is often overlooked in current school reform models. This presentation seeks to describe the ways in which DC’s Healthy School Act (modeled after the Healthy, Hunger-Free Children Act) has been implemented at the school level and to explore the relationships between the provisions of the Act on student academic performance. Findings from this study indicate a positive relationship between a healthy school environment and students’ scores on standardized assessments of reading and mathematics. The researchers submit that the influence of the provisions of this policy may be considerable in high poverty communities where children must rely on the school system for the majority of their nutrition and daily activity.

Authors

• Sarah Irvine Belson, American University

• Anastasia Snelling, American University