Health and Wellness in a Large, Urban School District: Program Findings From Year 1

• In Event: 32.082 - Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 32.082-7 - Reconnection: Finding the Whole Student in Modern American Education

Abstract

In large, urban school districts, few programs currently exist that support students’ physical and mental wellness. In fall 2014, one large, urban school district piloted a health and wellness program in ten elementary schools. Accompanying this program, a three-year research study was designed to learn if students experience changes in their physical and mental wellness as well as their academic performance as a result of continuous participation in health and wellness. In the formative component of the study’s first year, researchers focused on the program’s implementation through a qualitative design using data gathered from district and school personnel as well as students. This paper presents findings from the first year of this three-year study.

Authors

• Andria Parrott, University of San Diego

• Joanne Carman, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Edwina Boateng Kumi, University of San Diego