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and academic success are summarized here, along with links to related resources

and bibliographies. These resources are arranged by health issue as well

as componenets of Coordinated School Health Programs that can improve the

Schools that offer breakfast programs see increases in school grades and improvements

in school attendance and participation. (1) Additionally, schools that

offer intense physical activity programs have shown positive effects on

academic achievement: increased concentration, improved mathematics, reading,

and writing test scores, and reduced disruptive behavior- even when the

Research indicates that among the 20 percent of school age children who have

a learning disability in reading, 70 percent of them have some form of

visual impairment, such as ocular motor, perceptual or binocular dysfunction,

Adolescents who use drugs have been found to have: reduced attention spans,

lower investment in homework, lower grades, more negative attitudes toward

school, increased absenteeism, and higher dropout rates. When controlling

for socioeconomic status and personality variables, drug use also may directly

predict dropping out of school.(4) Additionally, five years after being

taught a substance use prevention curriculum, students had higher overall

One in five children have a diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder.

And up to one in 10 may suffer from a serious emotional disturbance . Fifty

percent of youth with emotional disturbances drop out of high school compared

to thirty percent of all students with other types of disabilities. Children

who witness chronic violence have been found to exhibit poor concentration,

shorter attention spans, and a general decline in academic performance.(6)

School-based mental health services have been linked to a decrease in course

failures, absences, and disciplinary referrals, as well as an increase

Childbirth during the high school years is associated with significantly reduced

Dental health problems are the most prevalent chronic disease of early childhood

and a major cause of school absenteeism . More than 51 million school hours

are lost each year to dental-related illness. Oral problems can impact

self-esteem for children and lead to problems eating, speaking and attending

Evidence continues to emerge showing that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can

cause illness requiring absence from school, and can cause acute health

symptoms that decrease performance while at school. In addition, recent

data suggest that poor IAQ may directly reduce a person’s ability

to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation,

or memory. In fact, asthma-related illness is one of the leading causes

of school absenteeism, accounting for over 14 million missed school days

Students benefit from having healthy teachers because teachers are more energetic,