Reaching Beyond Health and Education Borders: Addressing the Needs of the Whole Child

This presentation describes the education community's call to action, “Educating the Whole Child: The New Learning Compact,” and provides the scientific rationale for the health sector's important role in enhancing academic achievement, not merely assuring good health. Since our most vulnerable children have many urgent needs, it is important to strengthen the historic partnerships between health and education. In 2006, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development convened key leaders from a variety of sectors and called for increased attention to the conditions necessary for learning. The premises were that schools could not address these conditions alone and that education and public health must come together to support the healthy and whole development of every child. The resulting “New Learning Compact” calls for students 1) to enter school healthy and ready to learn and to practice healthy lifestyles; 2) to be actively engaged in learning and connected to the school and broader community; 3) to have an intellectually challenging environment that is physically and emotionally safe; 4) to have access to personalized learning and qualified, caring adults; and 5) to graduate prepared for success beyond high school. Fulfilling the compact requires changes in how the education and health community think and act - how schools and community organizations work together; how funding streams are provided to schools; and how money, time, and human resources are aligned with the needs of children. Specific strategies for how to strengthen existing partnerships between public health and education will be provided.