Classroom to community: Empowering teachers to address health as a barrier to educational achievement

Education and health are inextricably linked. Common health problems such as asthma, teen pregnancy, poor mental health, vision and hearing challenges, and poor nutrition, impact a child's educational success. Students who struggle with these health issues are less able to pay attention during class and more likely to be absent. As a result, these students are more likely to struggle academically and ultimately drop out of school. Despite the connection between health and education, teachers are rarely trained to address health issues seen in their classrooms. Even when teachers are able to recognize a health issue, they are often unaware of available community health resources, let alone able provide information or any type of treatment. In a time of deep budget cuts and higher demands on teachers, it is important to equip them with the information and skills needed to address health as a key predictor of success in education. Classroom to Community was created in partnership with Teach For America and Emory University to provide hands-on health education opportunities in schools for graduate students in health fields. In its second year, a parallel track was developed to provide educators with training on recognizing health issues in schools, referring students to resources, integrating health skills into existing curricula, and developing School-Based Health Centers. This presentation will describe components of the teacher track of Classroom to Community, including evaluation results and key lessons learned. In order to be reduce health disparities and increase educational achievement, health and education must work together.