School, University, and Community-Based Organization Partnerships to Counter Negative Environmental Influences on High School Students through Multidisciplinary Programming

Objective:  To provide a conceptual description of the Landry-Walker High School Health Coalition, a partnership between Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Tulane University, and this New Orleans high school, which aims to counteract external environmental dynamics that impede student success and well-being.

Methods:   The target population is the result of a merger of two inner city New Orleans High Schools in 2013.  Over the course of the previous academic year, a qualitative analysis of informal discussions with social workers, teachers, students, and administrators, identified common factors impeding student success.  Successful interventions were expected to be associated with improvement in student ability to manage interpersonal conflicts, identify and act on domestic violence, to have improved health behaviors, increase functional life-skills and utilization of social support programs.  

Results:   Common factors impeding student success were domestic and gun violence, lack of positive role models, mismanaging interpersonal conflicts, homelessness, incarceration, teen pregnancy, poor global self-esteem, absence of proper nutrition, and poor life skills.  There was favorable alignment between findings and multi-site CBOs.  The groups included: Tulane Mary Amelia Women’s Center, City of New Orleans Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Programs, New Orleans Family Justice Center, Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies, and Connect to Protect.

Conclusion: Mutually advantageous collaboration between the school and public health advocates led to the development of a multi-disciplinary coalition.  A multi-agency coalition is most effective when programs are integrated into the educational environment providing a “one-stop shop” that addresses student’s social, emotional and health needs in a centralized, safe location.