RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Students are the heart of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. Students are the recipients of programs and services to ensure that they are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged and also serve as partners in the implementation and dissemination of the WSCC model. METHODS: A review of the number of students nationwide enjoying the 5 Whole Child tenets reveals severe deficiencies while a review of student-centered approaches, including student engagement and student voice, appears to be one way to remedy these deficiencies. RESULTS: Research in both education and health reveals that giving students a voice and engaging students as partners benefits them by fostering development of skills, improvement in competence, and exertion of control over their lives while simultaneously improving outcomes for their peers and the entire school/organization. CONCLUSIONS: Creating meaningful roles for students as allies, decision makers, planners, and consumers shows a commitment to prepare them for the challenges of today and the possibilities of tomorrow.
Asunto(s)
Participación de la Comunidad/métodos , Conducta Cooperativa , Toma de Decisiones , Servicios de Salud Escolar , Estudiantes , Adolescente , Niño , Relaciones Comunidad-Institución , Humanos , Relaciones Interpersonales , Relaciones Interprofesionales , Modelos Educacionales , Instituciones Académicas , Apoyo Social , Estudiantes/psicología , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Health, in its purest sense, is not the primary mission of the nation's K-12 schools, so why should schools feel obligated to address cancer education? The nation's educators are under tremendous pressure to prepare students to pass tests in English language arts and mathematics. As a result, health education and physical education are often assigned third-class status in many of the nation's schools, despite numerous studies supporting the connection between health and academic achievement. Is there a place for cancer prevention education in today's K-12 schools? This commentary explores existing structures that affect cancer prevention education and offers suggestions to improve K-12 health education initiatives.