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Drug use trends change rapidly among youth, leaving educators and researchers struggling to respond promptly. Widely adopted universal evidence-based interventions (EBIs), such as the Michigan Model for Health™ (MMH), and their delivery systems offer an opportunity to reach large youth populations and reduce the onset and escalation of emerging drug use trends. Tier 1 EBIs do not always reflect the most current needs of the context and population. Implementation strategies are needed to optimize EBIs and system responsiveness to emerging drugs. This study employs after action review (AAR) to examine past responses to emerging drugs and design implementation strategies for rapid responses. AAR centers on four key questions: (1) What was expected to happen? (2) What happened? (3) What went well? and (4) What can be improved? We collected qualitative data from 35 participants, including state education partners, school administrators, counselors, teachers, prevention specialists, and the state’s health coordinator network. We used rapid qualitative and iterative inductive-deductive thematic analytic approaches. Data analysis revealed three central tenets for rapid responses: collaboration, readiness, and planning. We then identified implementation strategy core functions aligned with the central tenets and strategy form options (e.g., build/leverage a coalition) for each function to accommodate school-level heterogeneity. We created a systematic process to develop and deploy an implementation blueprint for building prevention infrastructure to enhance rapid responses for emerging drugs leveraging an existing intervention (MMH) and delivery system. AAR is a promising approach to identifying gaps and best practices in school-based responses to urgent drug crises. Our results indicate that while the core implementation strategy functions are constant, health coordinators benefit from strategy options tailored to their context. Trial registration: NCT05806840, https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05806840 .

The health benefits of physical activity are well documented, and the important role that schools and physical education (PE) can play in reducing sedentary behavior and contributing to population health has been identified. Although effective teaching is ultimately judged by student achievement, a major component of teacher and school effectiveness studies has been student engagement. Thus, in PE, it is important to assess the teaching and learning processes related to expected outcomes, including what students and teachers do and how lessons are delivered. Within a public health context, it is then important to assess how teachers provide students with ample health-enhancing physical activity to help them become physically fit and to learn generalizable movement and behavioral skills designed to promote physical activity and fitness outside of class time. In this article, the authors emphasize that the future of PE in the nation's schools will depend on the ability of schools to provide programs that are perceived to be of importance to the public; moreover, the authors believe that the future of PE rests on the effectiveness of PE teachers to operate within a public health context. In addition, the authors also provide a summary of teacher effectiveness research within a public health context and offer visions for the future assessment and evaluation of PE teacher effectiveness that move beyond the PE lesson to include components of the comprehensive school physical activity model. Verf.-Referat (geändert).

Socio-economic hardships put children in an underprivileged position. This systematic review was conducted to identify factors linked to underachievement of disadvantaged pupils in school science and maths. What could be done as evidence-based practice to make the lives of these young people better? The protocol from preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) was followed. Major electronic educational databases were searched. Papers meeting pre-defined selection criteria were identified. Studies included were mainly large-scale evaluations with a clearly defined comparator group and robust research design. All studies used a measure of disadvantage such as lower SES, language barrier, ethnic minority or temporary immigrant status and an outcome measure like attainment in standardised national tests. A majority of papers capable of answering the research question were correlational studies. The review reports findings from 771 studies published from 2005 to 2014 in English language. Thirty-four studies were synthesised. Results suggest major factors linking deprivation to underachievement can be thematically categorised into a lack of positive environment and support. Recommendations from the research reports are discussed.

David Finkelhor examines initiatives to prevent child sexual abuse, which have focused on two primary strategies—offender management and school-based educational programs. Recent major offender managment initiatives have included registering sex offenders, notifying communities about their presence, conducting background employment checks, controlling where offenders can live, and imposing longer prison sentences. Although these initiatives win approval from both the public and policy makers, little evidence exists that they are effective in preventing sexual abuse. Moreover, these initiatives, cautions Finkelhor, are based on an overly stereotyped characterization of sexual abusers as pedophiles, guileful strangers who prey on children in public and other easy-access environments and who are at high risk to re-offend once caught. In reality the population is much more diverse. Most sexual abusers are not strangers or pedophiles; many (about a third) are themselves juveniles. Many have relatively low risks for re-offending once caught. Perhaps the most serious shortcoming to offender management as a prevention strategy, Finkelhor argues, is that only a small percentage of new offenders have a prior sex offense record that would have involved them in the management system. He recommends using law enforcement resources to catch more undetected offenders and concentrating intensive management efforts on those at highest risk to re-offend. Finkelhor explains that school-based educational programs teach children such skills as how to identify dangerous situations, refuse an abuser's approach, break off an interaction, and summon help. The programs also aim to promote disclosure, reduce self-blame, and mobilize bystanders. Considerable evaluation research exists about these programs, suggesting that they achieve certain of their goals. Research shows, for example, that young people can and do acquire the concepts. The programs may promote disclosure and help children not to blame themselves. But studies are inconclusive about whether education programs reduce victimization. Finkelhor urges further research and development of this approach, in particular efforts to integrate it into comprehensive health and safety promotion curricula. Finkelhor also points to evidence that supports counseling strategies both for offenders, particularly juveniles, to reduce re-offending, and for victims, to prevent negative mental health and life course outcomes associated with abuse.

Introduction Clinical placements are critical in bridging theoretical knowledge and practical skill gaps in medical imaging education. This study evaluated the perceptions of the clinical placement learning environment among third- and fourth-year medical imaging students in Ghana. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted through a self-administered questionnaire created using Google Forms. A convenience sampling strategy was employed, and the link to the Google Form was distributed via the WhatsApp platform of Medical Imaging students. The survey evaluated supervision and support, learning integration, and clinical environment equity among the participants. Descriptive and Spearman’s rank correlation ( P  < .001) were used to analyse the data. Results A total of 253 radiography students participated, with the majority being male (65.2%) and aged 18–24 years (85.8%). Significant associations were noted in supervision and support ( p  < .001), learning integration ( p  < .001), and learning environment equity ( p  < .001). However, perceived challenges such as overcrowding (25.9%), increased workload (25.5%), and equipment breakdowns (18.9%) were significant concerns. Significant associations were observed among the measured variables (that is, supervision and support, learning and integration and learning environment equity) ( p  < .01). Conclusion While students generally reported positive experiences, challenges such as overcrowding, limited supervision, and resource constraints hinder optimal learning. Addressing these issues through a timely and effective maintenance culture, improved infrastructure, and enhanced coordination between academic and clinical settings is crucial for fostering a supportive and equitable clinical placement environment.

There is a recognition about the mental health, educational, and career-related benefits of positive youth development (PYD) in children and youth. This brief review provides an overview of the current application of PYD in school settings. We begin by summarising the common conceptualisations of PYD along with similar and distinct features in such models. Then, we discuss the current status of PYD research and highlight the academic and psychological payoffs of PYD-oriented programs in schools. Importantly, this review elaborates future directions and practical implications for PYD researchers and practitioners in school contexts.

This practice brief explores integrating comprehensive sex education within Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs to address health disparities and promote well-being among community college students. By leveraging the strengths of FCS, this brief highlights the potential for a holistic approach to sex education that encompasses physical, emotional, and social dimensions of health. It offers recommendations for educators, policymakers, and community partners to enhance sexual health education through FCS, fostering a supportive environment that empowers students with the knowledge and skills necessary for informed decision-making. The implications of this approach extend to promoting public health, social equity, and economic prosperity across communities. Recommendations for prioritizing curriculum development, faculty training, and collaboration with community partners are presented within this practice brief.

Background:  Few evaluations of school health programs measure academic outcomes. K‐12 education needs evidence for academic achievement to implement school programs. This article presents a systematic review of the literature to examine evidence that school health programs aligned with the Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) model improve academic success. Methods:  A multidisciplinary panel of health researchers searched the literature related to academic achievement and elements of the CSHP model (health services, counseling/social services, nutrition services, health promotion for staff, parent/family/community involvement, healthy school environment, physical education, and health education) to identify scientifically rigorous studies of interventions. Study designs were classified according to the analytic framework provided in the Guide developed by the Community Preventive Services Task Force. Results:  The strongest evidence from scientifically rigorous evaluations exists for a positive effect on some academic outcomes from school health programs for asthmatic children that incorporate health education and parental involvement. Strong evidence also exists for a lack of negative effects of physical education programs on academic outcomes. Limited evidence from scientifically rigorous evaluations support the effect of nutrition services, health services, and mental health programs, but no such evidence is found in the literature to support the effect of staff health promotion programs or school environment interventions on academic outcomes. Conclusions:  Scientifically rigorous evaluation of school health programs is challenging to conduct due to issues related to sample size, recruitment, random assignment to condition, implementation fidelity, costs, and adequate follow‐up time. However, school health programs hold promise for improving academic outcomes for children.

The need for schools to support children and young people's mental and emotional health is increasingly emphasised in policy initiatives, yet the role of teachers in this has been under explored. This paper reports findings from qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 14 school staff at eight secondary schools in England, examining emotional health and well-being (EHWB) activities in which they were involved. Three emergent themes are discussed: (1) a strongly held belief that teaching and EHWB are inevitably linked; (2) a perception that many colleagues outside the study sample are reluctant to engage in EHWB work; and (3) a concern that teachers' own emotional health needs are neglected, leaving them unable or unwilling to consider those of pupils. The findings endorse whole-school approaches to emotional health, with a focus on teachers' training and support needs and clearer aims, including consideration of how such work fits with the broader goals of schools.

Background. Schools are an important setting for health promotion because they afford children and adolescents numerous opportunities to accumulate the recommended physical activity (PA) minutes and make other health-related decisions, including healthy eating. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of coordinated school-based health interventions in rural Appalachia. The Greenbrier Children’s Health Opportunities Involving Coordinated Efforts in Schools Project was a federally funded, 3-year, multicomponent school-based health intervention focused on PA, healthy eating, and weight management. Aims. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of Greenbrier Children’s Health Opportunities Involving Coordinated Efforts in Schools on adolescent PA, dietary behaviors, and weight status. Method. Measures of PA, dietary behaviors, and body mass index were collected across 14 data points throughout the intervention (including a baseline in Year 1). Results. Participants included 4,633 randomly selected middle school students (M = 2,289, F = 2,344) across the intervention. Baseline to Year 3 findings revealed a 12.8 percentage point increase in students achieving 60 minutes of daily PA. There were no significant differences in either dietary behavior or body mass index. Discussion. Findings provide evidence of the positive impact comprehensive school-based health interventions can have on middle school student health-related behaviors. Conclusion. Schools remain an ideal setting for health promotion. Initiatives targeting more than one level of influence on health-related behaviors are more likely to succeed.