Welcome to EL Extra. We have designed questions to help you and your colleagues foster meaningful discussions around the current Educational Leadership.
The Study Guide may be related to a particular article, a group of articles, or a theme that runs through the entire issue. Our questions will not cover all aspects of the issue, but we are hopeful that they will help you generate a conversation around key ideas. Feel free to adapt the questions to be more relevant to your school or school district—and you may even want to think of some of your own. Although you can consider many of the questions on your own, we encourage you to use them in pairs, small groups, or even large study groups.
Partnerships for Healthy Students
Many articles in this issue describe the need for partnerships between the education and the health communities. Read “Common Cause: School Health and School Reform” (pp. 8–12) by Charles Deutsch, “Partnerships to Keep Schools Healthy” (pp. 22–24) by Eva Marx and Daphne Northrop, and “Creative Collaborations with Health Providers” (pp. 25–28) by Susan Frelick Wooley, Richard M. Eberst, and Beverly J. Bradley.
Discuss the ways in which your school or district collaborates with the health community to benefit student achievement. Look at the eight components that make up the model for coordinated health (p. 22). In which areas does your school or district excel? How might your school or district address all components more fully?
After reading “The Mind-Body-Building Equation” (pp. 14–17) by Joy Dryfoos and “A Community School” (pp. 18–21) by Sue Maguire, discuss what makes a full-service school. Is it realistic to have such a goal for your school? What reservations or questions do you have about taking on this expanded role?
Health Problems, Healthy Solutions
From asthma and obesity to drug and alcohol abuse, students today face an onslaught of potential health problems. Identify and discuss what you believe are the most pressing health issues that your students confront. Does your school or district have a formal policy to help students address health issues? How do these problems affect student achievement?
Remember a time when a student came to you with a health-related problem. How did you respond? Was there a support system available to help you and your student? Divide into groups of two or three and share anecdotes with your colleagues.
Safe Buildings
Violence and school safety is a growing concern among many educators. Read Pam Schiffbauer's “A Checklist for Safe Schools” (pp. 72–74) and John Holloway's “Healthy Buildings, Successful Students” (pp. 88–89). Consider the physical appearance and structure of your school. How secure is it? What efforts are made to create an environment that is not only safe but also welcoming and conducive to learning? Make a “wish list” identifying two or three physical changes that you would make in your school.
