Children in rural settings are less likely to receive mental health services than their urban and suburban counterparts and even less likely to receive evidence-based care. Rural schools could address the need for mental health interventions by using evidence-based practices within a tiered system of supports such as positive behavioral…

The burden of childhood visual impairment and disparities in access to pediatric vision care remain pressing issues in the United States. School-based vision programs (SBVPs) serve as one approach to advancing health equity. Operating at the intersection of schools and healthcare, SBVPs can increase access to pediatric vision services, improve…

Asthma imposes tremendous burden on children, families, and society. Successful management requires coordinated care among children, families, health providers, and schools. Building Bridges for Asthma Care Program, a school-centered program to coordinate care for successful asthma management, was developed, implemented, and evaluated. The program…

This article describes how one very large, diverse school district developed a Student Acuity Tool for School Nurse Assignment and used a logic model to successfully advocate for additional school nurse positions. The logic model included three student outcomes that were evaluated: provide medications and procedures safely and accurately, increase…

To maximize impact across the broad spectrum of mental health needs exhibited by youth in school settings, interventions must be designed to be effective and efficient and demonstrate good fit with the educational context. The current paper reports on the second phase of an iterative development process for a short-term ''Tier 2'' intervention for…

The author compares the merits and weaknesses of prepaid college pharmacy programs and prescription drug insurance plans. (MJB)

School health projects allow school nurses to provide information, to test new program components, and to address short-term health needs. This article discusses planning and evaluating projects in the school setting. Types of evaluation and choosing the appropriate type are considered. (Author/MT)

A report is given of the problems and successes of an evaluation team engaged in examining a 9-year community research demonstration project. The project, the Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Program, was designed to develop effective health education programs and to institutionalize these programs through community organizations so that they are…

This report describes the process and results of a project of the Vice Presidents of Student Services Council (VPSSC) of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) which was designed to evaluate and establish direction for the District's student services programs. The history of the project is described in an initial section including…

The systems approach model described here may assist providers of mental health services to develop skills that will enable them to more effectively design, collect, and analyze information pertaining to current program needs for planning, implementation, and renewal. (MM)

Quality improvement (QI) activities, designed to enhance program evaluation efforts and to improve quality of care, have become increasingly important in children's services research. QI activities examine outcomes and provide accountability data that can be very useful for telling the story of the development, implementation, and effectiveness of…

School-based and -linked health centers (SBHC and SLHC) are becoming innovative centers for providing health care to adolescents. The Center for Population Options (CPO) has designed a site-monitoring team model for SBHCs and SLHCs. The first phase is preparing for the site visit. This begins with contracting a team leader, assembling the team and…

Investigated the extent to which a coordinated school health program infrastructure was functioning adequately within a developmental period. The model was implemented in three middle and four feeder elementary schools. Eleven critical performance elements were developed. Results indicated that a combination of four critical performance elements…

Describes development and evaluation of an interdisciplinary health team training program for school-based clinic staff in Minnesota elementary and secondary schools. The program included development in team training knowledge and skills and educational sessions on issues identified by participants. Evaluations indicated that participants gained…

Both evaluation and planning typically begin with an attempt to define the conceptual territory of interest; this paper presents an approach to such conceptualization. The term, structured conceptualization, is used to refer to any definable set of procedures which can help a user develop a useful conceptual representation. Structured…