Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) is an autoimmune disorder associated with sudden onset of behavior changes. The prevalence of PANDAS is increasing in schools and interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge, and the use of referrals to the school nurse are important for supporting…

Vaccination coverage among children in kindergarten varies across the country and within states. We surveyed a convenience sample of kindergarten school nurses to investigate self-reported vaccination-related activities conducted at schools nationwide. The majority of the 1,435 kindergarten school nurses responding reported that their schools…

Vision plays a key role in a child's development. Early detection and treatment of vision abnormalities decreases future complications. Follow-up vision care is a common problem. Barriers to vision care include financial cost, lack of insurance knowledge to cover costs, and disbelief of vision results. The purpose of this evidence-based pilot…

Schools are uniquely positioned to impact student health and academic outcomes through health and wellness policies. The purpose of this study was to describe factors influencing implementation of school health and wellness policies, specifically those focused on physical activity and nutrition. In-depth, stakeholder interviews were conducted with…

The phrase "ready to learn" has been widely used and researched by scholars, policy makers, and education practitioners. School readiness, as a construct, has referred to the basic skills that children need to transition to elementary school. However, there is no consensus on which basic skills students should possess when entering…

The evidence-based decision-making emphasis in education has largely focused on the adoption of new practices for which evidence of effectiveness exists. Following adoption, however, the focus shifts to improvement and the appropriate evidence needed to support budget decisions must be local, timely, and relevant. Existing evidence used to support…

The 2023 edition of the Annual Condition of Education Report (COE) marks the 34th edition of the report. For over 30 years, the Department has published the COE in order to provide education stakeholders critical data about the status of Iowa's education system. The 2023 COE includes a wide variety of content including information about Iowa's…

Data and information are critical tools of school improvement. They are the foundation for making informed education decisions for our schools, districts and the state. The 2019 edition of the Annual Condition of Education Report (COE) marks the 30th edition of the Iowa Department of Education report. Much has changed in the past 30 years since…

Data and information are important components of school improvement. They show how schools are changing and how students are progressing. Providing and interpreting data is one of the critical functions of the Iowa Department of Education. The annual Condition of Education report provides valuable data about students, educators and school…

Background: Health eTools for Schools was developed to assist school nurses with routine entries, including height and weight, on student health records, thus providing a readily accessible data base. Data-mining techniques were applied to this database to determine if clinically signi?cant results could be generated. Methods: Body mass index…

Background/Context: This article addresses which school-level factors contribute to school quality. Previous research has focused on assessing the effects of school-level variables on student-level quality (e.g., achievement). However, the field has been limited in not evaluating the effects of school-level factors directly on measured…

At the beginning of each school year, the school-nurse coordinator for the 3,000-student Ashland, Oregon, district plans a "parent's night" around the topic of vaccinations for the safety and health of children. That is only the beginning of the school-nurse coordinator's contact with parents who are skeptical about the necessity of…

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Strategies for Addressing Asthma Within a Coordinated School Health Program" recommends a consulting physician for schools to help manage asthma. The literature examines the effects when a school nurse is present, but the addition of a consulting physician is not well understood. The…

This article includes a short case presentation and differential diagnosis for school nurses. A sample case of a child having an urticaria, commonly called "hives," is presented. History, physical findings, and discussion regarding the illness are given. The author discusses the disease or condition and how school nurses should handle it. Seven…

Early detection of significant vision problems in children is a high priority for pediatricians and school nurses. Routine vision screening is a necessary part of that detection and has traditionally involved acuity charts. However, photoscreening in which "red eye" is elicited to show whether each eye is focusing may outperform routine acuity…