National Consensus for School Health Education

The National Consensus for Health Education was pulled together for creating the revised 2022 version of the National Health Education Standards. That goal has been met. You can see the final draft of the consensus document at the National Consensus for Health Education website where the actual standards can be downloaded and printed. More tools around professional development and implementation are underway. Historical information is found below. 

National Consensus for School Health Education Historical Information

OCTOBER 7, 2021 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Led by the American School Health Association, Eta Sigma Gamma national health education honorary society, Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education, Society for Public Health Education, and Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, the National Consensus on School Health Education is pleased to share the progress of its nationwide effort to develop resources for educators interested in quality school health education as a component of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model.

New National Partner
We are pleased to welcome the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) as a
Management Group partner. As a national partner, NCHEC has representation in each group of the
initiative.

New Technical Advisor
Dr. Leigh Szucs, Health Scientist, CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health, has graciously agreed to serve as a technical advisor and ex-officio member of the Expert Review Group. We welcome Dr. Szucs
and look forward to her contributions.

Initiative Updates
The initiative includes four parts:

• The Management Group, with representatives (presidents and executive directors) from each of the six organizations, shares collaborative decision making on all aspects of the initiative. The Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education serves as the convening organization.

• The Development Group (see the June 14 release) is comprised of a diverse group of experts in school health education. This group has met twice to move forward with their process to draft products that focus on what students and out-of-school youth need to know and be able to do to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle and to succeed in school. Products of the initiative will be open access to the field. New members were recently added, including:

o Felipe Beltran, Health Education Teacher, Albuquerque Public Schools (New Mexico)
o Bridget Cross, Teacher, Iberville Parish Schools, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (representing NCHEC)
o Dr. Emily Frank, Director of Health Education Partnerships, Oakland Center for Science, Education, and Outreach and Health Teacher, Life Academy Oakland (California) and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health

We welcome Felipe, Bridget, and Emily to the initiative.

• The Expert Review Group (see the July 2 release), which currently includes more than 45 members with expertise in school health education and related fields. Members include classroom teachers, local school district- and state-level health education directors, curriculum developers, teacher educators, and researchers as well as additional experts in the field. These experts will provide comments to the Development Group as their work progresses and may also be called upon by the Development Group to consult from time to time. Additional members have been added, including:

o Dr. Melissa Boguslawski, Manager, Project Healthy Schools, University of Michigan
o Charley Daniel, School Health Manager, Tulsa (Oklahoma) Health Department
o Jordan Fuhrmeister, Associate Project Director, Society for Public Health Education
o Radha Pennotti, Policy and Strategy Senior Associate, PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
o Duncan Van Dusen, CEO, CATCH Global Foundation (Texas)
o Kathy Wilbur, health education leader and former health education manager, Maine Department of Education
o Jamie Williams, Teaching Instructor, Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University (North Carolina; representing NCHEC)

• Additional review processes including a comments period for a wide variety of experts in the
fields of education, health, and related professions and a period for public comment.

All work is accomplished in accordance with the Code of Ethics for the Health Education Profession.
The National Consensus on School Health Education is designed to be collaborative and inclusive.
Organizations and individuals with a role in health education are invited to participate. For more
information, please contact Dr. William Potts-Datema, FAHE President, at pottsdatema@gmail.com or
Dr. Keely Rees, Eta Sigma Gamma President, at krees@uwlax.edu.

JULY 2, 2021 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Led by the American School Health Association, Eta Sigma Gamma national health education honorary society, Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education, Society for Public Health Education, and Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, the National Consensus on School Health Education is pleased to share the progress of its nationwide effort to develop resources for educators interested in quality school health education as a component of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model.

The initiative, which was announced on June 14, 2021, includes four parts:

  • The Management Group, with representatives from each of the five organizations, shares collaborative decision making on all aspects of the initiative. The Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education serves as the convening organization.
  • The Development Group is comprised of a diverse group of experts in school health education. This group will draft products that focus on what students and out-of-school youth need to know and be able to do to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle and to succeed in school. Products of the initiative will be open access to the field. Leaders and members of this group were identified in our June 14 release. The two additional classroom teachers mentioned as awaiting district approval at that time have been confirmed. They are Flavio Lopez, Health Education Teacher, Albuquerque Public Schools, and Claudette McCluney-Hall, Health Education Teacher, Prince Georges County, Maryland. We welcome Flavio and Claudette to the initiative.
  • The Expert Review Group, which currently includes 40 members with expertise in school health education and related fields. Members include classroom teachers, local school district- and state-level health education directors, curriculum developers, teacher educators, and researchers as well as additional experts in the field. These experts will provide comments to the Development Group as their work progresses and may also be called upon by the Development Group to consult from time to time. Additional members may be added as the initiative progresses. Members include (as of July 2, 2021):
    • Sharon Adams-Taylor, Associate Executive Director, Children’s Initiatives & Program Development, American Association of School Administrators
    • Dr. John Allegrante, Professor of Health Education and Adjunct Professor of Sociomedical Sciences in Public Health, Teachers College, Columbia University
    • Dr. Diane Allensworth, school health leader (former ASHA Executive Director and CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health Branch Chief)
    • Dr. Trina Menden Anglin, Former Chief, Adolescent Health Branch, Health Resources and Services Administration (retired)
    • Dr. Susan Baldwin, Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, Buffalo Public Schools
    • Dr. Jennifer Banas, Professor and Coordinator, Public Health Graduate Program, Department of Health Sciences and Physical Education, Northeastern Illinois University
    • Dr. Donna Bernert, Associate Professor, Health Education and Promotion, School of Health Sciences, Kent State University
    • Susan Berry, Health Education and Health Promotion Specialist, Maine Department of Education
    • Kelli Bourne, Health Education Teacher, Irvine Unified School District, California
    • Dr. Catherine Cardina; Associate Professor of Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics; Buffalo State, SUNY
    • Deanna Castelvecchi, Middle School Health and Physical Education Teacher and Department Chair, Elizabeth Davis Middle School, Chesterfield County, Virginia (former National Health Teacher of the Year)
    • Dr. Hannah Priest Catalano, Associate Professor of Public Health, School of Health and Applied Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington
    • Dr. Joe Dake, Professor, Public Health; Chair, School of Population Health; Interim Chair, School of Social Justice; University of Toledo
    • Dr. Rachael Dombrowski; Assistant Professor; Kinesiology, Health, and Sport Studies; College of Education; Wayne State University
    • Dr. Steve Dorman, President, Georgia College & State University; Co-director, 2007 Health Education Standards Development Project
    • Dr. Ellen Essick, Section Chief, Specialized Instructional Support and NC Healthy Schools, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and President, Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education
    • Dr. Susan Frelick Goekler, CEO Emeritus, American School Health Association
    • Amanda Hayes, Physical Education Teacher, Trussville City Schools, Alabama
    • Dr. Bonni Hodges, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and Professor of Health, SUNY Cortland
    • Pete Hunt, retired health education leader
    • Christy Kay, Consultant, HealthMPowers
    • Dr. Christopher Ledingham, Senior Associate Dean, College of Health Professions and Professor, Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
    • James Mallare, Doctoral Candidate, Kinesiology-Community Health, Wayne State University
    • Dr. Michael Mann, Associate Professor, Associate Department Head for Academic and Faculty Affairs, MPH Director, Boise State University and Editor, Journal of School Health
    • Dr. Kristine Meurer, Executive Director; Student, Family, and Community Supports Division; Albuquerque Public Schools
    • Dr. Fran Meyer, Executive Director, Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education
    • Sharon Murray, Training and Communications Manager, School Nutrition Unit, Colorado Department of Education
    • Dr. Terry Parker, former Health Education Program Consultant, CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health (retired)
    • Dr. Lori Reichel, Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Physical Education and Health Education Teacher Education Program, Western Michigan University
    • Susanne Schmal, Healthy Schools Consultant, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
    • Dr. Meagan Shipley, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University
    • Sean Slade, Head of Education, North America, BTS Spark
    • Dr. Becky Smith, Adjunct Professor, Community Health Promotion, Cleveland State University; Co-director, 1995 and 2007 Health Education Standards Development Projects
    • Dr. Kimberly Stanislo, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing and Director, School Nursing Program, Dwight Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Ashland University
    • Elizabeth Stevenson, Health Educator and retired CDC and American Cancer Society programs coordinator
    • Dr. Erin Sweeney, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Sport Sciences Department, University of Nebraska Kearney
    • Dr. Donna Videto, Distinguished Service Professor and Professor of Health, SUNY Cortland; Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education Vice-President
    • Dr. Michele Wallen, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University
    • Dr. Deitra Wengert, Professor, Department of Health Science, Towson University
    • Dr. Kelly Wilson, Professor and Division Chair, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University
  • Additional review processes including a comments period for a wide variety of experts in the fields of education, health, and related professions and a period for public comment.

All work is accomplished in accordance with the Code of Ethics for the Health Education Profession. The National Consensus on School Health Education is designed to be collaborative and inclusive. Organizations and individuals with a role in health education are invited to join. For more information, please contact Dr. William Potts-Datema, FAHE President, at pottsdatema@gmail.com or Dr. Keely Rees, Eta Sigma Gamma President, at krees@uwlax.edu.

JUNE 14, 2021 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA – The American School Health Association, Eta Sigma Gamma national health education honorary society, Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education, Society for Public Health Education, and Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education proudly announce the launch of the National Consensus on School Health Education.

The initiative will focus on what students and out-of-school youth need to know and be able to do to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle and to succeed in school. Products of the initiative will serve as resources for educators interested in quality school health education as a component of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. Developers will address critical contemporary health education issues such as social justice and anti-racism; social and emotional learning; mental health and trauma; misinformation, disinformation, and social media; and virtual learning; among others.

See the full document here, which includes Development Team members.