University-K12 Collaboration Building Healthier Schools in Rural West Virginia: Applying the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Framework.

BACKGROUND

Children spend most of their waking hours in school, which makes this setting ideal for comprehensive school health programming. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model has become a popular framework for school wellness, but the lack of research and model complexity pose implementation challenges.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PRACTICE: The CDC's School Health Index (SHI) was designed in alignment with the WSCC framework as a tool for enhancing school-level policies and practices. This paper highlights practical knowledge gained from a university partnership with a rural school district to assess, plan, and implement policies and practices toward improved school health.

IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Building upon strategies identified as best practice, our experiences offer valuable guidance for working with schools to engage in school health policy and practice implementation, aimed at promoting healthier school environments.

CONCLUSION

The practices discussed in this paper may advance the foundation for comprehensive school health programming on a broader scale by offering a flexible process that others may adopt and evolve.