Creating and sustaining successful Idaho coordinated school health programs: Evaluation methodoogy and outcomes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends Coordinated School Health (CSH) to improve health and academic success for k-12th grade students. A cooperative agreement between the CDC (DP08-801) and the Idaho State Departments of Education (SDE) and Health and Welfare funded twelve diverse pilot CSH programs. Faced with diminished CSH funding, SDE contracted with a University of Idaho evaluator to identify the inputs and resources most valuable to the creation of an effective and sustainable CSH program for the future development of a web-based CSH tool kit. The evaluator completed the statewide evaluation using mixed methods: an on-line survey of CSH team leaders and members, school site interviews and observations, and document review of CSH annual plans and reports. Important findings emerged to help direct limited CSH resources and technical assistance and to create resources for schools without CSH support. The evaluation revealed that schools identified technical assistance, professional development, and school leader support as most critical elements of CSH success. Professional development was credited for building CSH team capacity and spurring changes in health practice and policy. Required CSH reports and tool were viewed as most burdensome in small schools, and those lacking school leader and outside external support. Confidence to maintain CSH in light of diminished funding, technical support and professional development was lacking in small schools in rural, low income areas and most pronounced with lower school leader support. Findings of the evaluation are particularly applicable for states with limited CSH support.