Mcgeekudsk1411

Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) are at high risk for adverse health outcomes. Safer schools decrease this risk. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 6 practices that can make schools safer for SGMY, yet few US schools implement them all. We apply a structural competency framework to elucidate factors contributing to this implementation gap.

We conducted 75 interviews and 32 focus groups with school professionals in 18 New Mexico high schools to assess factors impacting implementation of the practices over 2 years. We analyzed data using iterative coding, thematic identification techniques, and the sensitizing concept of structural competency.

Themes included rendering an invisible population visible; critical thinking about LGBTQ inequalities; building school personnel capacity; intersecting cultural, religious, and political conflicts; and tackling community-based sources of stigma and discrimination.

Underlying cultural and structural forces render SGMY invisible and constrain what schools can accomplish. Professional development encouraging critical thinking about structural inequities is foundational, but efforts to close the implementation gap must attend to structural forces producing disparities for SGMY. Structural competency can strengthen the ability of the Whole School, Whole Community, and Whole Child model's cross-sector coordination of policy and process to meet the needs of every student.

Underlying cultural and structural forces render SGMY invisible and constrain what schools can accomplish. Professional development encouraging critical thinking about structural inequities is foundational, but efforts to close the implementation gap must attend to structural forces producing disparities for SGMY. Structural competency can strengthen the ability of the Whole School, Whole Community, and Whole Child model's cross-sector coordination of policy and process to meet the needs of every student.

The benefits of youth engagement are well documented. In this paper, we examine youth engagement in America's Promise Alliance's Every School Healthy initiative, a part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Together for Healthy and Successful Schools Initiative (THSS).

Six community acceleration sites were selected through a competitive grant-making process. Sites were required to describe youth engagement strategies. Compound 3 manufacturer A case study design was employed to examine how sites conceptualize youth engagement as well as youth engagement strategies employed across 6 sites. Data sources included observations, team member debriefs, and document review.

There was variation in how youth engagement and youth voice are conceptualized in educational settings, and readiness for youth engagement. Sites actively solicited and implemented youth engagement resources and strategies.

By failing to engage young people, well-intentioned adults miss important opportunities. Youth engagement presents an exciting opportunity for school leaders, policymakers, and program planners to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence individual and community health and wellbeing and, in turn, helps them to develop responsive policies and programs.

By failing to engage young people, well-intentioned adults miss important opportunities. Youth engagement presents an exciting opportunity for school leaders, policymakers, and program planners to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence individual and community health and wellbeing and, in turn, helps them to develop responsive policies and programs.

School health services improve health and academic outcomes; however, sustainable funding for these services is an ongoing struggle. In December 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services clarified how Medicaid will reimburse school health services. School districts, once restricted to reimbursement for services delivered under specific conditions, can now receive Medicaid reimbursement for eligible services delivered to all Medicaid-enrolled students.

This article examines the literature exploring school health services' impact on health and academic outcomes and Medicaid's role in funding school health services. The article analyzes state, school-based Medicaid policies and programs and the impact of the federal policy change.

As of August 2020, 13 states have used the federal policy change to expand their school-based Medicaid programs to include all eligible services delivered to all Medicaid-enrolled students.

This policy change creates an opportunity for states and school districts to leverage health care funding to implement multiple components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model, including health services, counseling, psychological and social services, employee wellness, and school climate. The federal policy change can also improve health equity by increasing reimbursement for school districts serving higher percentages of Medicaid-enrolled students.

This policy change creates an opportunity for states and school districts to leverage health care funding to implement multiple components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model, including health services, counseling, psychological and social services, employee wellness, and school climate. The federal policy change can also improve health equity by increasing reimbursement for school districts serving higher percentages of Medicaid-enrolled students.

The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is an evidence-based comprehensive framework to address health in schools. WSCC model use improves health and educational outcomes, but implementation remains a challenge.

Working with 6 schools in 2 districts in the Midwest, we used a mixed-methods approach to determine the people, systems, and messages needed to activate WSCC implementation. We report on social network analysis and message testing findings and research translation to develop the Healthy Schools Toolkit.

Social networks for both districts included more than 150 individuals. Both demonstrated network densities less than half of the desirable threshold, with evidence of clustering by role and minimal cross-school relationships, posing challenges for WSCC implementation. Across stakeholder groups, messages that emphasize empathy, teamwork, and action were well-received, especially when shared by trusted individuals through communication channels that align with stakeholder needs.