For Additional Resources on These Topics and Others Related to School Health s4

Friday Beat November 11, 2011 Edition

For additional resources on these topics and others related to school health education and services, visit the School Health Program Web site at www.dshs.state.tx.us/schoolhealth

Positive Youth Development

Positive youth development is a comprehensive framework outlining the supports young people need in order to be successful and focuses on youths’ strengths instead of their risk factors to ensure that all youth grow up to become contributing adults. Reference: National Conference of State Legislatures, December 2010

The Developmental Assets framework – 40 common sense, positive experiences and qualities that help influence choices young people make – has become one of the most widely used approaches to positive youth development in the United States. Reference: Search Institute

One developmental asset will be highlighted each week in the Friday Beat. Related articles will be indicated with the corresponding icon.

EMPOWERMENT – Adolescents

Youth as Resources | Young people are given useful roles in the community.

Safety | Young person feels safe at home, school, and in the neighborhood.

Community Values Youth | Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.

Conferences, Trainings and Professional Development: More Than Just Gym: Integrating Movement Across the School Day – Podcast The school day is full of opportunities to get students moving around, positively affecting their well-being, engagement and motivation. Jill Vialet, CEO and founder of Playworks, a nonprofit transforming recess for kids in low-income, urban schools; Michael Opitz, educator and author of "Literacy Lessons to Help Kids Get Fit & Healthy"; and Washington, D.C.-based principal Andria Caruthers discuss new ways to enrich the school day with physical activities for all teachers. Listen in at http://whatworks.wholechildeducation.org/podcast/more-than-just-gym-integrating- movement-across-the-school-day.

Texas Tobacco-Free Teen Leadership Summits The Texas School Safety Center will conduct 14 Texas Tobacco-Free Teen Leadership Summits in 2012 to train and equip community and school-based organizations to invest in youth. At these summits young people and adult allies will come together to create positive social change concerning tobacco use and prevention. Summits will focus on promoting the statewide youth movement for tobacco prevention, Say What!, in addition to activities and events communities can host to support Texas becoming a smoke-free state. Registrations, lodging and meals are provided FREE of charge to all confirmed participants through funding by the Texas Department of State Health Services. To

Friday Beat –November 11, 2011 1 access summit dates and locations and download a registration packet, go to www.txtobaccosummits.com. For questions and more information call 877-304-2727 or email [email protected].

Health Education: NIDA-Funded Research in Mice Shows that Nicotine Primes the Brain to Enhance Cocaine’s Effects – Study Examines Nicotine as a Gateway Drug A landmark study in mice identifies a biological mechanism that could help explain how tobacco products could act as gateway drugs, increasing a person's future likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study is the first to show that nicotine might prime the brain to enhance the behavioral effects of cocaine. Access the study at http://stm.sciencemag.org/www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/cocaine.html.

Teen Prescription (Rx) Drug Abuse School Tool Kit The School Tool Kit enables middle schools and high schools to raise awareness of teen prescription (Rx) drug abuse through school assemblies, lesson plans, and year-round activities. The Tool Kit is designed to be easy-to-use and flexible in order to meet each school's individual needs. School professionals on staff at a middle schools or high schools are eligible to receive the free School Tool Kit. Download the Tool Kit at www.smartmovessmartchoices.org/school-tool-kit/download or order the Tool Kit at www.smartmovessmartchoices.org/school-tool-kit/order.

Staff Wellness Promotion: Great American Smokeout – November 17, 2011 The Great American Smokeout encourages smokers to quit for just one day. It is not a huge commitment but often is the first step in quitting for good. The American Cancer Society hosts a link with resources for smokers who are thinking about quitting. It also has resources you can use to promote the Great American Smokeout to employees. Link to the Great American Smokeout at www.cancer.org/smokeout or directly to the resources page at www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobacco/GreatAmericanSmokeout/ToolsandResources/resources.

Nutrition Services and Education: Study: Students Are Still Drinking Soda Despite A Ban In Schools Eighty-five percent of eighth-graders between 2006 and 2007 reported drinking sugary drinks once weekly, while 26 percent to 33 percent said they had daily consumptions of sugary drinks despite a state policy banning such beverages from schools, a study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine revealed. Experts also noted that soda access among students in schools banning sugary drinks did not differ from those that did not impose a soda ban. Read more at www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-07/banning-sugary-soda-from-schools-fails-to-cut-teen- consumption.html.

Healthy and Safe School Environment: Report on Student Victimization in U.S. Schools In the 2008–09 school year, about 3.9 percent of students ages 12 through 18 reported that they were victims of a crime at school according to a report released by the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey collects student reports of the presence of gangs and weapons and the availability of drugs and alcohol at school, traditional and electronic bullying, and fear and avoidance behaviors of crime victims and non-victims at school. Read the full report at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012314.

“Addressing the Gendered Dimensions of Harassment and Bullying: What Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocates Need to Know” This paper for the National Resources Center on Domestic Violence and National Sexual Violence Resource Center introduces and discusses a recent policy memo from the U.S. Department of Education that clarifies the distinctions between bullying and harassment and the priorities and responsibilities of school districts, explores the unintended consequences of ignoring the gendered dimensions of bullying and harassment in K-12 schools, and suggests helpful strategies for advocates collaborating with school personnel and students. Read the study at www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/CIB_HarassmentBullying.pdf.

Friday Beat –November 11, 2011 2 Legislators Consider Federal Anti-Bullying Measures Federal lawmakers are considering proposed anti-bullying legislation that would apply to all students and schools across the country, and could provide specific protections for students who are lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender. One proposal by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., that contains specific LBGT protections could be wrapped into the rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, along with a proposal introduced by Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., and Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., that would require schools to track and report all bullying. Read about it at www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/11/02/10bully.h31.html?tkn=VWTForgHuuu %2FOyANGjU1LwqkTaRDL6aLT2hV&cmp=clp-sb-ascd.

Study Shows High Rate Of Sexual Harassment Among Students Roughly 50 percent of students in grades 7 to 12 report having experienced sexual harassment during the past school year, with a majority of those saying the experiences caused them to miss school and sleep or have stomachaches, according to a new study. Conducted by researchers at the nonprofit American Association of University Women, the study found that girls more often were the victims of harassment, which had more severe effects for students from low-income backgrounds. Read more at www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/education/widespread-sexual-harassment-in- grades-7-to-12-found-in-study.html?_r=1.

Health Services: "Teen Alcohol Risk Screening Guide" is Now Available The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has released, “Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide.” This tool helps healthcare professionals identify youth at risk for alcohol-related problems, counsel or advise them, and connect them to external sources of treatment. It contains a risk assessment survey and links to motivational interviewing resources. The guide is free and can be downloaded at www.pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Practitioner/YouthGuide/YouthGuideOrderForm.htm. For more information about the guide, go to www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/EducationTrainingMaterials/YouthGuide.

Preteens Aren't Getting Adequate Sleep About 85 percent of children in the elementary through middle school are not meeting the required 10 to 12 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. A 1999 study found that an estimated 10 percent of children through fourth grade fall asleep while in school. "If an infant doesn't get enough sleep, chances are that you'll have the same problem later on, with kids at 10, 11 and 12 who never learned how to self-soothe," a sleep coach said. Read about it at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204528204577012023299886952.html? mod=dist_smartbrief.

Home Environment Affects Asthmatic Kids Children with asthma who live in single-parent homes are 50 percent more likely to return to the hospital for treatment within a year than those who live in two-parent homes, a new study finds. Read more at http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/healthcare/story/2011-11-07/Home-environment-affects-asthmatic- kids/51104696/1.

What’s Working Around the Nation: San Francisco Schools Offer Wellness Services To Students More than 7,000 students -- roughly 50 percent of the San Francisco Unified School District's high-school student body -- sought services last year at Wellness Centers that have been in place for the past 10 years at the city's 15 high schools as part of an initiative to improve students' social and emotional well-being. Statistics show students who receive services are more likely to attend school and report improved achievement. Read about it at www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/us/a-place-at-school-where-students-can-unload-stress-and-worry.html?_r=1.

Comprehensive Policies, Reports and Research and Resources: Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released “Healthy People 2020—Leading Health Indicators” on October 31. HHS presented the leading health indicators for Healthy People 2020 at the 139th annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. Section: Healthy People 2020 provides a comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People 2020 contains 42 topic areas with nearly 600 objectives (with others still evolving), which encompass 1,200 measures. A smaller set of Healthy People

Friday Beat –November 11, 2011 3 2020 objectives, called Leading Health Indicators, has been selected to communicate high-priority health issues and actions that can be taken to address them. For links to all of these health indicators, go to www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/Default.aspx.

New Search Tool Helps Users Find Federal Grants to Fund Youth Programs The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs has created an online Web tool that allows users to search for federal grant opportunities by youth topic or federal agency on Grants.gov. The tool uses a filter to search for grants that are likely to fund youth programs. Grants.gov is a Web site that allows users to search and apply for thousands of federal grants. To use the tool, go to www.findyouthinfo.gov/GrantsSearch.aspx.

Quote to Note: “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” Elmer Davis, News reporter, author, Director of the United States Office of War Information during World War II and a Peabody Award recipient

Become a Friday Beat subscriber. Go to www.dshs.state.tx.us/schoolhealth/fridaybeat.shtm. Click on “sign up for e-mail updates” and follow the prompts. ------The articles and external links to other sites appearing in the Friday Beat are intended to be informational and do not represent an endorsement by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The sites also may not be accessible to people with disabilities. External email links are provided to you as a courtesy. Please be advised that you are not emailing the DSHS and DSHS policies do not apply should you choose to correspond. For information about any of the programs listed, contact the sponsoring organization directly. For comments or questions about the Friday Beat, contact Ellen Smith at (512) 458-7111 ext. 2140 or by email at [email protected]. Copyright free. Permission granted to forward or make copies as needed.

Friday Beat –November 11, 2011 4