Every School Healthy: Policy, Research, and Action

Abstract

T he invitation to serve as guest editors of a sponsored issue, such as this one is a privilege, and it comes with a responsibility to showcase the impactful work of diverse and talented authors and colleagues. This responsibility also includes the need to ensure the content reflects the values of the American School Health Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and its Together for Healthy and Successful Schools program grantees (with whom the idea for this issue originated).As we write this in the summer of 2020, we acknowledge that the world has changed a lot from the end of 2019 when this issue was first conceptualized and early 2020 when the authors were invited and articles were underway. We also know that it will have changed even more by the time this is published. Some of the biggest changes have been and will continue to be in the complicated and interlocking systems of education and health.We believe that these articles continue to be relevant, but it is important to acknowledge that they reflect work performed in very different conditions. We think it is fair to say that neither we nor any of the contributors to this issue could imagine the changes being wrought in the nation's schools and surrounding communities by COVID-19. At the same time, the powerful response to our nation's history of racism and inequality, much of it being led by young people, is leading to even more changes-particularly in areas of interest to readers of this special issue, such as the social-emotional and physical environments of schools.As you read these articles and consider their implications for your work in supporting healthy and safe environments for young people, we ask that you also reflect on the larger implications. What do they have to say for our future and the future of a Principal,

Expanding school wellness policies to encompass the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model

“…There is considerable enthusiasm for the WSCC model at the federal level in the United States ( 23 , 24 ). However, integrating the WSCC model into school wellness policies and broader school efforts has been challenging.…”