FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Wendy Sellers
Comprehensive Health Coordinator
517-541-8768
Fax: 517-543-4870

Laurie Marshall
Administrative Assistant
517-541-8771

Comprehensive School Health Education

Did you know? Americans consider health education to be one of the most important subjects in school.

Comprehensive school health education (CSHE) is one of the eight components of an overall coordinated school health program. According to the American Association for Health Education, health education is:

• a social science that draws from the biological, environmental, psychological, physical, and medical sciences to promote health and prevent disease, disability and premature death through education-driven voluntary behavior change activities.
  
• the development of individual, group, institutional, community, and systemic strategies to improve health knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behavior.

The purpose of health education is to positively influence the health behavior of individuals and communities, as well as the living and working conditions that influence their health.

Michigan is the only state in the nation that has a model health education program, the Michigan Model for Health.  The Michigan Model has received many citations for excellence:

• Michigan Model has been cited nationally as an exemplary drug and violence prevention program.
• Michigan Model is an evidence-based program on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
• Michigan Model is a CASEL Select social-emotional learning program.
• Multiple evaluations have documented its effectiveness in improving health attitudes and behaviors.

According to the Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC), comprehensive school health education includes the following key elements:

1. A documented, planned, and sequential program of health instruction for students in grades kindergarten through twelve.
2. A curriculum that addresses and integrates education about a range of categorical health problems and issues at developmentally appropriate ages.
3. Activities that help young people develop the skills they need to avoid: tobacco use; dietary patterns that contribute to disease; sedentary lifestyle; sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other STDs and unintended pregnancy; alcohol and other drug use; and behaviors that result in unintentional and intentional injuries.
4. Instruction provided for a prescribed amount of time at each grade level.
5. Management and coordination by an education professional trained to implement the program.
6. Instruction from teachers who are trained to teach the subject.
7. Involvement of parents, health professionals, and other concerned community members.
8. Periodic evaluation, updating, and improvement.

View documents that guide Health Education in Michigan's schools:

• Michigan's Health Education Standards
• Michigan's Health Education Grade Level Content Expectations for kindergarten through grade 8
• Michigan's Merit Curriculum Health Education and Physical Education Guidelines

For more information about Comprehensive School Health Education, read the "Comprehensive School Health Education" fact sheet.

Please view the 2012-2013 Professional Development Schedule and