Improving School Health Programs *

For more than half a century school health programs have undergone change and improvement. Beginning with efforts to control com-municable diseases, such programs now include many diverse but related activities requiring the cooperative efforts of physicians, dentists, nurses, teachers, and others. Specific procedures help to protect pupils from unhealthful environmental conditions. Consideration is given to the influence of teacher-pupil relationships and of teaching methods on pupils' emotional health. Attention is given to the prevention of accidents, and provision is made for appropriate emergency care of those who become sick or injured at school. Special attention is given to mentally and physically handicapped pupils, so that they may receive the necessary medical care and have educational programs which are adapted to their specific needs and abilities. Medical examinations are augmented by health histories, screening tests, and teachers' observations, and are followed by effective counseling. School health education is gradually changing from formal, memorization courses in anatomy and physiology to vital, functional courses with a content based on the real needs of pupils and of the communities in which they live. Improvement is needed Some of these changes, however, have occurred in only a, few schools and must be considered primarily as changes in theory rather than as changes in general practice. Improvement in school health programs has been spotty, varying greatly in different states and even in different communities within a state. In many parts of the country little attention has been given to health programs for children attending rural schools. In general, school health programs have not achieved results commensurate with the time, money, and effort expended, nor have they produced the improvement in health which might be expected.