How to Use this Workbook & Online Resources and/or Lead a Discussion on a Topic/Better Practice from Your Work
With the extensive set of criteria and recommended indicators, the “continuous improvement objectives” or “better practices” in this workbook are intended to help and guide officials, program managers and practitioners to maintain a long-term approach that is systems-focused. We present a lot of material that can be addressed selectively over time and certainly not all at once.

The core idea is that ministries, local health and education authorities and schools/local clinics and professionals can use to retain a holistic multi-dimensional vision while building capacity around the core components of SHP while implementing specific policies or programs.
See How We have Formatted each Web Page to Go
From Big Idea to Specific, Practical, Incremental Suggestions
These better practices and improvement objectives are intended to assist governments and organizations in all countries to assess and improve the multi-component approaches and multi-intervention programs on the health and social issues and behaviours that they have deemed relevant and urgent for their jurisdictions. It is intended to be a core set of criteria and indicators that can be complemented by other self-assessment and improvement tools addressing specific components, issues or programs. The accompanying improvement advice and sources use contextually relevant benchmarking, tools and examples and across all countries but also grouped in high, low and conflict/affected categories for easier applications.

This advice and many, many practical suggestions and resources have been organized and presented in these categories:
  1. Dimensions & Better Practices: The ten dimensions of the new paradigm for school health (see above) have been used. These are drawn from the global consensus statement being circulated by the International School Health Network. These dimensions include the traditional components or “pillars” of many multi-component approaches to SHP (such as policy, education, services etc.) as well as different dimensions that need to be considered when using this approach (such as governance/structures, implementation/maintenance/scaling up, system/organizational capacity etc. The “better practices” are drawn from experience and evidence and reflect consensus being confirmed in the ISHN Global Delphi Consultation on What We Know & Need to Know in SH&D.

  2. Criteria & Source: These are the criteria by which we can determine the relevance, effectiveness and feasibility of that item. The primary source or reference for each criterion is noted in the third column. Most of the criteria are derived from well-known and accepted source such as the FRESH framework or well-recognized bodies of knowledge such systems science or organizational development.

  3. Indicators of Progress & Data Sources: These are specific aspects of the various criteria that can be used to assess progress as well as suggested data sources related to that indicator. As noted, these standards encourage participants using this document to assess progress on a four-point scale in a rubric format. This encourages reflection and discussion about the indicator as well as potential data sources that can be used if the suggested data source in not available. We are using the same rubric format as the World Bank SABER program in this document and accompanying Worksheets.  

  4. Rationale/Research/Reports: This column briefly presents the rationale, relevant research and reports related to the criteria and/or the specific indicator. The online versions of these standards will use the convenience of the web to publish summaries, examples, and other knowledge-based materials to explain the significance of item.

  5. Pathways to Improvement: This section will briefly present practice stories, good examples and case studies, taken from the three major types of country contexts, that can lead to improved policy, programs or practice. These will include a variety of resources, suggested readings and recordings. The publishers of these standards are seeking the support of funders to reach out to existing knowledge centres, leading practitioners, researchers, officials and others to facilitate on-going and time-limited discussions of innovations and problem-solving.
 
How You Can Contribute and Lead Specific Discussions on Topics from Your Work

We are asking individual students, parents, practitioners, officials, policy-makers and experts to help ISHN and its partners to develop and maintain this on-line workbook dedicated to a new paradigm for school health promotion. We think that it is fitting that we harness the power of our collective knowledge and experience through crowd-sourcing.

Here is how you can contribute:

  1. Go through the extensive list of Better Practices and identify the topics which you have made progress, developed resources, conducted research or evaluations or simply have a story to tell.

  2. Let us know that you have something to share by completing this web form OR by simply writing to Doug McCall, Executive Director, ISHN at dmccall@internationalschoolhealth.org

  3. There are several ways to contribute, including:

    1. Sending us a web link to a good research article, resource, report, recorded webinar or presentation.

    2. Sending us a “practice story” or case study on a topic

    3. Posting a question or sharing news/resources in the chat box on each page

    4. Agreeing to present your work in a webinar or participate in a brief, recorded Skype interview

    5. Reviewing the summary of the better practice as well as the suggested criteria/indicators, qualitative improvements, the summary of research/data/reports supporting the practice and lists of reports/resources and recorded presentations.  Send your comments/edits/additions to info@internationalschoolhealth.org

    6. Agreeing to be a contact for this specific topic/better practice who is willing to reply to email from colleagues seeking brief answers to questions or referrals to other sources of advice.

    7. Agreeing to take the lead on one of the sections within the online workbook.

    8. Helping to prepare online modules in MOOC-friendly formats that others can use in their online courses