SCHOOL: SECOND PILLAR OF SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN
Teachers and schools operate under tremendous pressures. Can we ask them to do more?
Summary: Small schools under local control, and with a focus on wellness, could make a real difference for all involved.
Living Well Locally sees early childcare and k-12 schools as the second pillar of support for America’s children. Given what has been lost from the home environment and the worsened state of children’s health, the work of educators has increased. This is especially the case in public schools.
Early childhood and K-12 schooling are hugely impactful environments for all students; we all remember the best and worst of times spent walking halls, stressing through tests, relating to others. When teachers and administrators have enough time, enough training, enough empathy, enough resources, and enough support they can make a huge difference in the lives of students.
This ideal, however, is seldom met given the pressures under which most schools function today. Despite increased budgets, schools face modern challenges that rarely existed a few decades ago: cell phones and social media, bullying, transgender issues, curriculum controversies, school shootings, and an ever-expanding body of technical knowledge that must be taught. Plus, all of the above happening in the context of students who are increasingly unwell.
More than 40% of America’s children have one or more chronic diseases; 1 in 3 are overweight or obese; the autism rate keeps rising (now 1 in 33); and in 2023, the CDC declared “our nation’s youth are experiencing a mental health crisis”. Then from the Pentagon, we learn that by the time American adolescents reach military age, 77% of applicants for service must have health waivers to be accepted.
Of particular note is the impact school has on children from impoverished and/or broken homes. In her dissertation, Alison explored the question: what kind of school interventions moved the needle for children in poverty. It turned out that two things made a significant difference: smaller class size and an extended school year. When teachers had more time to assess and design for student needs, students more often rose to their expectations, both teachers and students found greater satisfaction, and educational outcomes improved.
When students struggle from poverty, broken homes, abusive relationships, or learning disabilities, school becomes more than a place of formal learning, it may be the only hope some have for breaking free of their circumstances, for finding a safety net from abuse or a footing when adrift in a complex world.
Community control and smaller neighborhood schools could make a real difference. This would be especially true in communities and schools that have taken an active and intentional focus on wellness. Improving student health could achieve more than healthier students, it could serve as a valuable learning tool for everyone - parents, teachers, administrators, staff, and especially students themselves. It would also ensure that ALL students could benefit regardless of their home environments. Two real food meals a day, physical activity for everyone, and teaching habits of good selfcare could turnaround the crisis America currently faces in children’s health.
The question, however, becomes: can we ask schools to do more? Can we ask busy school cafeterias to convert from ‘heat and serve’ frozen foods to real, whole foods from local farms that require prepping and different cooking skills? Can schools develop and apply meaningful wellness programs when there is so much else to teach? Who possesses the skills and time to re-write curricula around health and wellness when making it through standardized testing has become a time-consuming goal in itself?
Asking schools to play a significant role in making America’s children healthy again is a big ask, but one certainly worth attempting and supporting so that all children have access, not just those whose homes manage to become healthier. Plus, school environments offer social support, something that makes wellness efforts far more successful than going it alone.
Living Well Locally suggests that ‘local’, ‘small’, and ‘well’ are worthwhile considerations for helping schools become true pillars of support. It won’t be easy with schools already under significant pressures, but the effort and learning would be worth it for everyone involved.
Schools today have no choice but to deal with what has gone awry in homes and society. Children have little choice but to accept the circumstances of their young lives. If both home and school should fall short of what any given child needs, we can hope that somewhere in the wider worlds of community and society he or she will find the support, awareness, and opportunity needed to flourish.