Work

Assessing the Impact of School-Based Health Centers on Academic Achievement and College Preparation Efforts

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines the association between school-based health center (SBHC) presence and school-wide measures of academic achievement and college preparation efforts. Publicly available educational and demographic data from 810 California public high schools were linked to a list of schools with an SBHC. Propensity score matching, a method to reduce bias inherent in nonrandomized control studies, was used to select comparison schools. Regression analyses, controlling for proportion of English-language learners, were conducted for each outcome including proportion of students participating in three College Board exams, graduation rates, and meeting university graduation requirements. Findings suggest that SBHC presence is positively associated with college preparation outcomes but not with academic achievement outcomes (graduation rates or meeting state graduation requirements). Future research must examine underlying mechanisms supporting this association, such as school connectedness. Additional research should explore the role that SBHC staff could have in supporting college preparation efforts.

Source: The Journal of School Nursing

DOI: 10.1177/1059840516634805

Authors: Melina Bersamin, Samantha Garbers, Jenna Gaarde, John Santelli

Institutions: Prevention Institute, Columbia University

Language: English

Topic: School Health and Nursing Education

Subfield: Speech and Hearing

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development