By Suzanne Schrag | February 20, 2018
Editor/Project Manager, ETR
Where do young people get health information? Health educators hope their students understand how to find accurate answers to their questions from reliable resources. Such children and youth are in the best position to increase their knowledge in ways that will empower them to practice healthy behaviors and reduce their health risks.
By John Henry Ledwith | February 13, 2018
National Sales Manager, ETR
The great state of Texas. Known for its sports teams, exciting weather, roots-based eclectic music and grand landscapes. After my visit to northern Texas a couple of weeks ago, I’m going to add to that list: outstanding health education teachers.
I was working with health education master Susan Telljohann, PhD, as she delivered a training on the 15 Characteristics of Effective Health Education.
By Suzanne Schrag | January 9, 2018
Editor/Product Manager, ETR
Skills are a vital part of effective health education. And, in addition to acquiring knowledge, a focus on practicing skills is becoming more and more accepted as the best way to help young people establish healthy behaviors. This, in turn, helps them reduce their health risks.
By Suzanne Schrag | November 14, 2017
Editor/Product Manager, ETR
How do we give students the concepts and skills they need to choose healthy behaviors for a lifetime? From the 15 Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula identified by the CDC, we know that an effective program “provides functional health knowledge that directly contributes to health-promoting decisions and behaviors.” It also “builds competence and self-efficacy by addressing skills.” Let’s see some examples of how these two key components of a great health education program play out in Grade 2 of HealthSmart.
By Suzanne Schrag | November 7, 2017
Editor/Product Manager, ETR
It’s not enough to simply teach students information about health. As health educators, we must help them master key concepts and skills that promote health literacy and lifelong health. HealthSmart, ETR’s comprehensive K–12 health education program, targets Healthy Behavior Outcomes as its primary goal. This sets HealthSmart apart from a more traditional textbook health program.
By Suzanne Schrag | October 30, 2017
Editor/Product Manager, ETR
I’ve been working with HealthSmart, ETR’s comprehensive, K-12 health education program, since its inception. We’ve recently been traveling to different states to introduce schools, districts and DOEs to the HealthSmart program. Often we are presenting HealthSmart alongside more traditional textbook publishers.
HealthSmart is not a textbook program. In fact, it’s quite different from a textbook approach to health class. We’ve given a lot of thought to how we explain what may be a new way to think about health instruction for administrators and educators.
By Andrew Milne | August 29, 2017
Health Education & PE Teacher, New Trier High School
Teaching health is a fantastic opportunity! What a privilege to get to encourage our students to consider their health and that of others.
With increased pressure on academic scheduling it's important that health educators get the most out of their time in the classroom. These 5 steps should have your students running to your class, eager to learn.
By John Henry Ledwith | August 17, 2017
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
Ah. The sun of summer is beginning to wane. Many of my conversations with colleagues are now centering around that classic fall event, “Return to the Classroom.” Teachers are resetting desks. They’re getting books in place. They’re reviewing and finalizing lesson plans.
All this to be ready for the first starting bell of the new school year.
By Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | August 11, 2017
Senior Editor, ETR
“I didn’t even know it was sexual harassment.”
These are the words of a female high school student I spoke with recently. She and a male friend were discussing sexual harassment in their school. Girls being called “slut” because they wore a crop top. Hearing the slur “that’s so gay” on a daily basis. Feeling pressure to meet traditional expectations for gender roles. Not knowing how or when to step up and speak up to stop the harassment.
By John Henry Ledwith April 19, 2017
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
I just got back from the hospital. I’m fine, but one of my long-time friends is not. He’s recovering from a heart attack. This was one of the ones that put a real scare into me.
When a friend has an experience like this, you can’t help think about certain things. Life. Death. Family. The value of good health.
By John Henry Ledwith | March 21, 2017
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
Are you rested? Did you have breakfast? How many glasses of water did you drink today?
These three markers of healthy behavior—sleep, nutrition, hydration—are on my mind at the moment.
By John Henry Ledwith | January 11, 2017
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
We’ve had some seriously rainy weather in Northern California this past week. The storm outside was a good incentive for me to do a little clean-up and organizing inside.
As I opened file drawers and cabinet doors, I ploughed through several years’ worth of articles, notes, photos and papers. Some were still keepers. And others—ideas past their prime—went off to recycle.
By John Henry Ledwith | November 17, 2016
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
I love school health advocates! Earlier this month I got to spend time with a whole bunch of them at the School Health Education and Services Section (SHES) of the APHA annual meetings. As usual, joining up with that crowd was an illuminating and inspiring process.
By ETR | October 13, 2016
We hear regularly from customers about our health education materials. Sometimes they share praise and compliments for a product they’ve found helpful. Sometimes they ask for a new title or resource they need. And sometimes they offer constructive feedback about something that doesn’t quite work in their situation.
We’ve also gotten some really vitriolic criticism from vapers, who tend to dislike our public health messages about e-cigarettes.
By John Henry Ledwith | September 27, 2016
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
What’s the true value of a comprehensive school health program? I have a surprisingly simple answer: it’s a matter of life.
This came home to me starkly the other day as I sat with a group of people who had been an integral part of my sons’ childhood and teen years. Here were some of their coaches, many of their friends, the parents of their friends. And my boys, too, now young men in their 20’s.
We had come to honor and remember a friend and former teammate who had taken his own life the previous week. We sat baffled and heartsick as we listened to this young man’s father, reaching out to the people in the room, appealing to us: “Please, do not focus on this one bad decision, this momentary impulse, of my son’s life. Do not let that define who he was and the memories you carry onward. He was so much more than this!”
By Joan Singson and Suzanne Schrag | August 31, 2016
Program Manager and Editor/Product Manager, ETR
Do you like stories? Most people do, and, like Peter Seller’s character in Being There, “We like to watch.” Many of the evidence-based programs (EBPs) being used across the country, including many that ETR distributes, incorporate DVDs. Videos can be a useful and engaging strategy to hold participants’ attention, encourage fruitful discussions and allow youth to personalize information by relating to the characters’ stories and situations.
One of the most frequent questions we get concerning program adaptations relates to videos—in particular, whether videos can be left out or replaced with other videos. Often the question arises when facilitators do not think the included videos are representative of the youth they serve.
By Vignetta Charles, PhD | August 29, 2016
Chief Science Officer, ETR
Do you work with adolescents? Have you ever faced situations like these?
Sofia is an excellent student, popular on campus and a delightful member of your peer health educator program. She knows everything about birth control, STI prevention and making smart choices. She loves educating her peers. She and her boyfriend come to see you one afternoon and tell you they are pregnant.
We recently collaborated with the California School Based Health Alliance on a webinar describing and applying the new insights in developmental neuroscience. Our goal is to re-think and re-envision how we educate, raise and care for young people on their path to lifelong health and wellbeing. You can find links to the webinar recording and slides ("Survive or Thrive? Using Neuroscience to Re-Envision Adolescent Success") and information about other upcoming CSBHA webinars here.
By John Henry Ledwith | August 11, 2016
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
Someone asked me the other day, “Why are you such an evangelist for HealthSmart?” Actually, I get this question a lot. HealthSmart is ETR’s premiere health education program, and I talk about it all the time—not just as part of my job, but as part of my life.
By Julie Adams | May 25, 2016
Research Assistant, ETR
The 2016 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting was held in Washington, DC last month. It marked the 100th anniversary of education researchers meeting to talk about current issues in education, research and policy. As a first-time attendee, I was inspired to see so many people gather in one place, all dedicated to improving the future of education.
I’ve been reflecting on the information shared by some of the most notable researchers in the field over the course of those five exciting days. Here are three ideas I believe are essential to keep in mind as I continue my career in research.
By John Henry Ledwith | May 12, 2016
Senior Sales Manager, ETR
It’s springtime! Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, kids are dreaming of summer vacation. And teachers? They’re already planning for next year’s classes and curricula.
Yes, lots of people are looking forward at this moment. But I find I’m actually reflecting back on years past.