The Implementation of Health Promoting Schools. Exploring the theories of what, why and how

Authors: Professor Oddrun Samdal and Honorary Associate Professor Louise Rowling

 

The emergence of health promoting schools is integrally linked with the disciplinary growth of a settings approach to health promotion. In the last 20 years developing as a health promoting school has been an aim for many schools globally. IUHPE and WHO documents, guidelines and lists of indicators, have provided guidance to schools, however they have not provided a quality theory-based implementation of viable approaches to help achieve schools’ aims. Nor have they offered concrete actions delineated from theoretical principles. This edited text carefully enunciates eight theoretically and empirically based implementation components that allow practitioners to understand the function of each component, and in doing so offers theory based and concrete empirical guidelines so each component can be utilised with fidelity. These components are necessary as the health promoting school approach involves a complex dynamic of group behaviours and system changes within the school, conducted by many staff and in collaboration with external stakeholders. The implementation system elaborated signifies that it is not just the existence of the components that attention needs to be given to, but also their functioning as key outcomes to be achieved. The absence of effective comprehensive implementation guidance on health promoting schools continually compromises the efficacy outcomes of whole school change for health and learning. The case studies by leading global experts illustrate these components. Implementation detail provides further guidance on how to implement the components. Additionally it provides a basis for how to construct and conduct research and evaluation on aspects of the implementation system for health promoting schools.

Eight implementation components:

1. preparing and planning for school development;

2. policy and institutional anchoring;

3. professional development and learning;

4. leadership and management practices;

5. relational and organisational support context;

6. student participation;

7. partnership and networking;

8. sustainability.

Discussion questions

a.    Of the list of 8 implementation components for health promoting schools is there a ‘key’ component or is implementation dependent on the context?

b.    Can a model of implementation be created? If so are linearity, circularity and integration all important to establish a nexus between health and learning? Or is implementation too complex to be depicted as a meaningful model?

This book will be presented at the IUHPE World Conference 2013 under the session Meet the Authors.