Education Leaders Explore Links between Education and Health
What schools can do to improve children’s health
Media May Participate via Listen-In Audio Conference or in Person; Post-Conference Interviews are Available for Teleconference Participants

WASHINGTON - Few people think of education as a crucial path to good health.  In particular, the health impact of schools where children spend the bulk of their time is not widely recognized. Do children have access to nutritious food? Do all schools offer opportunities for physical activity? Are programs in place to give students the best opportunity to achieve good health throughout life and promote healthy choices?

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America issued specific recommendations for how schools can help improve health in April 2009.

On Wednesday, September 9, Commissioner Kati Haycock, President of The Education Trust, will convene national education stakeholder leaders  including local school programs, foundations, advocacy groups, national associations, and the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture to discuss ways to link education and health, to discuss how education affects lifetime health and to explore how to improve nutrition and physical activity in schools and where there are new opportunities for collaboration.

Additionally, Commission staff will provide an overview of the large body of evidence linking education with health, including county- and state-level data, and a new Commission issue brief detailing the links between educational attainment and health. They will also lead a discussion of what the education community can do to improve health in this country.

The event will take place Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 11:15a.m. at the Elliott School on the George Washington University campus located at 1957 E Street, NW, Washington, DC. RSVP for the meeting or teleconference by contacting Giovanna Frank-Vitale at 301-652-1558 or gfrank-vitale@burnesscommunications.com. Post-conference interviews may be arranged through Sara Knoll at 301-652-1558 or sknoll@burnesscommunications.com.

Speakers:

Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education
Paula Braveman, Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco
Anthony Geraci, Director of Food and Nutrition, Baltimore City Public Schools
Kati Haycock, Commissioner and President, The Education Trust
David Morse, Vice President for Communications, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Randy Neve, Coordinator, Wisconsin Afterschool Network
John Stevens, Superintendent, Grundy Center Community School District Iowa
Jill Vialet, President and Founder, Playworks
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, Council of Chief School Officers
Steven H. Woolf, Professor of Family Medicine, Epidemiology and Community Health Virginia Commonwealth University