In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced the "Raise the Bar: Lead the World" initiative to use decades of research and professional experience to transform public education and advance education equity. There are three focus areas: (1) Achieve Academic Excellence; (2) Boldly Improve Learning Conditions; and (3) Create Pathways…

The Policy-Advocacy-Leadership (PAL) column is developed to initiate and facilitate important dialogue about health care and educational policy, and develop and share the knowledge, tools, and resources that enable all of us to be effective advocates for our clients and our practice and leaders in our practice settings and profession. In this…

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its 16 member states and territories work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for their citizens. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, WICHE strengthens higher education's contributions to social, economic, and…

In this webinar, Dr. Charles Basch, Richard March Hoe Professor of Health and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, presented the causal connections between health factors and the motivation and ability to learn. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Basch following the webinar. The webinar recording and…

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its 15 member states work to improve access to higher education and ensure student success. Their student exchange programs, regional initiatives, and research and policy work allow them to assist constituents throughout the West and beyond. In fiscal 2013 WICHE's four units--Programs…

Nearly all private, government and non-governmental organizations that receive government funding to run social or health promotion programs in the United States are required to conduct program evaluations and to report findings to the funding agency. Reports are usually due at the end of a funding cycle and they may or may not have an influence…

"When will they ever learn?" is the refrain of a Pete Seeger song from the '60s. It could also stand as one of the primary questions in higher education today. It's a question that the educators who teach in institutions, and the businesspeople who hire those institutions' graduates, are asking about students: When will they learn what…

Public higher education has faced a crisis of massive proportions in the first decade of this millennium. Nevertheless, for higher education, this year represents a turning point and, yes, an opportunity. The opportunity, then, for the West is one that generations of Americans are familiar with: to do more with less. Dealing with scarcity--whether…

Saturating the Canadian landscape are media and health industry discourses representing childhood physical "(in)activity" and "obesity" as being at "epidemic" proportion. Increasingly identified as a focus of concern within such representations is the school setting, simultaneously positioned both as a cause of…

If there's one quality that WICHE's home region, the West, is famous for, it's endurance in the face of crisis. And if there's another, it's the ability to find--and make--opportunities even in tough times. Over the last fiscal year, WICHE has done just that. The organization has been highly successful in terms of developing new projects and…

Discussed the State of Colorado's introduction of performance contracting into its relationships with community mental health centers. Describes the nature of the contract and its implementation. Particular emphasis is placed on the implications of the contract for program evaluation. (Author)

Reviews have identified mental health interventions that are relevant to schools; unfortunately, this research pays insufficient attention to the school context. Several aspects of school context likely influence the ability of schools to change current practices or adopt new ones. Relying on an organizational framework, a three-level model of…

Reports the implementation of a quality assurance program in Colorado mental health facilities, designed to help managers know how they were doing on operational issues. The program was simple, low cost, and easy to implement. All levels of management found it a useful tool. (Author/WAS)

As the nation struggles to get back on its feet economically, the colleges and universities are working harder than ever to fulfill their mission: to educate the next generation of workers and citizens. In the West that task is arguably more challenging than elsewhere. The region is highly diverse in terms of both demographics and geography, with…

Health education at the college level has developed a variety of new curriculum approaches which emphasize behavior change. With the assumption that life-style contributes most to student health, a health course divided into four parts--diagnosis, prescription, action, and accountability--was developed. An attitude survey acted as an evaluation…