In an effort to inform the debate on the effect of health care on children's readiness to learn, a study was conducted of the perceptions of 250 kindergarten through grade 3 teachers and 250 teachers in fourth through sixth grades concerning the relationship between their students' health and academic performance. Interviews were conducted via telephone, and teachers were selected from suburban/small town schools (n=300), urban schools (n=110), and rural schools (n=90). Results of the survey include the following: (1) 94% of the respondents agreed that children's overall health was very important to school performance; (2) overall, teachers estimated that 12% of their students from the previous year had health problems hindering their academic performance, while teachers in urban areas reported 18%; (3) 64% of all respondents reported more children with health problems than in previous years, while 71% of rural teachers reported more health problems; (4) with respect to the barriers to adequate health care, 71% of the teachers cited the cost of care, 64% cited the lack of adequate insurance, and 57% cited the failure to understand the value of preventative care; (5) the most commonly cited possible actions to ensure adequate care included educating parents about issues and practices (29%), ensuring that schools provide services and available professionals (22%), and making health care affordable (21%); and (6) in terms of helpful practices, 97% of the teachers said they teach students about good health, and 87% reported that their schools provided nutritious meals. Tables of detailed findings and the survey instrument are appended. (AC)