School Health Index
A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide

A: Good facilitation keeps the goals of the planning tasks in mind and reminds the group of the goals when they digress. During teamwork, it is important to recognize the difference of others and be respectful of them without letting one person dominate.

A: The four action steps are:

1. Complete the Overall Score Card.
2. Complete the School Health Improvement Plan.
3. Implement recommendations.
4. Reassess annually and strive for continuous improvement.

A: The scores on the Module Score Cards indicate the strengths and weaknesses of each specific module. The Module Score Cards are used to fill in the Overall Score Card. The completed Overall Score Card displays the scores for all the modules.

A: The School Health Improvement Plan lists the steps you will take to implement your actions.

A: Assigning tasks increases accountability. Team members are more likely to follow through with their tasks.

A: Progress may be monitored through regular meetings or conference calls. Celebrate successes to recognize strides your school has made in implementing the plan. Plan for a reassessment in one year, and schedule it in advance.

A: Financial resources may be available from federal, state, or local entities, or from local businesses. Consider contacting community agencies that may be willing to donate time, space, or staff to projects your school would like to do.

A: Criteria include expense, intensity of labor, and complexity. Deciding which action to implement first depends on your school's situation. Some very important actions may be too expensive, labor-intensive, or too complex to address in the short-term. Others may be less important, but require fewer resources and thus may be easier to implement. Use the collective judgment of the team to arrive at the best mix of important and achievable recommendations.