ASCD Supports First Lady Michelle Obama's Campaign to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids
Statement from Gene R. Carter, Executive Director, ASCD
February 16, 2010
On behalf of the more than 170,000 professional educators who belong to ASCD, I want to commend First Lady Michelle Obama's efforts to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. The First Lady's mission is ambitious, but achievable, given her charge that we work together to develop comprehensive solutions that build on proven strategies and mobilize both public and private sector resources. This means parents, educators, policymakers, and business and community leaders must commit to this important mission.
For more than 65 years, ASCD has built on a core set of values and beliefs in support of the whole child. We believe student success is dependent on academic knowledge, physical and emotional health, engagement, and school and community support. We advocate for sound education policies and best practices to ensure that each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
Over the past 10 years, we've been at the forefront of advocating for school-community health collaborations, beginning with our work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in helping local educators and public health officials jointly tackle education issues. We are a member of the steering committee of the National Coordinating Committee on School Health and Safety; we helped create Action for Healthy Kids and continue to be a strategic partner; and we are part of the adolescent workgroup for Healthy People 2020.
ASCD's Healthy School Communities (HSC) is an integral part of our Whole Child Initiative: a multiyear plan to move away from a narrowly defined focus on academic achievement to a whole child approach that encompasses all factors required for successful student outcomes. Since 2006, HSC has provided practical resources such as the Healthy School Report Card, which helps communities address the health and well-being of students and educators in evidence-based ways that support learning and teaching. ASCD will soon release the findings from a three-year pilot project of sites across the United States and Canada that used the report card to implement best practices and policies for improving school health.
At ASCD, we recognize the important link between the creation of strong policies that translate into effective practices—and that systemic approaches are key to success. A longstanding ASCD policy recommendation has been the creation of a federal interagency committee to address student health. We fully support the administration's creation of a Task Force on Childhood Obesity to end the problem of obesity among our nation's children within a generation. We stand ready to advise this task force and help carry out its recommendations.
ASCD's membership of professional educators from all levels and subject areas––superintendents, principals, teachers, professors, school board members, and more––also stands ready to serve as a resource on issues surrounding child nutrition and wellness as well as translate policy recommendations into practical solutions as part of our overall effort to support the whole child. We look forward to working with Mrs. Obama, the administration, and Congress. Together, let's eradicate childhood obesity and do what's best for the health and well-being of our children.
For more information on ASCD's efforts:
Contact Information
- David Griffith, policy director, at 1-703-575-5621 or by e-mail
- Barbara Michelman, communications director, at 1-703-575-5764 or by e-mail