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Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion
Health and education policies provide a foundation for school practices and procedures. Policies that govern sexual health education in schools, safe and supportive environments, and adolescent access to sexual health services are critical to HIV and STD prevention among adolescents. Knowledge and understanding of the policies under which school health programs operate can help to maximize the positive impact of these programs on health outcomes and academic success.
In partnership with Child Trends and the National Coalition of STD Directors, NASBE established the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion (LEAHP) in 2019. LEAHP is a learning collaborative of multi-sector, state-level leadership teams with the goal to develop state-specific action plans in support of policy assessment, development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation to address adolescent health in three priority areas: sexual health education, sexual health services, and safe and supportive environments in schools. Participants of LEAHP benefit from peer-to-peer collaboration, in-depth training from subject matter experts, access to scientific research and data, and concentrated, state-specific technical assistance for two years.
This project is supported by cooperative agreement CDC-RFA-PS18-1807 with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The opinions, findings, and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views or official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
PROJECT GOALS
LEAHP is a learning collaborative of multi-sector, state-level leadership teams with the goal to develop state-specific action plans in support of policy assessment, development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation to address adolescent health in three priority areas. The goals of the project include…
- Build the capacity of state leadership teams to assess, develop, monitor, evaluate, and implement adolescent health policy for sexual health education, sexual health services, and safe and supportive environments
- Facilitate access to a network of national policy, health, and education experts
- Strengthen state-leaders knowledge and understanding of adolescent health issues
- Create collaborative and peer-to-peer learning opportunities for state leadership teams to share successes, challenges, innovations, and questions on improving adolescent health policy.
LEAHP uses the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition of policy which is “a law, regulation, procedure, administrative action, incentive, or voluntary practice of governments and other institutions.” Policies may include:
- Legislative: laws or ordinances created by elected representatives (e.g., state or local legislative bodies)
- Regulatory: rules, guidelines, principles, or methods created by government agencies with regulatory authority
- Organizational: rules or practices established within an agency or organization
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION
Participation in LEAHP can bolster collaboration among state team members and across states to provide best practices for improving adolescent health. In addition, teams participate in…
- An in-person or virtual training to bolster collaboration among state team members and across states to provide best practices for improving adolescent health
- A state-specific profile outlining the data and policy landscape for adolescent health
- Technical assistance from NCSD, Child Trends, NASBE, and advisory board partners
- Virtual networking opportunities with state leaders from across the country
- Access to the latest resources, research, and learning opportunities to support action plans
- Expertise, guidance, and data from the CDC
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
LEAHP teams may be comprised of representatives from education agencies, health departments, executive and legislative branches of state government, and state-specific adolescent health organizations…
- State teams generally start with five members. At a minimum, the state team needs representation from the state health department and either the state education agency or the state board of education.
- States participating in the first cohort of LEAHP which launched in July 2019 are the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.
- States participating in the second cohort of LEAHP which launched in January 2020 are California, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, and Utah.
OUR PARTNERS
NASBE, NCSD, and Child Trends are pleased to partner with national organizations who have subject matter expertise and key constituency networks as participants on the LEAHP Advisory Board…
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- National Governors Association
- Council of Chief State School Officers
- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
- Cardea Services
- GLSEN
- Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education
LEAHP Project Launches to Help States Develop Adolescent Health Policies
The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), in partnership with Child Trends and the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), has launched the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion (LEAHP).
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