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Success Stories
CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) works to protect the nation’s youth from HIV, STDs, and pregnancy through programs, policies, and partnerships. DASH supports local, state, territorial and tribal nation education and health agencies as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to improve the health and well-being of our nation’s youth.
School-based surveillance provides critical data about health risk behaviors and experiences facing youth. These data help inform effective school-based prevention programs that connect education and public health efforts to strategies that work:
- Deliver quality health education
- Create systems to link students to health services
- Establish safe and supportive school environments
Program Impact
New evaluation studies on CDC’s What Works In Schools program show benefits to students. This primary prevention program supports school districts in implementing three strategies in middle and high schools—quality health education, access to health services, and safe and supportive school environments. Study findings indicated that students whose schools put the three strategies in place were less likely to report that students
- had ever had sex,
- had four or more sexual partners,
- were currently sexually active,
- missed school because of feeling unsafe,
- had been forced to have sex, and
- had ever or were currently using marijuana.
These study findings shows that when schools implement CDC’s program, they can prevent some of the most significant risks to the health and well-being of students.
Making the Grade: LGBTQ-Inclusive Schools
LGBTQ-supportive policies and practices positively affect a school’s environment, making a safer and more supportive space for ALL students. Schools can help address adolescent health by implementing policies and practices that support LGBTQ students.
Find out how schools were able to create inclusive environments.
DASH Program Highlights
CDC School Programs Empower Students for Success
For 30 years, CDC has worked with education and public health agencies to promote and implement school health programs, policies, and practices that protect adolescent health. CDC’s long term investment in partnerships with education agencies has led to better school health policies and programs at the state and local levels.
This story highlights DASH’s policy work over three decades.
