Alleviating Disadvantage with Schools

1
Alleviating Disadvantage with Schools
Communities

• UN Agencies
• Technical Committee
• June 2007
• Douglas S McCall

2
Purposes

• Introduce four sub-tracks
• Discuss why context matters, really matters
• Identify some differences in four contexts
• Suggest follow ups in four areas (networking,
  communities of practice, practical uses of
  technology in knowledge exchange, research and
  development)

3
Some health tips

• Dont smoke
• Eat healthy
• Be active
• Drink water
• Stay out of the sun
• etc

4
Health tips based on social determinants

• Dont smoke
• Eat healthy
• Be active
• Drink water
• Stay out of the sun

• Dont be born poor.
• Dont live in a poor community.
• Get a high-paying, interesting job.
• Marry well.
• Dont lose your job.

5
Start with the end in mind

• Communities of practice
• Networking
• Maximize practical uses of technology
• Develop and exchange knowledge

6
International School Health Network (ISHN)

• Network (loose, informal, messy) of other
  networks)
• Members from countries (3 per), regional networks
  agency offices, language, issue-based, research
  centres, international agencies, regrouping of
  countries (high, medium, low, mega) and schools
  reflecting communities of practice
• Networking (side mtgs. at conferences), online
  collaboration (web sites, email, skype, wiki,
  blog, webinar, facebook) and knowledge dev
  (books, comparative studies, country portraits
  case studies)
• www.internationalschoolhealth.org
• http//internationalschoolhealth.blogspot.com

7
Four Sub-Tracks

• Low income countries
• Low income communities
• Aboriginal communities
• Disrupted communities
• Only a beginning, not the end of the process

8
Clarity and Stereotypes

• Determinants or disadvantages
• Comfortable Canada
• Good enough is not good enough

9
HPS/CSHP/CSH/..

• School Health Promotion is a professional concept
  developed in several countries that must be
  redefined in every community and every school to
  be effective
• Educators have their own settings-based concepts,
  so do crime/law, environment, development, human
  rights/racism)
• How that concept is developed, implemented and
  sustained will depend on the historical, social
  and economic context (eg Europe, US, Canada,
  Australia, Latin America, low income countries,
  aboriginal communities etc)

10
Context Matters, Really Matters

• Flay
• Stokol
• Fullan
• Hargreaves

11
Each School has its own ecology
12
Each context brings different issues, capacities,
and approaches

• In Canada
• In the world
• Basic policy/program dilemma at all levels
  setting the agenda and the priorities

13
Recall the actions we can take

• Create and maintain networks
• Create communities of practice, seek continuous
  improvement, build capacity over time
• Make good use of technologies
• Conduct targeted research and knowledge exchange

14
Ensure meaning to our work with the disadvantaged

• Organize to hear the voices from the margins
• Recognize limits of schools influence on SES,
  war/peace/conflict while still demanding
  accountability
• Use different forms of knowledge
• Establish links with other initiatives such as
  Soc Determinants, aboriginal,

15
Low income Countries

• Issues many, different, see next slide
• Approach Access to primary education, basic
  literacy, delivery of cost-effective public
  health services
• Capacities the school as the centre of the
  community, respect for teachers
• Actions to support

16
Issues in low income countries

• Access to and effective basic education
• Schools construction, clean water, sanitation
  teacher training,
• Basic literacy, completion of primary school
• Role of faith communities, private sector

• H S Issues
• Basic hygiene
• School feeding
• Girls education
• Trades education
• Basic health literacy
• Parasites, malaria,

17
Low income communities

• IssuesApproach Completion of secondary
  education, basic health literacy and health
  careers, delivery of health, social services
• Capacities schools as safe havens
• Actions to support

18
Issues in Low Income communities

• Equity in
• Opportunity or Result
• Literacy, numeracy,
• Completing secondary school
• School renovation, clean water, safe
  transportation
• parasites

• H S Issues
• Gangs, violence, FASD
• family violence, neglect
• Substance abuse
• After school programs
• School meal programs
• Parent resource centres
• Head start programs

19
Aboriginal communities

• IssuesApproach Completion of secondary
  education, basic health literacy and health
  careers, cultural relevance and colonization,
  traditional knowledge and community as family
• Capacities schools as centres of renaissance,
  community elders are better organized
• Actions to support

20
Issues in aboriginal communities

• Access to Ed Result
• Completion of high school
• Vocation and trades
• Cultural relevance of school practices,
  curriculum, materials
• Governance issues

• H S Issues
• Suicide prevention
• Child abuse/neglect
• School meal programs
• Aftermath of colonization
• Chronic diseases, genetic diseases,

21
Cultural relevance

• Pacific Islands
• Generalized we
• Indirect and implied
• Diplomacy valued
• Seeks consensus
• yes means harmony
• Contextual, relational

• Western world
• Assertive I
• Direct and frank
• Debate valued
• Seeks compromise
• yes means agreement
• Linear, analytical

22
Disrupted communities

• IssuesApproach Completion of secondary
  education,
• Capacities schools as centres of reconstruction
  (often only place to start)
• Actions to support

23
Issues in disrupted communities

• Access Issues
• School reconstruction
• Clean water, safe buildings
• Emergency response and preparedness
• Role of development orgs

• H S Issues
• Ethnic conflict
• Safety from looting
• Lawlessness
• Stress, trauma, anger
• Peace global education, human rights
• Environmental education

24
One last c word

• Cooperation
• www.internationalschoolhealth.org