Closing the Achievement Gap/Health Disparities
Increasing diversity means more youth of color are entering Minnesota’s school systems. Between 2005 and 2010, the state population will gain 255,000 individuals and 38 percent of that gain will be in communities of color. (Minnesota Population Projections by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2000-2030, January 2005). This page will direct you to resources that are aimed at eliminating health and achievement disparities.
MDH Office of Minority and Multicultural Health
CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD)
The Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD) aims to accelerate CDC’s health impact in the U.S population and to eliminate health disparities for vulnerable populations as defined by race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, geography, gender, age, disability status, risk status related to sex and gender, and among other populations identified to be at-risk for health disparities.
Addressing Social Determinants of Health (PDF: 13MB/39 pages) CDC report. Population health outcomes are significantly influenced by complex, integrated and overlapping social structures and economic systems. Studies have shown that social determinants, such as an individual’s position in a social hierarchy, can influence health outcomes.
Closing the Gap in a Generation-How?
Inequities in health arise because of the circumstances in which people grow, live, work, and age, and the systems put in place to deal with illness. The conditions in which people live and die are, in turn, shaped by political, social, and economic forces. Better health and its fair distribution should be adopted as shared goals.
Disparities in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in U.S Children and U.S Adolescents (PDF: 129KB/26 pages)
This paper describes disparities in physical activity participation and sedentary behaviors among youth in the United States, provides intervention implications, and offers recommendations for future research focused on reducing disparities related to levels of physical activity.
Charter High Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap (PDF: 4MB/84 pages)
This guide profiles eight charter secondary schools that are making headway in meeting the achievement challenge. They are introduced here so their practices can inspire and inform other school communities.
Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in School Reforms to Close the Achievement Gap (PDF: 675KB/105 pages)
Charles E. Basch, the Richard March Hoe Professor of Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Although Dr. Basch acknowledges that the connection between health and learning is not new, he focuses this paper on seven educationally relevant health disparities that disproportionately affect urban minority youth from low-income families. He discusses how these health disparities impede motivation and ability learn through five interrelated causal pathways. And, he calls for a U.S. Department of Education initiative to reduce educationally relevant health disparities as part of a national strategy to close the achievement gap.