National Health Education Standards Task Force MEMBER PROFILES Kaulana Molina, MS, NBCT Health Education Practitioner (Hawai’i) There are a number of things that excite me about the revised National Health Education Standards, but one that comes to mind is the updated language. It encompasses some of the concerns and issues to consider when teaching health education. I believe the new standards include a holistic approach looking at factors and influences on health, as well as calling attention to understanding the relationships and interrelationships this may have on the outcome of health and wellness.
Tilsa Rodriguez-Gonzalez Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, City School District of New Rochelle (New York) Among my core beliefs is a lifelong commitment to wellness, which involves not only knowing how our bodies move and respond but also how we generally interact with our environment and people. The new National Health Education Standards will help educators assist students in engaging with the elements of their environment and relevant community members. I am most excited about the way the standards are laid out. The standards invoke critical thinking, making learning relevant to their lives. While the standards promote skills that will lead to habits, they ultimately support the learning necessary for our future leaders and consumers to manage the ever-evolving global demands students will face post-graduation.
Laurie Bechhofer, MPH, FASHA HIV/STI Education Consultant, Michigan Department of Education I am excited about numerous changes to the National Health Education Standards that will better prepare the next generation of learners with essential knowledge and skills to support health and well-being. Here are some of the shifts I would specifically like to highlight: an increased focus on mental health along with physical health; higher-order thinking and deeper skills are introduced at earlier ages; decision-making and goal-setting standards focusing on helping students to use the process; and an increased focus not only on the individual but also those surrounding them (e.g., “self and others”).
Winter 2024 • Momentum
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