District Administration - October 2008 - (Page HSF4)

Different tools for different schools A discussion with Leslie Lytle, Ph.D., R.D., Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota. Should assessment be conducted at the district level or at each school in the district? We suggest assessing at both the district and school level because district policies often are more liberal than measures at individual schools. What should one consider when creating assessment tools? Develop tools to be completed by staff members who can offer the most accurate information. For example, physical education department heads are more likely than school principals to know about district requirements for PE time at each grade level. Similarly, the food service manager probably knows the most about nutrient criteria related to available foods and beverages. Does this mean that schools need more than one assessment form? Schools can use a single assessment form that has clear, contentspeciﬁc sections. The principal can assign individual portions to staff members who have the right FORM CHECKLISTFood and Beverage Items expertise Available ✔ (Checklist Form). or bean ttuce, vegetable, Available ✔ or 100% 100% fruit juice Vegetable juice Le salads? Diet soft drinks verages such Sweetened be pop, sports as regular soda drinks that are drinks, or fruit not 100% juice zen, canned, Fruit (fresh, fro dried) or ls, bagels, Breadsticks, rol bread er pita bread or oth products , crackers, Low-fat cookies other lowor cakes, pastries s fat baked good ckers, cakes, Cookies, cra er baked pastries, or oth t low in fat no goods that are thie Yogurt and smoo ers or Pizza, hamburg sandwiches? ? Other vegetables d potatoes? French frie y? Chocolate cand kinds of candy? Other t are low in Salty snacks tha ls, baked tze fat, such as pre -fat chips? low chips, or other low ks that are not Salty snac regular potato in fat, such as ffs? pu chips or cheese ee ice cream, Low-fat or fat-fr erbet? sh frozen yogurt, or or frozen yogurt Ice cream in fat? that is not low Milk? Water? In addition to her position at the University of Minnesota, Leslie Lytle serves as the Senior Advisor for Healthy Eating Research at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She has created tools for planning and evaluating eating behavior change interventions in children through her school-based research over the past two decades. What are some assessment challenges in middle schools and high schools? The number of “competitive” foods in vending machines and on á la carte lines may make it difﬁcult to evaluate the healthfulness of each item being sold. We recommend a simpliﬁed checklist tool to speed up the process. What are next steps after assessing á la carte offerings in the cafeteria? Summarize the ﬁndings in a useful form, for example, showing how foods compare to lists of “foods to Source for Checklist Form and Principal Survey - Leslie Lytle, PhD, RD: Principal Investigator, “Etiology of Adolescent Obesity,” funded by the National Cancer Institute Transdisciplinary Research in Energetics and Cancer Initiative 1U54CA116849-01 Healthy Steps Forward 4

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2008

District Administration - October 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology
Facilities & Construction
Inside the Law
District Profile: Englewood (N.J.) School District
Choose to Stay
A Cure for Monolingualism
Virtual Worlds for Educators
DA Web Seminar Leadership Series
School Libraries Renewed
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Curriculum Books
Professional Opinion
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - October 2008