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Connection Collection

Annotation from the Connection Collection

You are viewing a record from the Connection Collection, a searchable annotated bibliography database. It links you with research-based information that you can use to connect schools, families, and communities.

Annotation:
This article presents a review of the current body of research on the relationship between school-based health centers (SBHCs) and academic performance, discussing the methods, findings, and limitations of reviewed studies. Results indicated that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that SBHCs link directly to academic performance. However, of the studies that met the criteria for inclusion in this review, six found a positive relationship between at least one academic performance indicator and SBHCs. The data analyzed were obtained from seven studies that examined a diverse selection of settings and utilized multiple methodologies. Research was included if it employed an experimental or quasi-experimental design. Only research published in peer-reviewed journals and evaluation reports were included. The differences in methodologies across the included studies created difficulties in arriving at overall conclusions. Future studies should identify one methodology and employ a large sample in order to obtain conclusive results. In addition, indirect effects of SBHCs should be examined. The article offers recommendations for evaluating the effect of SBHC services on academic outcomes useful to SBHC researchers, evaluators, and service providers.

Suggested Citation Style:

• Geierstanger, S. P., Amaral, G., Mansour, M., & Walters, S. R. (2004). School-based health centers and academic performance: Research, challenges, and recommendations. Journal of School Health, 74(9), 347-352.