School Health Education Institute (SHEI)

School Health Education Institute (SHEI)

Principal Investigator: Linda J. Peñaloza, Ph.D.
Start and End Dates: July 2003 – July 2006
Source of Funding: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Health Unit

The focus of this project is to design, conduct, and analyze evaluations of two Institutes that are sponsored annually by the New Mexico Public Education Department: “Health is Elementary,” a two-day training institute for elementary school teachers, and “School Health Education Institute,” a two-day training institute for secondary school teachers. The 5 topics covered at the institutes include school safety, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco and substance abuse prevention.

Activities for this project include reviewing and revising the evaluation documents; designing and conducting pre- and post-tests at each session; and analyzing and preparing a summary report of the findings. In addition, the project includes four-month survey of a sample of the conference participants from each Institute to determine whether the information from the conference has been used or integrated into their lessons. The primary goals in assessing both Institutes are to provide suggestions for improving the conference for each Institute and to improve the value of the information presented.

For more information about this project, please contact Dr. Linda J. Peñaloza, (505) 272-4462 or lpeñaloza@salud.unm.edu.