Other Reports & Publications

Following are some key publications related to the achievement gap and improving school climate, research that has been conducted using CHKS data, student well-being and achievement, and the psychometric properties of the Healthy Kids Survey.

Workbook for Improving School Climate & Closing the Achievement Gap

The Workbook for Improving School Climate, 2nd Edition (pdf), is meant to help school communities interpret and use data from the California Healthy Kids Survey, the California School Climate Survey for staff, and the California School Parent Survey. This workbook walks users through their school or district survey findings to create supportive school climates that enhance professional outcomes for staff, academic and social–emotional outcomes for students, and involvement outcomes for parents. It is designed to assist local school community members in their efforts to close the racial/ethnic achievement gap and to strengthen special education, migrant education, and other educational services for culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse students.

For more information contact:
Meagan O'Malley (Southern CA) | momalle@wested.org | 562.799.5421
Leslie Poynor (Northern CA) | lpoynor@wested.org | 510.302.4241

Health, Well-being, & Achievement

Ensuring That No Child Is Left Behind (pdf)

This non-technical report summarizes the findings from the two annual reports listed below, examining how gains in test scores are related to health-related barriers to student learning. For other useful summaries, download Factsheets 1 and 3.

Important copyright information: The WestEd copyright applies to the downloaded version of this document and it may not be further reproduced. Please download no more than one copy of this product. Bound copies of this report can be purchased online from WestEd's Products & Resources. To request permission to reproduce this report, please call the WestEd Publications Center at (888) C-WestEd (888-293-7833) or email customerservice@WestEd.org.

Student Health Risks, Resilience, and the Academic Performance Index

Year 1 Report (pdf). The Year 1 Report describes how schools where students are low in health risk factors and high in protective factors have higher API scores than other schools.

Year 2 Report, Longitudinal Analyses (pdf). The Year 2 Report describes the extent to which student exposure to health risks and low levels of development supports is related to subsequent changes in academic performance.

API Presentation (pdf) The API presentation presents a brief summary of the results, while the annual reports provide a more extensive discussion of the analyses and results.

Using the CHKS to Help Improve Schools and Student Achievement (pdf)

A great tool to help foster support for the survey, this document explains how the CHKS can be used to help improve schools and student achievement. It briefly describes survey content and rationale, and provides a short synopsis of recent research linking health with achievement.

Download the Workbook for Improving School Climate & Closing the Achievement Gap (PDF)