National Health Education Standards Task Force

As we have shared over the past year, SHAPE America is proud to champion and protect the copyright of the National Health Education Standards (NHES), which serve as the foundation for a high-quality, school-based health education curriculum. As the Society of Health and Physical Educators — serving as the voice for 200,000+ health and physical education professionals — SHAPE America is the nation’s largest organization representing and serving school-based health education professionals. We hold a deep commitment to this professional community and as such, SHAPE America has proudly invested time and effort in producing many national resources and professional development opportunities for health education teachers.

We were beyond excited this past year to take up efforts to revise the NHES. We started this effort by reaching out to important national health education organizations, including ASHA, SOPHE, the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, Eta Sigma Gama and FAHE, in addition to many others. We invited these organizations to the decision-making table as we considered what the structure and composition of the National Health Education Standards Task Force should look like (with input from CDC leadership). We were disappointed that several of these groups declined the invitation to collaborate on the NHES revision, and further dismayed to learn that a new group has formed that is now claiming to take up the charge to develop a separate set of national health education standards.

We continue to desire a collaborative, cohesive effort to develop ONE set of national standards for health education. This is the only way that health education teachers and their students will actually be served. We continue to invite these organizations to the table to work in partnership to revise the National Health Education Standards and to champion them TOGETHER on behalf of teachers and their students. If we can all utilize health communications skills, we believe we can find ways to collaborate, even when we disagree with each other. But the first step lies in actually engaging in conversation. We invite members of the National Consensus for School Health Education, along with our colleagues in leadership positions at the CDC, to do just that – talk with us and those who are partnering with us to revise the National Health Education Standards.

Circulating a separate set of draft health education standards at this time does not serve our community, or their students. It causes confusion, anger and frustration.

We will always remain hopeful that this invitation to connect will be accepted. But we will also continue to move forward regardless of what the response is from those involved in this separate effort. Those who teach health education on a daily basis are depending on us and the National Health Education Standards Task Force to approach this work with careful thought, a grounding in equity, diversity and inclusion, and an understanding of what is most needed in today’s standards to ensure effective teaching. We are the largest organization serving and engaging those who teach health education, with a vast network of partners within the publishing field, state affiliates, and those who author and implement state and federal policy. We know we cannot do this work alone and will remain committed to staying closely connected to our health education community as we progress. Through these connections we will be ready with a comprehensive, strategic implementation plan for the revised National Health Education Standards when the work to revise them has been completed.

Finally, we reiterate that once the revised National Health Education Standards are published, they will continue to be free and accessible to all who wish to use them, reference them, or develop relevant resources that include them, as is also true for the National Standards for K-12 Physical Education.

The National Health Education Standards have, and always will be, the nation’s health education standards, upon which all health education curriculum should be based. And we are all stronger as a community — and we truly put health education teachers and professionals first — when we communicate, when we collaborate, and when we support each other to serve our community.

SHAPE America Announces Task Force to Revise National Health Education Standards

RESTON, VA, September 16, 2021 — SHAPE America ‒ Society of Health and Physical Educators today launched the National Health Education Standards Task Force, with members who represent diverse stakeholders in school-based health education including leading national health education organizations, state departments of education, university health education teacher education (HETE) programs, and K-12 practitioners.

The task force will be responsible for revising the National Health Education Standards. SHAPE America — the nation’s largest organization serving and representing school-based health education professionals — obtained the copyright to the National Health Education Standards in 2020 when its longtime partner the American Cancer Society (the previous copyright holder) divested from the school health space.

“The National Health Education Standards have, and always will be, the nation’s standards, upon which all health education curriculum should be based,” says SHAPE America CEO Stephanie Morris. “Once we publish the revised standards, they will be free and accessible to all who wish to use them, reference them, or develop relevant resources that include them.”

The National Health Education Standards Task Force includes the following members:

Nadine Marchessault, MEd, NBCT, Co-Chair, Health Education Specialist, Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Sarah Toth, PhD, MEd, MCHES^®, Co-Chair, Assistant Professor of Health Science, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University

Holly Alperin, EdM, MCHES, Program Coordinator & Clinical Assistant Professor, Health and Physical Education, University of New Hampshire

Angela Beale-Tawfeeq, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, Rowan University, New Jersey

Laurie Bechhofer, MPH, FASHA, HIV/STD Education Consultant, Michigan Department of Education

Mary Connolly, Senior Faculty and Program Chair, Skills Based Health/Social Emotional Learning Program, Cambridge College, Massachusetts

Nana Donkor, MSEd, Health Education Instructional Supervisor, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland

Angela Glymph, PhD, Vice President of Programs and Strategic Learning, Peer Health Exchange

Jamie Hurley, Health and Physical Education Principal Consultant, Colorado Department of Education

Michelle Ireland, MA, MCHES^®, Health Education Teacher, Hanover Public Schools, Massachusetts

Brittany McBride, MPH, Associate Director, Sex Education, Advocates for Youth

Susana Mercado, Health Education Practitioner

Kaulana Molina, MS, NBCT, Health Education Practitioner, Hawaiʻi

Jessica Napier, Health Education Practitioner/Assistant Principal, Kentucky

Amanda Nichols, MEd, Lead Professional Learning Facilitator, RMC Health

Lisa K. Perry, MEd, Senior National Advisor, Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Kandice Porter, PhD, MCHES^®, Professor of Health Promotion, Kennesaw State University, Georgia

Tilsa Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, City School District of New Rochelle, New York

Andrew Snyder, MAT, Education Programs Professional for Health, Physical Education and STEM, Nevada Department of Education

Erin N. Sweeney, PhD, MEd, MCHES^®, Assistant Professor, Health and Physical Education Program, University of Nebraska at Kearney

Leigh Szucs, PhD, CHES, Health Scientist, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

During the revision process, the National Health Education Standards Task Force will seek and welcome review and feedback from all organizations in the health education space. Once the National Health Education Standards are revised, SHAPE America will oversee a comprehensive, strategic implementation plan in close partnership with the organization’s 51 state affiliates, national health education partners, and supervisors of health education curriculum at the district level and at state departments of education.

Learn more about the National Health Education Standards at shapeamerica.org/standards/health.

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About SHAPE America
SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators serves as the voice for 200,000+ health and physical education professionals across the United States. The organization’s community includes a diverse membership of health and physical educators, as well as advocates, supporters, and 50+ state affiliate organizations.

Since its founding in 1885, the organization has defined excellence in physical education. For decades, SHAPE America’s National Standards for K-12 Physical Education have served as the foundation for well-designed physical education programs across the country. Additionally, the organization helped develop and owns the National Health Education Standards.

For more information, visit www.shapeamerica.org.

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SHAPE America is proud to champion and safeguard the National Health Education Standards (NHES), which serve as the foundation for a high-quality, school-based health education curriculum. As the Society of Health and Physical Educators — serving as the voice for 200,000+ health and physical education professionals — SHAPE America is the nation’s largest organization representing school-based health education professionals. We hold a deep commitment to this professional community and as such, SHAPE America has proudly invested time and effort in producing many national resources and professional development opportunities for health education teachers.

Additionally, SHAPE America maintains a long-standing relationship with the American Cancer Society (ACS) across many different programs and areas. As ACS divested from the school health space, SHAPE America was thrilled at a new opportunity to take over copyright of the National Health Education Standards, which includes all derivatives and revisions. SHAPE America is excited and proud to now begin the long overdue work to update the NHES.

We must also pause in this moment of celebration to acknowledge the confusion that has come about in the health education field in recent months, stemming from groups that have taken steps to create their own set of health education standards. SHAPE America acknowledges that over the past several months, we deliberately delayed launching the National Health Education Standards Task Force to ensure time and space to reach out to these groups. We invited them to collaborate with us on the revision of the National Health Education Standards and offered to compromise in areas where we clearly had disagreement. Unfortunately, and despite working with several of our partners to identify a new path forward, we were unable to make progress.

That said, SHAPE America and our partners maintain that the National Health Education Standards have, and always will be, the nation’s health education standards, upon which all health education curriculum should be based. Further, we believe it is now prudent and appropriate to move forward in launching a task force to update the NHES.

We are confident and excited about the makeup of the National Health Education Standards Task Force, which is composed of innovative and diverse experts in school-based health education and who represent leading national health education organizations, state DOEs, HETE programs, and K-12 practitioners (in particular, health education professionals of color who have experience with diverse student populations).

SHAPE America will continue to seek and welcome review and feedback on the revised National Health Education Standards from all organizations in the health education space, and we will continue to publicly advocate for the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with other groups, such as the Coalition for National Health Organizations. We are all stronger as a community – and we truly put health education teachers and professionals first – when we are connected to each other and find ways to support each other in advancing a shared mission.

SHAPE America is grateful to have received input and guidance from many of our esteemed partners regarding the composition of this task force, which will be staffed by Audra Walters, Senior Manager of Healthy Schools. Audra will oversee all work related to health education and school health at SHAPE America, working alongside Michelle Carter, Director of Educational Content and Programs, who oversees all work and content production related to physical education. Audra brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this role, having supported the implementation of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model as the school health director for the Arkansas Department of Education and school health coordinator for the Arkansas Department of Health. Previously, Audra oversaw SHAPE America’s work for the Cooperative Agreement with the CDC’s Healthy Schools Branch.

Once the revised National Health Education Standards are published, they will continue to be free and accessible to all who wish to use them, reference them, or develop relevant resources that include them, as is also true for the National Standards for K-12 Physical Education.

Finally, SHAPE America will oversee a comprehensive, strategic implementation plan for the revised National Health Education Standards in close partnership with our 51 state affiliate organizations, supervisors of health education curriculum at the district level and at state departments of education, our publishing partner, and the many national health education partners with whom we work closely.

We are grateful and excited to be the organization most equipped to ensure a successful implementation and adoption of these standards, with the strong support of our partners by our side.