Training Tools for Healthy Schools FAQs

The Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) helps districts and schools conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of health education curricula based on the National Health Education Standards and CDC’s Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula.

The Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT) is a tool for analyzing written physical education curricula to determine how closely they align with national standards for high-quality physical education.

The School Health Index (SHI) is a self-assessment and planning guide that enables schools to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their school health promotion policies and programs and to develop an action plan for improving student health.

E-mail your request to TTHS@cdc.gov stating which workshop you would like to have; a proposed date; the location of the workshop and approximate number of participants. Please wait for CDC approval before confirming your workshop. If your workshop request is accepted, you will be provided with the contact information of a trainer to begin coordinating workshop logistics.

What is the approximate cost of a TTHS workshop?

CDC will provide contact information for a qualified and expert trainer, from CDC’s TTHS trainer cadre list. Costs to conduct a training ranges from $1500-$2500. The cost includes the trainer’s honorarium; travel and hotel expenses; per diem; room rental and printing of training materials.

Anyone who works on school health issues—this might include school administrators, health educators, physical educators, curriculum specialists, government agency staff, university professionals, community volunteers, and others who work with schools. Because these tools are meant to be implemented in teams, groups from individual schools or districts are encouraged to come to the workshop to increase buy-in when they return to their schools/districts and are ready to implement the tool.

Workshops should be a minimum of 4 hours and up to 8 hours in length to ensure in-depth training.

The length of the workshop should be determined based on the audience, setting, and content desired. Obviously, the more time available, the more comprehensive of a workshop can be provided:

• In shorter workshops (i.e., 4 hours), participants will have the opportunity to get an overview of the tool, learn about the various components included in the tool, and simulate implementing the tool in small group activities.
• In longer workshops with the appropriate audience, actual implementation of the tool may occur.

For example, in a 4-hour PECAT workshop hosted by a state agency, participants would learn about the tool and gain a greater understanding of the analyses included in the PECAT; whereas in an 8 hour PECAT workshop with district teams present, the participants could actually begin the process of using the PECAT to analyze their own physical education curriculum during the workshop. However, please note that a full curriculum analysis will not occur in an 8 hour HECAT or PECAT workshop. It is the responsibility of the workshop coordinator and the participants to continue the work that began at the workshop, and for the workshop coordinator to strengthen the knowledge and skill level of participants through continued and targeted follow-up support.

Examples of the content that might be presented in a SHI workshop can be found in the SHI Training Manual.

As stated above, workshop coordinators are responsible for all costs associated with the workshop, and that includes the trainer honorarium, travel and hotel expense, and per diem. In addition, funding and securing workshop logistics, including the facility, printing of workshop materials, and refreshments. Additional materials (e.g., binders, flip charts, markers, pens, paper) are the responsibility of the site.

Workshop coordinators are also responsible for marketing the workshop in their area and handling registration, as appropriate. In addition, the workshop coordinator is responsible for following up with participants up to 12 months following the workshop, to gain information regarding specific steps and actions accomplished, and report back to CDC.

Evaluation results from workshop participants in 2007 and 2008 indicate increased knowledge and skills about the use of the PECAT and the SHI. In addition, the majority of participants agreed that the overall quality of the workshop was good. A large majority of respondents felt their trainer was knowledgeable, organized, flexible, and informative. Selected comments from participants include the following:

• “[The trainer] was very personable and knowledgeable. This has been one of the best Phys.Ed. professional developments that I’ve attended and the information [was] practical and necessary.”
• “Presenter was very personable and open to questions. She gave examples and related personal experiences to make a point or clarify.”
• “The workshop was very helpful to us in recognizing some of our strengths and weaknesses and gave us the opportunity to brainstorm ideas how to improve.”
• “Having [the trainer] present the material—he is a true leader for our profession, and he made the day valuable.”
• “The workshop was very informative and useful. The information is very practical, and the content was interesting.”

To request additional information on Training Tools for Healthy Schools, please contact us at TTHS@cdc.gov.