Asthma

About the Project

Why does AASA work on asthma?
AASA encourages school districts to take a leadership role to reduce the burden of asthma among children and youth in schools because:

• Asthma is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases;
• Asthma is the reason 15 million school days are missed each year and therefore has direct impact on academic performance; and
• It is critical for school leaders to be pro-active to implement policies and practices that will keep children with asthma in school and learning. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004)

What are the activities of the project?
AASA is funded for five years (2006-2011) under a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control/Division of Adolescent and School Health. AASA, in partnership with the National School Boards Association, works to build capacity among school leaders by:

• Providing opportunities for state-level collaboration through the Leadership Forum for Healthy Students and Healthy Schools;
• Highlighting success stories from school districts across the country whose leadership on asthma management is already established;
• Providing professional development to superintendents and other school leaders to reduce the burden of asthma in school districts; and
• Providing opportunities for school districts and their leaders to participate via presentations at state and national conferences.

What other work has AASA done on asthma management in schools?
From 2001-2006, AASA supported school leaders in reducing the burden of childhood asthma in school districts through the Asthma Wellness Project, funded by CDC/DASH.

What's Your Story? – AASA is now collecting school district success stories on a variety of topics, including asthma. Tell AASA so that we can share with your colleagues!

See what AASA members are saying about asthma.

See AASA asthma partner Brenda Heffner of Memphis City Schools (Tenn.) discuss how the use of AASA's publication Powerful Practices has affected her school district.
(Windows Media/QuickTime)

AASA Asthma Resources 

Asthma Communications Toolkit (May 2009)
A One-stop online resource for school leaders to obtain information, forms and templates to communicate about asthma management in schools with staff, parents, the community and the media.

AASA Wellness Action Checklist (Word)
This short checklist focuses on the prominent wellness issues affecting schools and provides action steps leaders can take to ensure a healthy academic environment. This list concentrates on the issues of childhood obesity and active living, the burdens of childhood asthma, and the indoor air quality as it relates to a healthy school environment.

Asthma Wellness Presentation (PowerPoint)
This presentation was created to engage school leaders or district staff around the issue of asthma in schools. The objective of this tool is to provide a short and simple presentation to promote the importance of having an asthma management program in a school district as part of the coordinated school health model.

Powerful Practices: An Assessment Tool for School Districts Addressing the Needs of Students with Asthma (PDF, October 2005)
This checklist, developed by AASA and its partner school districts, is intended for school administrators to use to help identify areas of asthma management the district is already doing well, as well as areas in which to focus more energy.

Asthma Wellness: Keeping Children with Asthma in School and Learning (PDF, Spring 2003)
The Spring 2003 issue of School Governance & Leadership covers asthma, indoor air quality, asthma management, policies and procedures in schools, and liability and litigation issues.

Questions School Leaders Frequently Ask About Asthma
Updated quarterly, this document contains questions most asked about asthma by superintendents and other school leaders.

School Health (January 2003)
The January 2003 issue of The School Administrator covers a variety of school health issues, including indoor air quality, asthma management and prevention, and creative nursing solutions.

Other Resources

List of web links to asthma resources created by federal and non-profit partners.

List of web links to resources on tobacco-free schools initiatives.

Staff Contact:
Nausheen A. Saeed
703-875-0732
nsaeed@aasa.org