Evaluation of Project HEAL[superscript 2]: Health Education for ALL. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation Fund (i3)
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Program Evaluation,Health Programs,Health Education,High School Students,School Districts,Program Implementation,Economically Disadvantaged,Disproportionate Representation,Minority Group Students,Longitudinal Studies,Academic Achievement,College Entrance Examinations,Outcomes of Education,Learning Readiness,Nursing Education,STEM Education,Educational Policy

Region One Education Service Center (Region One) was awarded an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, entitled Project Health Education for ALL (HEAL[superscript 2]). Project HEAL[superscript 2] i3 initiative served a pipeline of high school grades 9 to 12 students in deep South Texas. Region One implemented the Project HEAL[superscript 2] program across three independent school districts (ISDs), also referred to as Local Education Agencies (LEAS), and their 11 high schools. The following include the implementation ISDs: Pharr San Juan Alamo (PSJA) ISD, La Joya ISD, and South Texas ISD. All have worked in cooperation with key partners and the greater surrounding community to implement Project HEAL[superscript 2] in support of students in their high schools, including: Pharr San Juan Alamo ISD's six high schools: PSJA North Early College High School, PSJA Southwest Early College High School, PSJA Early College High School, PSJA Memorial Early College High School, PSJA Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School, and PSJA Sonia M. Sotomayor Early College High School; La Joya ISD's four high schools: La Joya High School, Palmview High School, Juarez-Lincoln High School, and Thelma Salinas T-STEM Early College High School; and South Texas ISD's one high school: South Texas High School for Health Professions. The goal of Project HEAL[superscript 2] is to increase the Health-integrated (STEM-design) Nursing competencies of low-income and under-represented students, specifically students from minority backgrounds, through creativity, innovation, and engagement activities that promote diversity in education. The study used a three-year, longitudinal, two Cohort quasi-experimental design (QED) to assess the impact of Project HEAL[superscript 2] on students' achievement on: (1) the American College Test (ACT) and (2) a single health education readiness assessment: Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) at the end of (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2) program exposure. The ACT outcomes were compared of Project HEAL[superscript 2] students with similar students from the same schools that did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students were matched to comparison high school students at the same school. The HESI outcomes compared Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students with traditional college-level students who were accepted into the same Nursing (ADN) program and were administered the same HESI assessment but did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] students were matched with traditional ADN nursing program students determined as the comparison students. This study is written to meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Group Design Standards with Reservations. While the results of the study indicated there were no apparent group differences comparing all the Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students to all the non-Project HEAL[superscript 2] business-as-usual control students, there were instances where Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students significantly outperformed controls at certain school districts on the ACT outcome. Secondly, the results of the study also indicated that the traditional ADN nursing program students who formed the business-as-usual comparison group reported a higher HESI outcome than the treatment group. The duration of students' exposure to Project HEAL[superscript 2] fidelity of implementation, alignment between Health-integrated (STEM-design) instruction and the HESI (single health education readiness) standardized assessments, and other program-related factors that might have weakened the intervention strength relative to ADN business-as-usual conditions are discussed as possible factors that account for these findings. The report concludes with a discussion and suggestions for future research and implications for education policy. [The report was produced by EGT Institute, Inc.]