Education and Health Matters: School Nurse Interventions, Student Outcomes, and School Variables

This paper presents findings from a quantitative, correlational study that examined selected school nursing services, student academic outcomes, and school demographics. Ex post facto data from the 2011-2012 school year of Delaware public schools were used in the research. The selected variables were school nurse interventions provided to students during the school day, academic indicators of student achievement, and school demographics relative to school type and size. These were compared to identify possible associations. Positive correlations were identified between the number of office visits and the school's academic rating; completed vision referral rates and school's math and English scores;, and several types of nursing interventions and school academic indicators and demographics. Negative correlations were found between all office visit types and school size; unscheduled visits and school type; and well-being nursing interventions and both school type and school size. These findings can inform future research on promising school nurse intervention variables that could be predictors of student achievement in the educational setting.