Teachers continued to report the benefits of Healthy NewsWorks in their classrooms, including its positive impact on developing student writing and research skills, according to a 2024 program evaluation.
Thirteen teachers who oversee the classrooms most responsible for producing health newspapers reported in a survey that on average, 95% of their students gained health knowledge, 87% of their students gained writing skills, and 93% of their students gained research skills from Healthy NewsWorks programming.
Key concepts in the 2023-2024 curriculum included using trustworthy sources, identifying appropriate experts, and developing interviewing skills, which were all reflected in the analysis of student reflections. In addition, the student reflections showed that they learned about the harmful effects of loud noises, the value of community-building, and the health benefits of public art, among other topics in the year’s theme “Caring for our Community and Ourselves.” Eighty percent of student respondents expressed a positive or meaningful experience with the program.
“During my time at Healthy NewsWorks, I have learned much about how I can improve my writing and reporting. I learned how to be more precise and advanced in my writing while being clear for younger audiences. Along with that, I now know how to properly report in a clear voice and how to interview,” said one eighth-grade student reporter.
Healthy NewsWorks’ annual evaluations capture data that are used to determine the effectiveness of the program in enhancing student literacy skills and health knowledge. In 2023-24, Healthy NewsWorks partnered with 18 schools, engaging more than 1,700 students in one of its three programs. Newspapers were available to more than 8,000 students and staff in their schools.
Moriah Hall, a public health consultant and long-term member of the Healthy NewsWorks board, has been involved with program evaluations since 2008. Along with Nupoor Marwah, a master of public health student at the University of Pennsylvania, Moriah analyzed responses from Core reporter teachers and their students—fourth through eighth-grade students who are in charge of their school health newspapers. They also assessed responses from Cub reporter teachers, whose students in kindergarten through third grade contribute to the school newspapers.
The qualitative work that Moriah and Nupoor do involves reading student reflections and coding them for emerging themes. “I will forever and always value qualitative evaluation because it captures things you will never know if you just look at the numbers,” said Moriah.
“Healthy NewsWorks has helped me with bringing important health topics into the classroom and has taught me about some important health topics. It has helped me with bringing more writing into my class and guiding students through the writing process,” said a fifth-grade teacher.
All Core teacher respondents said that Healthy NewsWorks provides skills or knowledge that their students otherwise would not be exposed to in the school day and that they would want to work with Healthy NewsWorks again in the future.
“The Healthy NewsWorks program has helped me showcase the various tools and writing skills that students can use to become better reporters and writers. The program has shown me many different writing techniques and collaboration skills, and that can be taught to students,” said a seventh-grade teacher.
Fifteen teachers who participated in the Cub Reporter program and responded to a Healthy NewsWorks survey said that on average 92% of their students gained knowledge about heart health—a key goal for the program. “Students gained an understanding of simple habits they can develop to keep their hearts healthy,” wrote a second-grade teacher.
In addition, 80% of Cub reporter teachers reported that participation in Healthy NewsWorks programming enhanced their teaching practice.
It “has enhanced my knowledge and skills in research, communication, critical thinking, creativity, understanding audience needs, and time management, all of which are valuable in the classroom,” said a third-grade teacher.
Beyond allowing Healthy NewsWorks to assess the impact of programming, evaluations give students and teachers the opportunity to reflect on their experiences.
“My time at Healthy NewsWorks taught me that if you and your team work together you are able to produce something wonderful. I can use this in my life when I need a helping hand and it also helps me with leadership and communication skills,” said one eighth-grade reporter.
Moriah said that the real indicator of programmatic success is that the intentional skills ingrained in the program are reflected in both student and teacher responses. “The things that are unique to Healthy NewsWorks—journalistic skills, research skills, health topics—when those specific nuggets are so clearly there, it really reminds you what we’re doing is getting through and is meaningful,” said Moriah.
