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According to Section I0-19(b) of the Connecticut General Statutes(C.G.S.), teachers need to know something about “instruction regarding the use of alcohol, nicotine, tobacco, and drugs for every year to all students in Grades K-12 in a planned, ongoing and systematic fashion.  Required content includes teaching about the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to understand and avoid the effects of alcohol, of nicotine or tobacco and of drugs on health, character, citizenship and personality development.” (Connecticut State Department of Education, 2009). The below resources are helpful to teachers in order to comply with the statutes.

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Statement: The resource, Teacher Vision can be helpful to teachers and the community because of the educational material it provides. One example of their teacher tools is their material on smoking prevention and cessation.

Brief Description: The resource Teacher Vision allows teachers and parents to read up on the signs of nicotine addiction in adolescence. Teachers can choose between printable worksheets which help teach students the harmful effects of smoking, or lessons plans on smoking which explores the dangers of smoking on our bodies.

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Smoking Prevention Resources for Teachers

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Get students the facts they need to make healthy decisions. This collection of smoking-prevention lessons, printables, references, and Web resources will help students understand the harmful effects of smoking. The Great American Smokeout is an excellent opportunity to educate your students about cigarettes and addiction.

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Statement: This resource can be helpful to teachers/community to better understand adolescence issues because it lets the education system see that parents have a very big part in their child’s upbringing, even in ways that they might not think. This shows just how it important it is for the parents to be positive role model for their children. If a parent is not that positive role model that they should be, then the teachers/administration can get involved and talk to the parents about this necessity.
Brief Description: This section of the course textbook talks about different influences that could affect how an adolescent grows up and makes decisions. It mentions that while peer pressure is apparent at this stage of life, parental influence is just as, if not more, important to a child’s life and their future wellbeing and character.
Quote/Support: “Parents are often the first models in terms of drug use (smoking, drinking and other substances) and often the first to offer the young person an opportunity to try (Bush et al., 1994; Engels et al., 1994).”

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Statement: This resource is helpful to teachers to better understand the adolescent issue of nicotine because it has been found that when interactive lessons are used at appropriate grade levels it is very effective in preventing young adults from using nicotine. This age group is also one of the most critical times for youth to prevent smoking.

Brief Description of Website: Nicotine use prevention is more than just a health issue and therefore should be handled not only in a health class – but outside of that as well. Nicotine also affects mental health as well as cognitive thinking. Nicotine prevention should therefore be incorporated into subjects like English, Science, or Social Studies. This repetition can be more effective, help children retain the information, and the varied subject matter can make the subject more interesting. This resource also gives ideas for lesson plans – it is catered to standards of Australia – but could be used as a good starting point for teachers to modify to fit their own state standards. Lessons include the harms of smoking, the issue of peer pressure in youths, as well as benefits of being smoke free.

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Traditionally, smoking prevention has been used as a context for delivering Health and Physical Education content. However, smoking is more than just a health issue - it has been shown to affect mental health and cognitive function, and has wider social and economic implications for the community. Incorporating smoking prevention in other learning areas such as English, Humanities and Social Sciences or Science, can introduce these varied effects, lead to reinforcement through repetition, and be even more relevant and interesting to children.

Meta-analysis on the effectiveness of classroom tobacco education programs in Australia has found that those which used interactive learning strategies, applied at appropriate ages, were significantly and practically effective in the short and longer term, preventing or delaying the onset of smoking amongst young people. Upper primary school is considered one of the most critical time and windows of opportunity.

Suitable for use with primary school students, these education resources include support material for teachers, and are aligned with the Western Australian Curriculum. Please scroll down to find the relevant year group activities.

SDERA's Challenges and Choices Year 3 - Drug Education - Tobacco

SDERA's Challenges and Choices Year 4 - Drug Education - Tobacco

SDERA's Challenges and Choices Year 5 - Drug Education - Tobacco

SDERA's Challenges and Choices Year 6 - Drug Education - Tobacco

References:

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Teacher Resources - Primary - Smarter than Smoking

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Traditionally, smoking prevention has been used as a context for delivering Health and Physical Education content. However, smoking is more than just a health issue - it has been shown to affect mental health and cognitive function, and has wider social and economic implications for the community.

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Statement: As teachers we can’t force children not to use a dangerous product. But we can do our best to teach them the real dangers that go along with them. This is a great resource for teachers because it provides information regarding the dangers of vaping as well as specific strategies to reduce youth’s exposure to e-cigarettes. This resource talks a lot about why youth now are starting to use these products - if we understand what is causing the increase in usage it will help us combat those reasons specifically in the classroom. This is also a great tool for teachers because it provides resources as a way to help start the conversation with young people.

Brief Description of Website:  E-cigarettes are becoming especially popular with young adults. Often people consider them to be a safer alternative to cigarettes but there is a lot of evidence to show that they can be harmful to youth. E-cigs still contain nicotine and that is dangerous to developing minds and can cause addiction. Adolescence is the time that most people start using tobacco products so it is of the utmost importance to prevent children from starting.

One of the reasons that young people are using e-cigarettes is because of the taste. More than 80% of children aged 12-17 report that they use flavored e-cigarettes. E-cigs are a rapidly growing market that has a huge target in children and it is important to take steps to prevent this. Teachers are among the people that have a role in preventing this. One of the first steps is to talk. Telling students about the harm of nicotine – regardless of the form – is needed. Students need to understand that it will harm a developing brain.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Talk with teens and young adults you know about the dangers of e-cigarette use.

E-cigarettes, devices that typically deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other additives to users through an inhaled aerosol, are a rapidly emerging trend, and are especially popular among youth and young adults. These devices are referred to by a variety of names, including "e-cigs," "e-hookahs," "mods," "vape pens," "vapes," and "tank systems." E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver other drugs besides nicotine, such as marijuana.

Scientists are still learning more about how e-cigarettes affect health. However, there is already enough evidence to justify efforts to prevent e-cigarette use by young people. We know that the vapor from e-cigarettes is harmful because it contains harmful ingredients, including nicotine. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can cause addiction and can harm the developing brain.

In 2016, a U.S. Surgeon General's Report on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults became the first report issued by a federal agency that carefully reviewed the public health issue of e-cigarettes and their impact on our nation's young people. Because most tobacco use starts during adolescence, actions to protect our nation's young people from a lifetime of nicotine addiction are critical.

E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used form of tobacco by youth in the U.S. And dual use, or using both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, is common among youth and young adults 18-25 years of age. Reasons reported by young people for using e-cigarettes include curiosity, taste, and the belief that e-cigarettes are less harmful than other tobacco products.

Flavored e-cigarettes are very popular, especially with young adults. More than 9 of every 10 young adult e-cigarette users said they use e-cigarettes flavored to taste like menthol, alcohol, candy, fruit, chocolate, or other sweets. More than 8 of every 10 youth ages 12-17 who use e-cigarettes said they use flavored e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are a 2.5 billion dollar business in the U.S. As of 2014, the e-cigarette industry spent $125 million a year to advertise their products, and used many of the techniques that made traditional cigarettes popular such as sexual content and customer satisfaction. We know that marketing and advertising of conventional tobacco products like cigarettes can lead youth to use tobacco, and scientists are also finding that youth who are exposed to e-cigarette advertisements are more likely to use the product than youth who are not exposed.

What You Can Do

It is important to prevent harm to youth and young adults from e-cigarettes. We know enough to take action now to protect the health of our nation's young people. Everyone has a role, including parents, health care providers, teachers, and others who work with and care about young people.

You can start by talking to your kids or to other young people you know about the dangers of e-cigarettes. Tell them about the harm that nicotine (in any form) can do to their growing brain. Let them know that you stand strong against them using any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, now or in the future. Even if you have used tobacco yourself, they will listen if you discuss your struggles with nicotine addiction. The following are specific actions that parents and other adults can take to reduce young people's exposure to e-cigarettes:

Restrict E-cigarette Use Around Young People. Don't let anyone use e-cigarettes or other tobacco products around young people. Not only are youth watching the behaviors of others as an example, but they're also at risk of exposure to nicotine and other chemicals that can be harmful to their health.

Visit Tobacco-Free Locations. Avoid restaurants and other locations that allow use of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Ensure School is Tobacco-Free. Check with your school administration to ensure your child's school, college, or university is completely tobacco-free, including being free of e-cigarettes.

Make Your Home Tobacco-Free. Make your home and vehicles tobacco-free by not allowing use of any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, by family members, friends, and guests. This is an important step to fully protect your children from exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke and secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes.

Be an Example. Be an example to youth by living tobacco-free. Even if you're quitting tobacco, share the reasons why you want to be tobacco-free and ask for support in your journey.

Available Resources

If you need a little help with starting the conversation about e-cigarettes, the following resources, available on the Surgeon General's website on e-cigarettes, might help:

The Parent Tip Sheet [5.2 MB] offers ideas for conversation starters. Print this for yourself or share it with your children. Ask them what they think after reading the tip sheet.

A video on the harms of nicotine for the developing brain, which features the U.S. Surgeon General, is available for you to watch or share with your child.

A fact sheet [114 KB] features key findings from the Surgeon General's Report on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults that you can share with your child.

Remember, youth tobacco use in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. Working together, we can keep America's youth and young adults safe from the dangers associated with tobacco use and nicotine addiction.

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Talk with teens and young adults you know about the dangers of e-cigarette use. E-cigarettes, devices that typically deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other additives to users through an inhaled aerosol, are a rapidly emerging trend, and are especially popular among youth and young adults.

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Any Volunteers?  The Risk of E-Cigarettes for Young People.

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This article will educate teachers about how school connectedness will enhance their students academic performance, classroom engagement, and less likely use of substances and drugs. School Connectedness can be described as a way of school bonding, climate, and teacher support. The essential aspect of this idea is having teachers and students trusting each other. Sharing each others beliefs and expectations for each other can ultimately encourage each party to work harder for one another.
Teachers and educators are able to buy the book "The Adolescent Leaner", in which has the article about School Connectedness.

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April 2005 | Volume 62 | Number 7
The Adolescent Learner Pages 16-20

Robert W. Blum

School bonding, school climate, teacher support, student engagement: Researchers have used these terms over the years to address the concept of school connectedness. School connectedness refers to an academic environment in which students believe that adults in the school care about their learning and about them as individuals.

Klem and Connell (2004) provide a frightening statistic in this regard, noting that

By high school, as many as 40 to 60 percent of all students-urban, suburban, and rural-are chronically disengaged from school. (p. 262)

Is it possible that half of our high school students may not believe that adults in school care about their learning and about them as individuals? More to the point, what can educators do to reconnect these large numbers of chronically disconnected students?

Although connecting students to school is important at all grade levels, it's especially crucial during the adolescent years. In the last decade, educators and school health professionals have increasingly pointed to school connectedness as an important factor in reducing the likelihood that adolescents will engage in health-compromising behaviors. A connected school environment also increases the likelihood of academic success.

A great deal of research looks at school connectedness. But because this research spans so many fields-medicine, education, psychology, and sociology-and because it tackles so many related concepts, such as student engagement and school climate, the concept of school connectedness does not offer a clearly defined empirical base. In this era of accountability and standards, school connectedness can seem like a soft approach to school improvement. It can, however, have a substantial impact on the measures of student achievement for which schools are currently being held accountable.

In response to the weight of evidence that supports school connectedness, my colleagues and I convened an invitational conference at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin. Our goal was to bring together key researchers as well as representatives from the government, education, and health sectors to identify the current state of research-based knowledge related to school connectedness. Using this information, we synthesized a set of core principles about school connectedness to guide schools across the United States. We titled this synthesis the Wingspread Declaration on School Connections (see p. 20).

Distilling the Research

When one looks at the research literature across the different fields of inquiry, three school characteristics stand out as helping young people feel connected to school while simultaneously encouraging student achievement: (1) high academic standards coupled with strong teacher support; (2) an environment in which adult and student relationships are positive and respectful; and (3) a physically and emotionally safe school environment. Students who feel connected to school (independent of how these students are faring academically) are less likely to use substances, exhibit emotional distress, demonstrate violent or deviant behavior, experience suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide, and become pregnant (Lonczak, Abbott, Hawkins, Kosterman, & Catalano, 2002; Samdal, Nutbeam, Wold, & Kannas, 1998). In addition, when young people feel connected to school, they are less likely to skip school or be involved in fighting, bullying, and vandalism (Schapps, 2003; Wilson & Elliott, 2003). These students are more likely to succeed academically and graduate (Connell, Halpern-Felsher, Clifford, Crichlow, & Usinger, 1995; Wentzel, 1998).

What are the factors that influence school connectedness? Students who experience school connectedness like school, feel that they belong, believe teachers care about them and their learning, believe that education matters, have friends at school, believe that discipline is fair, and have opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.

Major threats to school connectedness include social isolation, lack of safety in school, and poor classroom management. Social isolation, which is especially risky for adolescents, can result from students being ignored, bullied, or teased (Bishop et al., 2004) and tends to flourish in environments predominated by social cliques. Unsafe or chaotic schools and schools with poorly managed classrooms simply cannot provide a stable environment for respectful and meaningful student learning.

How Schools Can Help

How can schools encourage school connectedness? It does not come about purely as the result of rules, regulations, and zero-tolerance policies, which can actually mold harsh school environments. Connections spring instead from individual action on the part of both teachers and administrators as well as from more elusive factors, such as school environment.

Teachers are obviously central to the equation. Although school connectedness might suggest smaller class sizes, the classroom's culture seems to matter more than its size does. Effective teachers can create connectedness in the classroom in a number of ways. When teachers make learning meaningful and relevant to their students' lives, students develop a stake in their own education. When teachers create a clear classroom structure with consistent expectations for behavior and performance, they provide a healthy setting in which students can exercise autonomy and practice decision-making skills. Teachers build connectedness in the classroom when they encourage team learning exercises. Cooperative learning tends to break down social isolation by integrating student teams across gender, academic ability, and ethnicity. Rewarding a variety of student achievements and recognizing student progress-not only top performance-are also important components.

But teachers cannot create school connectedness on their own. Without a supportive administration, teachers will not be able to effectively support their students. For example, when a school allows a young person to fail-when it doesn't do everything in its power to retain that student-students get the message, "In this school, there are winners and there are losers." This assumption sets up a dysfunctional dichotomy: Those less likely to do well academically will strive to create an anti-academic climate because they know they can't win at the game. The perceived winners-those who are academically proficient-are seen as "nerds," as "dorks," and, ironically enough, as "losers." But when a principal calls home, when he or she follows up every time a student misses school, students get a different message entirely: "In this school, all students are expected to succeed."

A study panel from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine (2004) identified a series of factors associated with school engagement. Educators can substantially increase school connectedness in their students when they

Avoid separating students onto vocational and college tracks.

Set high academic standards for all students and provide all students with the same core curriculum.

Limit the size of the school to create small learning environments.

Form multidisciplinary education teams in which groups of teachers work with students.

Ensure that every student has an advisor.

Provide mentorship programs.

Ensure that course content is relevant to the lives of students.

Provide service learning and community service projects.

Provide experiential, hands-on learning opportunities.

Use a wide variety of instructional methods and technologies.

Extend the class period, school day, and/or school year.

Provide opportunities for students who are falling behind to catch up.

The Wingspread Declaration on School Connections

A generation of exciting research has reviewed strategies that have proven effective in creating engaging school climates in which young people feel connected. The Wingspread Declaration on School Connections is based on a detailed review of this research as well as on in-depth discussions among leaders in the health and education fields. The declaration's insights can form the foundation for school environments in which all students, regardless of their academic capacity, are engaged and feel part of the education endeavor.

We are responsible for our schools. We need to use what research and experience have taught us to create schools where students feel connected. We want high schoolers who are convinced that the adults with whom they interact care about them as individuals and care about their learning. These schools must establish high standards, challenge all students to reach their potential, and provide the support students need to succeed.

High academic expectations and rigor coupled with support for learning.

Positive adult/student relationships.

Physical and emotional safety.

Academic performance.

Incidents of fighting, bullying, or vandalism.

Absenteeism.

School completion rates.

Motivation.

Classroom engagement.

Improved school attendance.

Disruptive behavior.

School violence.

Substance and tobacco use.

Emotional distress.

Early age of first sex.

Implementing high standards and expectations and providing academic support to all students.

Applying fair and consistent disciplinary policies that are collectively agreed upon and fairly enforced.

Creating trusting relationships among students, teachers, staff, administrators, and families.

Hiring and supporting capable teachers skilled in content, teaching techniques, and classroom management to meet each learner's needs.

Fostering high parent/family expectations for school performance and school completion.

Ensuring that every student feels close to at least one supportive adult at school.

Programs and approaches that create positive and purposeful peer support and peer norms.

Strategies that work to promote connection to school among disenfranchised groups.

Analysis of the costs and effectiveness of different programs for fostering school connectedness.

Evaluation of new and existing curricular approaches, staff and administrator training, and various institutional structures.

Effects of school connectedness in students on teacher morale, effectiveness, and turnover.

References

Bishop, J. H., Bishop, M., Bishop, M., Gelbwasser, L., Green, S., Peterson, E., et al. (2004). Journal of School Health, 74(7), 235-251.

Connell, J. P., Halpern-Felsher, B., Clifford, E., Crichlow, W., & Usinger, P. (1995). Hanging in there: Behavioral, psychological, and contextual factors affecting whether African-American adolescents stay in school. Journal of Adolescent Research, 10(1), 41-63.

Klem, A. M., & Connell, J. P. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement and achievement. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 262-273.

Lonczak, H. S., Abbott, R. D., Hawkins, J. D., Kosterman, R., & Catalano, R. (2002). The effects of the Seattle Social Development Project: Behavior, pregnancy, birth, and sexually transmitted disease outcomes by age 21. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Health, 156, 438-447.

National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2004). Engaging schools: Fostering high school students' motivation to learn. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Available: www.nap.edu/books/0309084350/html/

Samdal, O., Nutbeam, D., Wold, B., & Kannas, L. (1998). Achieving health and educational goals through schools. Health Education Research, 13(3), 383-397.

Schapps, E. (2003, April). The role of supportive school environments in promoting academic success. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education Press.

Wentzel, K. R. (1998). Social relationships and motivation in middle school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), 202-209.

Wilson, D., & Elliott, D. (2003, June). The interface of school climate and school connectedness: An exploratory review and study. Paper presented at the Wingspread Conference on School Connectedness: Strengthening Health and Educational Outcomes for Teens, Racine, Wisconsin.

Endnote

This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). The proceedings from the invitational conference and the Wingspread Declaration on School Connections are available at www.allaboutkids.umn.edu/WingfortheWeb/schooldeclaration.pdf. ASCD was a conference participant.

Robert W. Blum is Professor and William H. Gates Sr. Chair, Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.

KEYWORDS

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April 2005 | Volume 62 | Number 7 The Adolescent Learner Pages 16-20 Robert W. Blum School bonding, school climate, teacher support, student engagement: Researchers have used these terms over the years to address the concept of school connectedness.

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Adolescence and Adulthood. (n.d.). In Course Textbook (p. 208). Retrieved March 5, 2018, from https://newblackboard.sacredheart.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-522223-dt-content-rid-13347637_1/courses/18SPED681AB/chapter10.pdf

CDCStreamingHealth. (2017, July 21). Any volunteers? the risk of e-cigarettes for young people. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPnDkHBFDEo&feature=youtu.be

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, January 31). E-cigarettes and young people: a public health concern. Retrieved March 08, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/features/ecigarettes-young-people/index.html

Connecticut State Department of Education. 2009. Statutory requirements in health and safety; alcohol, nicotine, tobacco and drugs; and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Circulation letter from Mark McQuillan.

Smarter than Smoking. (n.d.). Teacher resources - upper primary. Retrieved March 10, 2018, from https://www.smarterthansmoking.org.au/for-schools/primary-resources/

Teacher Vision. (2017, April 19). Smoking prevention resources for teachers. Retrieved March 08, 2018, from https://www.teachervision.com/smoking-prevention-resources