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THE CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

SUBJECT MATTER HEARING


ON PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES TO INCREASE GRADUATION
RATES
TESTIMONY OF IHSAN RASHID, MBA/MPH CANDIDATE
07/30/2015
GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIRMAN BURNS AND MEMBERS OF THE CHICAGO CITY
COUNCIL EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

MY NAME IS IHSAN RASHID. I AM AN

MBA/MPH CANDIDATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO AND


FOUNDER OF THE EDUCATION BETTER HEALTH INITIATIVE. I WANT TO THANK
YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY TODAY IN REGARDS TO PUBLIC
HEALTH INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE GRADUATION RATES.

FIRST, BEFORE I

BEGIN, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL


EDUCATION COMMITTEE FOR ITS SUPPORT OF HEALTH AND EDUCATION
INITIATIVES SUCH AS HEALTHY CPS WHICH HAS BEEN CRITICAL IN BRINGING
FORTH A MUCH NEEDED BALANCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION AS
PART OF THE DAILY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE FOR OUR YOUTH.
THE ISSUE BEFORE US TODAY IS ABOUT THE DIRE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
OF THE HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUT RATE IN OUR CITY. NEARLY 40 PERCENT OF
OUR STUDENTS DID NOT GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL ACCORDING TO 2014
CPS RESULTS. THESE RESULTS MIGHT BE EVEN HIGHER IF IT WERE NOT FOR
THE

INCLUSION

OF

GENERAL

EDUCATION

DEVELOPMENT

DEGREES

(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS GED).


THIS NUMBER BECOMES EVEN MORE ALARMING WHEN CONSIDERING THAT
HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION IS THE DEMARCATION LINE WHICH DETERMINES
ONES INDIVIDUAL HEALTH OUTLOOK. FIRST WITH AT MINIMUM A HIGH
SCHOOL EDUCATION AN INDIVIDUAL WILL EARN OVER $200,000 MORE IN
THEIR LIFETIME AS OPPOSED TO THOSE WHO DROP OUT.

THESE HIGHER

EARNINGS LEAD TO BETTER HOUSING, HEALTHIER FOODS, AND GREATER


ACCESS TO CARE. (FREUDENBERG & RUGLIS, 2007) BEYOND THE ECONOMIC

CONSEQUENCES, HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUTS EXHIBIT HIGHER LEVELS OF


RISKY HEALTHY BEHAVIORS SUCH AS SMOKING, LOW PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, OR
POOR

DIETS.

THESE

POOR

BEHAVIORS

HAVE

HELPED

LEAD

TO

SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER MORTALITY RATES FOR HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUTS.


FOR EXAMPLE, IN A 1999 STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF
ECONOMIC RESEARCH, AGE ADJUSTED MORTALITY FOR HIGH SCHOOL DROP
OUTS AGES 25 -64 WAS MORE THAN TWICE AS LARGE AS THE MORTALITY
RATES OF THOSE WITH SOME COLLEGE. FURTHERMORE, THOSE WITH HIGH
SCHOOL OR MORE SHOW LOWER MORBIDITY FOR CHRONIC ILLNESSES SUCH
AS DIABETES, ASTHMA, AND HEART CONDITIONS. (CUTLER & LLERAS-MUNEY,
2006)
GIVEN THIS CORRELATION, THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION (CDC) HAS LABELED HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AS A VERY
IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN. UNFORTUNATELY, PER THE CDC MUCH
OF THE ENERGY AND FUNDING TO IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
RATES HAS FOCUSED ATTENTION ON TEACHERS, SCHOOLS, AND SCHOOL
SYSTEMS. IN REALITY THE ROOT CAUSE IN MANY OF THE CASES IS RELATED
TO HEALTH SUCH AS SUBSTANCE ABUSE, MENTAL/EMOTIONAL ILLNESS,
CHRONIC ILLNESS, AND TEENAGE PREGNANCY.
IN SOME OF OUR LOWEST PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE CITY POVERTY,
CRIME, GANG VIOLENCE, AND POOR HOUSING ALL CONTRIBUTE TO
CREATING STRESSORS THAT BRING ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS WITH
OUR STUDENT POPULATION.
EDUCATION BETTER HEALTH INTIATIVE BELIEVES WE CAN COUNTER THIS BY
CREATING ENGAGING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CARING ADULTS.

WE HAVE

LOOKED AT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AWARD WINNING MODELS


SUCH AS PALM BEACH COUNTY FLORIDAS MY GRAD PLAN. SOCIAL
SERVICE FACILITATORS AND EFFICACY SPECIALISTS ARE ASSIGNED TO THESE
STUDENTS. THEY CREATE GRADUATION ACTION PLANS AND THEY WORK TO
IDENTIFY ROOT CAUSES FOR SOME OF THE CONCERNS.

AS PART OF

COORDINATED

EFFORTS

WITH

PARENTS,

SCHOOL

ADMINISTRATORS,

ASSIGNED HEALTH PROVIDERS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THESE


STUDENTS WILL BE PROVIDED CARE BASED ON THEIR AREA OF NEED. IN
MANY CASES, AS IDENTIFIED BY CDC, THE MOST CRITICAL PIECE IS THE
CARING HUMAN ENGAGEMENT AS ITS GREATEST VALUE IS BUILDING A TRUST
RELATIONSHIP

THAT

SERVES

TO

MOTIVATE

CHILD

TO

IMPROVE

PERFORMANCE.
THIS PLAN AND OTHERS RECOMMENDED BY CDC EMPHASIZE THAT
HEALTHIER STUDENTS PERFORM BETTER.

SCHOOL SYSTEMS WHICH HAVE

FOCUSED ON HEALTH AS A MEANS TO IMPROVING STUDENT PERFORMANCE


HAVE YET TO FAIL IN IMPROVING OVERALL PERFORMANCE. IGNORING THESE
HEALTH CONCERNS FACED BY OUR STUDENTS IS TO IGNORE THE REAL ISSUE
AT HAND.

ULTIMATELY WITHOUT SUCH INTIATIVES ALL SCHOOL REFORMS

WILL FAIL.
ONCE MORE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE MY OPINION
TODAY. I PUT FORTH TO YOU MY COMMITMENT TO ASSIST THE COMMITTEE
IN ANY CAPACITY AS YOU CONTINUE TO DEVELOP POLICY TO HELP IMPROVE
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.

References
CUTLER, D. & LLERAS-MUNEY, A., 2006. EDUCATION AND HEALTH: EVALUATING
THEORIES AND EVIDENCE. [Online]
Available at: http://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID
[Accessed 3 July 2015].
FREUDENBERG, N. & RUGLIS, J., 2007. REFRAMING SCHOOL DROPOUT AS A PUBLIC
HEALTH ISSUE. PREVENTING CHRONIC DISEASES, 4 (4), pp. 1-11.
WOOLF, S. H., JOHNSON, R. E., PHILLIPS, R. L. & PHILLIPSEN, M., 2007. GIVING
EVERYONE THE HEALTH OF THE EDUCATED: AN EXAMINATION OF WHETHER SOCIAL
CHANGE WOULD SAVE MORE LIVES THAN MEDICAL ADVANCES. AMERICAN JOURNAL
OF PUBLIC HEALTH, 97(4), pp. 679-683.

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