Student athletes aren't the only ones getting concussions — and needing classroom help

To protect the heads of football players, it might be advisable to have them occasionally practice without head protection, according to a counterintuitive new study of a successful Division I football program.

Paper Tigers captures the pain, the danger, the beauty, and the hopes of struggling teens—and the teachers armed with new science and fresh approaches that are changing their lives for the better.

Research has shown the importance of infant-primary caregiver attachment for the future of the child's cognitive ability, emotional health, and parent relationship. Infant Mental Health Specialists and other practitioners have emphasized programs and techniques to improve this relationship, for example infant massage classes, and specifically tailored interventions.

In 2014, Disneyland experienced a measles outbreak that was linked back to the alarmingly low vaccination rates among Californian children. Following this outbreak, California passed a law that removed two of the most commonly used vaccination exemptions: personal belief exemptions, and conditional exemptions. Two years later, most children in California attend schools that meet herd immunity standards, and the chances of another outbreak are minimal.

Founded in 2015, the Center for Good Food Purchasing offers a unique model for making school lunch healthier, cheaper, and more sustainable. Partnering with school districts and other local and national organizations, the Center outlines five core values to which schools must commit. Jill Harkins writes, "The big idea driving the work is that large institutions like governments and schools buy a lot of food ... and so they have the power to shift the market toward higher quality, more environmentally-sustainable and fair food." The approach has taken off in LA - can the same happen in Philadelphia?

Research has found that physical movement, such as dance, can be an affective treatment and rehabilitation for people with Parkinson’s Disease. The Dance Well Initiative brings people with Parkinson’s, as well as community members, together to stage dance performances in gallery spaces as treatment and a creative response to the surrounding art.

Schools are often the most efficient place to provide mental health services to children; as the number of professionals who provide these services in schools dwindles, tele-conferencing and virtual visits are filling the gap. Often connected with health care access in rural spaces, tele-mental health services have also been proven as effective in urban areas, especially for follow-up and dosage adjustments. The University of Maryland's telemedicine program and Health E-Access, a program administered by the University of Rochester, are finding success with the approach.

The Yerwa Youth Initiative aims to improve children's mental health and well-being by providing support and hosting training sessions to teach youth how to manage their mental health in a positive way. Those who participate in the program are then encouraged to help start Mental Health Clubs in their schools to share what they’ve learned and connect with other youth in need of support.

School-based health centers provide free services including flu shots, physicals, contraceptive care and reproductive education, talk therapy and behavioral health care to students. Research has found that these school-based clinics boost vaccination rates, reduce hospital visits, lower rates of teen pregnancy and depression and improve grades and attendance levels, all while reducing disparities and making healthcare more accessible.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is being used to treat people with treatment-resistant depression. The noninvasive procedure uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerves in the brain to improve symptoms of depression. So far 19 people have undergone the program at Brattleboro Retreat — many of which have seen improvements in their symptoms — and more than 300 treatments have been completed to date.