K-12 Schools and Public Health Partnerships: Strategies for Navigating a Crisis with Trust, Equity, and Communication

by Leah Perkinson, Lisa C. Barrios, Rebecca Lee Smith, Rachel Roegman

Overview

This important book addresses ways that K-12 leaders can develop and maintain partnerships with public health leaders and other community members during times of crises. Drawing on real practices of leaders and insights from public health professionals who helped bring children back into buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic, this book offers clear guidance on how to keep students safe, healthy, and learning during inevitable public health crises that impact K-12 schools. With a focus on building trust, a commitment to equity, and an emphasis on communication, this book highlights the building blocks for successful partnerships. This is a must-have playbook for K-12 leaders on how public health and education can effectively and efficiently partner to respond, recover, and prepare for future crises.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781041002383
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/22/2025
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Leah Perkinson is former Director of Strategic Learning & Impact at The Rockefeller Foundation, USA.

Lisa C. Barrios is Director of the Division of Readiness and Response Science at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA.

Rebecca Lee Smith is Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine and a Health Innovation Professor at the Carle-Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Rachel Roegman is Associate Professor of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The Importance of Partnerships in Times of Crises  2. Building and Maintaining Trust  3. Advancing Equity: Planning from the Margins  4. Communicating Clearly in Chaotic Times  Conclusion: Preparing Leaders for What the Future Brings  Appendix A  Appendix B  Appendix C  Appendix D  Appendix E  Appendix F

Editorial Reviews

“Filled with engaging stories and practical solutions to real problems school must solve, K-12 Schools and Public Health Partnerships: Strategies for Navigating a Crisis with Trust, Equity, and Communication provides quality research and clear leadership moves. To be proactively prepared for future challenges, read this work and take action. The focus on building trust and effective collaboration is inspiring. Implementing the research-based practices will lead to healthier students and growth in their learning.” 

Jack Baldermann, award-winning Superintendent, CUSD 201 - Westmont, IL, USA

“As a school district administrator during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I witnessed firsthand the daily struggles of ever-changing guidance, limited health expertise, and the profound impact on student learning. Our only path forward was forging partnerships with local and national health organizations—collaborations that reshaped the way schools navigated the crisis and beyond.” 

Anthony Schlorff, Associate Executive Director, AASA, The Superintendents Association, USA

“This cross-cutting book synthesizes lessons learned by K-12 leaders as well as public health advocates who partnered during the COVID-19 pandemic to develop re-opening plans and safely return students and staff into school buildings. The authors construct a framework with the components of trust, equity, and communication; each component is clearly linked with concepts from the leadership and organizational change literature. K-12 Schools and Public Health Partnerships: Strategies for Navigating a Crisis with Trust, Equity, and Communication deftly uses this framework to closely document how education-public health partnerships played vital roles in responding to, recovering from, and preparing for crises. As such, this book has relevance and applicability for education and public health leaders as well as for university courses and other training programs seeking to develop individuals' knowledge and skills regarding leading in and through crisis.” 

Sarah L. Woulfin, Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Texas at Austin, USA

“COVID-19 is not the first nor will it be the last public health crisis to challenge our health care and education systems. Hopefully it will be the last where policy is influenced by political misinformation.  The approach to the next pandemic must include evidence-based science and a coordinated effort between public health officials and education leaders to ensure no harm is done from both a health and education perspective. This multidisciplinary authored book provides guidance and recommendations that are an essential read in preparation for the next public health crisis.

Robert M. Kliegman, Professor of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, USA

From the Publisher