SCHOOLS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE DURING CHILDREN'S FORMATIVE YEARS. AT THE CENTER OF OUR COMMUNITIES, SCHOOLS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASSUME LEADERSHIP ROLES IN DEVELOPING AND PROMOTING LIFELONG HEALTHY HABITS IN STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILIES. TEACHERS ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS STUDENT HEALTH AND EDUCATION NEEDS BY PROVIDING FORMAL AND INFORMAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES RELATIVE TO NUTRITIOUS EATING AND LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TO PREVENT OBESITY. SCHOOLS THAT FOSTER HEALTHY HABITS WILL PREPARE STUDENTS TO BE HEALTHIER THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFESPAN AND MAY REDUCE EXISTING HEALTH AND ACADEMIC DISPARITIES, ESPECIALLY IN OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY'S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH STUDIES AND INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION IN EDUCATION PROPOSES TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT THE HEALTHY SCHOOLHOUSE 2.0 PROGRAM, WITH A LONG-TERM GOAL TO IMPROVE HEALTH LITERACY AND PREVENT OBESITY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL THE PROGRAM TEAM WILL DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND EVALUATE A SET OF RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES IN SIX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN WASHINGTON, DC. THE PRIMARY ACTIVITY IS THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS THAT WILL EDUCATE THEM ON INTEGRATING NUTRITION CONCEPTS INTO THE CLASSROOM. THIS LEARNING WILL EXTEND BEYOND THE SCHOOL WALLS THROUGH SCHOOL-WIDE EVENTS THAT INCLUDE FAMILIES, SUCH AS AFTER-SCHOOL EVENTS WITH LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS. HEALTHY SCHOOLHOUSE 2.0 WILL ENGAGE TEACHERS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE BY CREATING A CULTURE OF HEALTH WITHIN THEIR CLASSROOMS AND SCHOOLHOUSES.HEALTHY SCHOOLHOUSE 2.0 UTILIZES AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO IMPROVE HEALTH LITERACY AND PREVENT OBESITY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE ECOLOGICAL MODEL IDENTIFIES THE SPHERES OF INFLUENCE ON AN INDIVIDUAL, BEGINNING WITH THE PERSONAL FACTORS OF THE INDIVIDUAL, THEN THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, AND THE MACRO-LEVEL ENVIRONMENT, SUCH AS SOCIAL NORMS. IN A SCHOOL, THESE FACTORS INCLUDE THE TEACHER AND STUDENT AND HIS/HER KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS, THEN EXTENDS TO THE CLASSROOM OR GRADE LEVEL, AND INCLUDES TEACHERS' AND CLASSMATES' KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES OF HEALTHY BEHAVIORS. THE NEXT LEVEL IS THE SCHOOL BUILDING, AND THE OVERALL MESSAGE THAT STUDENTS RECEIVE ABOUT HEALTH AT SCHOOL. FINALLY, THE MODEL ATTENDS TO THE INFLUENCE OF THE COMMUNITY - HOW FAMILIES INFORM STUDENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF HEALTH. HEALTHY SCHOOLHOUSE 2.0 TARGETS THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE CLASSROOM THROUGH A PD COURSE FOR TEACHERS. TEACHERS' LESSONS WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS. THIS LEARNING IS EXTENDED TO THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD THROUGH SCHOOL-WIDE EVENTS.