Section One is a comprehensive examination of the entire field of school-based health care, including its early beginnings and justification, its growth and development, the issues it raises, and the challenges it faces. Section Two contains three chapters that trace the history of school-based health care, and its growth and development. They review the delivery of primary health care in American public schools from 1890 to 1980, reassess the progressive legacy of linking social services to public schools, and present an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Astoria Plan for Medical Service in two New York City elementary schools. Section Three contains three chapters on school nursing, the key component of school-based health care. Two chapters discuss the framework of the future of school health nursing, followed by a chapter on the importance of research for informing best practices in school nursing. The four chapters of Section Four explore the rationale for providing health care in schools, the kinds of health care services that should be provided in public schools, the kinds of services being provided, the current status of school-based health care, what is known about its effectiveness, and the potential of schools to provide other kinds of social services. The six chapters of Section Five focus on school-based health centers, including how they operate, their effectiveness, and the challenges they face. The four chapters of Section Six examine school-based mental health services and teen pregnancy prevention programs. Section Seven discusses financing issues that impact school-based health care, with attention to its interaction with managed care and whether an elementary school health clinic can reduce Medicaid costs. Chapter notes and name/subject indexes