Data speak: influencing school health policy through research

School nurses occupy a unique position in relation to school health policy. In addition to facing the demands of promoting and maintaining the health of students, they collect the information that is used to document the implementation of school health policy. Effective school health policy is guided by reliable, credible data regarding what interventions achieve desired results. Research data that truly reflect school nurses' contributions to student health and educational outcomes enhance the visibility of professional school nurses. School nurses can learn to use data as a policy tool by knowing data collection methods, when to select a particular method, and how outcomes research can benefit school nurse practice.