of School Gardens on Students ion and Considerations Health Educ Behav OnlineFirst, published on July 21, 2006 as doi:10.1177/1090198106289002and Schools: Conceptualizat for Maximizing Healthy Development

There are thousands of school gardens in the United States, and there is anecdotal evidence that school garden programs can enhance students ’ learning in academic, social, and health-related domains. There has been little rigorous research, however, on the effects of school gardens or on the factors that promote the sustainabil-ity of these programs. This review draws on ecological theory to conceptualize school gardens as systemic inter-ventions with the potential for promoting the health and well-being of individual students in multiple interdependent domains and for strengthening the school environment as a setting for positive youth develop-ment. This review (a) summarizes the small literature regarding the impact of school garden curricula on student or school functioning, (b) provides a conceptual framework to guide future inquiry, (c) discusses implications of this conceptualization for practice, and (d) suggests further research needed to better inform practice