CORRECTED
A report released this month finds that most states are lagging behind when it comes to meeting recommendations for physical education.
In fact, the found that only Oregon and the District of Columbia require the amount of weekly physical education time recommended by national experts at the elementary and middle school levels. [CORRECTION: (May 5) An earlier version of this story misstated the two jurisdictions that require the amount of weekly physical education time recommended by national experts at the elementary and middle school levels.]
and , a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, produced the report, which looks at the status of physical education across the country through a survey and analysis of state policies.
The authors recommend that elementary schools provide students with 150 minutes per week of instructional P.E., while middle and high schools provide 225 minutes per week.
But the report found that only 37 percent of the states require that a specific amount of time be spent in gym class in elementary school. That percentage drops to 29 percent in middle and high schools. And, 62 percent of states permit schools to allow students to substitute other activities for physical education.
鈥淭here are people who think marching band and R.O.T.C. is a substitute for physical education,鈥� said ."There鈥檚 a misconception about physical education. A lot of people think it鈥檚 just about being active, but good physical education should have a strong educative component where we鈥檙e teaching kids new things. Just being active isn鈥檛 sufficient. We need to make sure that there鈥檚 learning that鈥檚 happening, too.鈥�
Recess
The report also notes that only 16 percent of states require elementary schools to provide recess.
Lund says that鈥檚 unfortunate because unstructured play time serves a dual purpose for the youngest students, giving them a necessary brain break and allowing them to get more physical activity.
鈥淭hink about yourself sitting in front of a computer typing for three hours straight as hard as you can go without getting up and taking a break,鈥� said Lund. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we expect our young children in school to do, and they鈥檙e just not wired that way.鈥�
ESSA Connection
In addition to heading up SHAPE America, Lund holds a PhD in physical education teacher education and coordinates the graduate education program in health and physical education at Georgia State University. She says physical education fits in nicely with the Every Student Succeeds Act鈥檚 emphasis on soft skills in addition to academics. She says P.E. teaches the important skills of teamwork and cooperation.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 educate the child from the neck up,鈥� said Lund. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the whole body and the whole child. We know that stress can impact learning. We have a lot of students in elementary school who are suffering from stress. We know that physical education is a way to relieve the body of stress. Children, they鈥檙e built to play. They go on the playground, release some stress. They come back, and they鈥檙e ready to learn.鈥�
See also:
Photo: Third grader Elyse Vinton hangs upside down during recess at Eastridge Elementary School in Lincoln, Neb., last year. (Andrew Dickinson for Education Week-File)