Finally someone spoke up and reported it: the state mandates for physical education is a farce in most cases. It lacks the teeth to be effective due to the rising number of mindless waivers and exemptions that students and parents can use not to partake in physical education.
The Associate Press reported on a study by the American Heart Association and National Association (AHA) for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) that shows more states requiring physical education at elementary, middle, and high schools but few require students to exercise for a specific amount of time. AHA's Nancy Brown comments that "the movement has not been more significant and it is more of a sporadic approach".
Waivers and exemptions include participation in band, ROITC, one semester of organized sport, dress-out restrictions, and the list goes on. The end result is that students are denied proper teaching of healthy lifestyles. It is well documented that physical education counters obesity and long-term health problems in addition to better academic performance.
84% of states require PE for elementary students, 76% for middle and junior high schools, and 90% in high schools. This is significantly higher than a few years a go. Interesting to note that only five states require PE consistently from K - 12.
Both the AHA and NASPE recommend 150 minutes a week of instructed physical education for elementary students and 225 minutes a week for middle and high school students. The issue remains to get students in the PE class!
Michael Cordier
No comments:
Post a Comment