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As you may have heard, NASPE recently held a national
forum to discuss the impact of the No Child Left Behind act on school
health and physical education. The intent of this act was to raise
school academic achievement for all students in areas identified
as the "core curriculum." Neither physical education nor
health education was included in this core.
An unintended consequence in some school districts of this federal
legislation has been a diversion of funds away from PE and health.
Faced with dwindling budgets and higher academic expectations, some
districts are electing to focus time and money on the NCLB's core
curriculum components.
At NASPE's forum representatives from almost every state were invited
to consider how we as a profession might best respond. Effecting
changes to the NCLB act appeared unlikely. The act is already under
attack from many states that consider it vastly under-funded relative
to its expectations. Over the next few months you can anticipate
more discussion on this topic, including a half-day workshop at
the New Orleans' convention. For now, I'd suggest the following:
1. Remember that physical education programs that have strong parent
support are less likely to face reductions. Too many of us fail
to communicate the value of our programs to parents and school administrators.
It is simply not good enough to know that you are doing a good or
even great job. You have to take time to let everyone else know.
Assuming that others know about the quality of your program is a
recipe for elimination.
2. Connect the importance of good health with academic performance.
Students who are not healthy have more absences and experience more
problems with social relationships. If they're absent or facing
other social and emotional challenges, clearly they aren't going
to do well academically. We have to do a much better job pointing
out this relationship in our schools and community.
3. Connect the benefits of movement with academics. Few would dispute
that young children simultaneously learn to move and move to learn.
There is more and more evidence that movement stimulates brain function.
And recent research in California schools revealed a positive correlation
between fitness and academic performance. While we should be cautious
about claiming that participation in PE improves academic performance,
we can certainly provide evidence supporting this relationship.
In truth, most of us believe that the skills learned in physical
education are valid for their own sake and don't need further justification.
But we need to remind ourselves that politicians - at national,
state, and local levels - do not share our background or convictions,
and are primarily focused on fiscal issues. Convincing them that
our subject matter will benefit their main interests is the best
way to sustain support for PE in our schools.
Finally, on a different note, I would like to take this opportunity
to invite you to visit the PELINKS4U booth at the national New Orleans'
convention. Drop by booth #1211. Rhonda and Ardath will be happy
to make you a luggage tag (bring a business card), give you a free
No Child Left on Their Behind button, and enter you in a daily drawing
for t-shirts and videos. We also hope to show clips from a new video
we are creating on developmentally appropriate PE. If you are presenting
or attending sessions please send us a short report of the session.
We'd enjoy hearing from you and can perhaps include your report
in a future issue of PELINKS4U.
Hope to see you in New Orleans,
Steve Jefferies
Central Washington University
Publisher PELINKS4U
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