What's in a Number?

written by Jon Poole, Radford University

Numbers dominate our life. From concerns about what percent income tax our national leaders pay, to how many yards our favorite quarterback passes for in a championship game, to the amount of minutes our children engage in daily physical activity. Given our close alliance with elite sport, which of us cannot understand what it means to hit 700+ home runs, be a 1000 yard rusher, high jump 7 feet, or run a sub 4 minute mile, among other notable numbers?

Numbers, of course, can also be troublesome. We grapple with the number of children classified as overweight and/or obese, and even wrestle with the BMI formula used to calculate body composition. Yet, is it really possible according to the CDC that childhood obesity has almost tripled in the last couple of decades? Clearly that is a troublesome number.

Yet, some numbers just make too much sense even when we struggle with how to make them work in the muddy world of K-12 schools. The numbers that make too much sense include the recommended 150 minutes per week in elementary schools, and 225 minutes per week in secondary schools of instructional physical education.

Luckily, the number 225 seems to have a reasonable chance for success. Simple math tells us that 225 minutes per week equates to 5 days of 45 minutes per day. The majority of my local secondary schools are able to accommodate daily instructional physical education in large part because they possess both the number of teachers and facilities needed to accommodate the number of classes. True, too often the class sizes are higher than we might like, but auxiliary gymnasiums, weight rooms, and curtains dividing main gyms seem a reasonable solution to dividing classes.

Given that success, perhaps we need to add some numbers to those of secondary-aged students. How about 5210? The number 5210 breaks down to mean that young people needs at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, no more than 2 hours of recreational "screen" time daily, at least 1 hour of physical activity, and 0 amount of sugary sodas or juices and instead try to consume more water and low-fat milk.

As part of the "Let's Go" campaign (www.letsgo.org), the 5210 number provides a simple way to remember some key national guidelines from our federal government. Concerning these recommendations, I find the numbers 1 and 2 to hold more promise than the previously stated 150 (recommended for elementary schools). In this case, the number 1 relates to the accumulated hour of physical activity recommended daily for school-aged children, and 2 relates to the maximum amount of screen time daily. I find the smaller number of 2 might be the tougher of the two numbers given our reliance on smart phones, iPods, iPads, laptop computers, video game systems, and TVs.

When it comes to the number 150 my confidence falters. Unfortunately, my local elementary schools currently offer less than half of the recommended 150 minutes per week. Both of my children went through their K-5 years with instructional physical education offered twice a week for 30 minutes per class. Unfortunately, they are not alone. We all recognize that daily instructional physical education in elementary school is the exception rather than the norm. We also understand that the joy of movement associated with a physically educated person and healthy habits are formed during those critical elementary-aged years. So can we make this 150 number work in elementary schools?

Simple math tells us that 150 minutes per week equates to 5 days of 30 minutes per day. Yet, I am not sure about your local schools, but my local schools possess neither the number of teachers nor the facilities to offer daily instructional physical education. Oh sure, I suppose if we combine two or three classes in the gymnasium (assuming, of course, your school even HAS a gymnasium) at one time that would allow more young people to experience daily physical education. Nonetheless, do we really believe one teacher trying to manage upwards of 45-65 youngsters in one small space would be able to provide a high-quality program? Further, do we see a future where the needed teachers and facilities will be added to our local elementary schools? Sadly, I fear we are in trouble with this number of 150.

Why? Well, back to our math. A reasonably large school around me might have 4 classes per grade level with a K-5 school having 6 grade levels. With a reasonable class size around 20 (and certainly many schools have larger classes), then approximately 80 youngsters per grade level would give us just a bit under 500 students in the school. A full load of classes for elementary physical education teachers is usually around 40 per week or 8 periods per day (assuming 30 minute classes). Those 8 classes can cover 160 youngsters.

Assuming a large school is lucky enough to have two teachers, than they can cover 320 youngsters per day. Of course, that also implies they have a teaching space (such as a dedicated gymnasium &/or blacktop playground) that can effectively instruct 40+ children per period. Unfortunately, many of the older schools in my area of the state still rely upon a "cafegymatorium" in which a single multi-purpose room houses the cafeteria, gymnasium, and auditorium. In those schools, two teachers and double classes would seriously compromise the educational program.

Yet, in order to have our 500 students receive daily PE in elementary schools, we really need both the dedicated space and three teachers. That's my main concern. Few elementary schools have the dedicated space for 60 youngsters to receive a developmentally appropriate physical education program. Plus, with budgets tightening around the country, are we realistically going to see districts hire additional teachers to meet the needs addressed above?

Somehow, I doubt it. Thus, I unfortunately fear that in order to meet such a recommendation of daily PE (and as good as that sounds!) some school districts will simply insist upon routinely offering double classes, and teachers will be left with relying upon large group games because it is simply unmanageable to offer a program with any individual skill development with a student-teacher ratio of 40:1.

Let me be clear. I love the number 150 as it relates to providing a daily PE class of 30 minutes. I just cannot wrap my head around how my local schools can realistically support such a mandate (that is, if state or local governments move past "recommending" to "mandating") when education budgets are not growing to support new facilities and new teachers. Hopefully in your neck of the woods the numbers work more in your favor. If so, count yourself lucky.

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