The Need for More Effective Physical Education in Schools

Why We Need Physical Education in
Schools

According to the National Association of Sport and Physical Education less than 6% of schools provide daily physical education classes. No wonder our children don't participate in physical activity at school (only 15% of all students participate in PE class at least 2 times a week)- our schools don't provide them the opportunity to do so!


Inactive in school, many of these students return home and sit in front of the television, play video games or surf the internet. According to the recent Youth Risk and Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) study over 43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television a day and the average 12-19 year old spends 15.6 hours on the computer a week.



The effects of physical inactivity in school and at home help explain why many of our nation's youth have become obese and overweight.

I believe our schools need to be doing more to provide our children with the opportunities for physical education and healthy eating as well as educating them about a healthy lifestyle.

During the 9 months school is in session our students spend 50% of their time and eat 50% of their calories in school. It seems to me that schools are the perfect place to attack the childhood obesity epidemic!

That's why FitZees will be working with schools districts to provide students with more physical education classes and after school athletic programming. We will also be partnering with community centers and local gyms to provide students opportunities for physical activity outside of school.

Schools should look to the power exercise can have in relieving many of their problems. Integrating exercise into the broader curriculum could solve many of the behavioral, health and academic problems schools face today.

The health benefits associated with exercise are obvious, but exercise's other two benefits- improved student performance and improved behavior in the classroom may not be so obvious.

The work of Dr. John Ratney from Harvard University has shown exercise to enhance both cognition and student performance. His book Spark as well as Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina outline the positive benefits exercise can have on the brain.

Central Naperville High School of Illinois proves what Dr. John Ratney and Dr. John Medina have found in their research. Through an emphasis on physical education and an integration of exercise into the broader curriculum Central Naperville has seen an improvement in its student's academic performance and behavior in the classroom (watch video here).

Not to mention the success they have had in preventing childhood obesity. The rate of obesity in their school is 3%, whereas the national average is 20%.

What more could educators want? Healthier and better behaved kids and higher test scores. All because of exercise!

We should be providing greater opportunities for physical activity as well as educating our children in the classroom of what constitutes healthy living.

There are two parts to the phrase "physical education", but for some reason traditional PE classes seems to ignore the second part: education. Educators should require an education component, with lessons, readings and tests to PE class just like any other core class. That's what the teachers from Central Naperville have done and look at the success they have had.

At a time when we are cutting back budgets, we need to be investing in our kids future and that means investing in ways to expand our physical education offerings and make them more effective.