Presented by:
Jeff Mushkin, M.P.H.
Project Specialist/Trainer
The SPARK Programs
Objectives
Attendees will learn about:
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The differences between PE and PA
The need for quality PE and ample PA
PE and PA’s relationship to academic
achievement
Maintaining support for programs by showing
the importance and relevance of PE:
Strategies for linking PE, classroom, and PA
Last Month’s Webinar
Attendees learned:
• Strategies to help students feel more
comfortable learning dance
• Alternative styles of teaching dance
• Several dances from SPARK that can
be taught right away!
SPARK Resources
Why do we offer the
Free Webinar Series?
SPARK
Background
• Originally funded in 1989 by Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute of N.I.H.
• SPARK is the conduit that moves
research to practice
• Over 40 publications proving SPARK
programs work and last!
“Children are our most valuable natural resource.”
Herbert Hoover
SPARK Programs
Today’s Topic!
PE and Academics
What role does Physical
Education (PE) and
Physical Activity (PA)
play in the academic
success of students?
PE vs. PA
What is the difference?
Physical activity is:
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A behavior
A voluntary movement of any type
Unstructured
Physical education is:
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A curricular area that teaches about PA
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Teaching skills to participate lifetime activities
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Specific, structured, and progressive
Recommended vs. Reality
NASPE Recommendations for PE
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Elementary School: 150 minutes per week
Middle school & High School:
225 minutes per week
Reality
A recent CDC report found daily PE in only:
• 4% of elementary schools
• 8% of middle schools
• 2% percent of high schools
PE Dosage
PE is being Reduced and Eliminated
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No Child Left Behind
PE mandates have bark but rarely bite
Budget cuts
PE perceived as less important than other subjects
*The 2006 CDC’s School Health Policies and Programs Study showed that only
4% of elementary children participated in daily PE down from 42% in 1991
PE Dosage
Today’s Kids
Effect on the Health of Children
•
20% of children categorized as obese
(4x rate in 1970’s)
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70-80% chance an obese child will become an
obese adult
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$14 billion spent annually on child obesity-related
health care costs
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Today’s American children may be the first
generation to live shorter lives than their parents
Increasing the Opportunities for
Physical Education
Maintain support by showing the
importance and relevance of PE:
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Improve the quantity and quality of PE
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Data showing effects of PE on learning
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Integrate activity into academic lessons
Improving Quantity and
Quality of PE
Improving Quantity and
Quality of PE
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Space – Ensure facilities are accessible
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Time – Assess minutes then set goals to increase
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Movement – 50% of class time in MVPA
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Equipment – MSPAN study showed increasing
equipment increased PA time
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Supervision – MSPAN showed activity time
increased when supervision increased
Increase
MVPA!
Effects of PA on Learning
“Exercise itself doesn't make us smarter.
Instead, exercise makes us more able to
learn and focus and optimizes the brain
for learning."
John Ratey, author of:
Spark: The Revolutionary New
Science of Exercise and the Brain
Effects of PA on Learning
Healthy Children are Better Learners
Children who are physically active may have:
• Improved attention span
• Improved attendance
• Improved behavior
• Increased concentration
• Reduced disruptive behaviors
Effects of PA on Learning
What benefits have been researched?
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Psychological well-being
Anxiety and depression
Self-esteem
Overweight and obesity
HDL cholesterol
Blood Pressure
Skeletal health
Musculoskeletal injuries
PA is Important!
Effects of PA on Learning
Encourage Opportunities for PA
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Before school
Recess
Lunch break
Classrooms
Physical education
After school
What Does the Data
Show?
Most research addresses two questions:
• Does PE have a positive effect on
academic performance?
• Does PE take away from academic time?
What Does the Data Show?
We’ll share a few studies:
California Study
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Comparing academic & fitness scores of students
grades 5, 7 & 9
North Carolina Study
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Effects of a Classroom-Based Program on PA
SPARK Study
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Effects of PE program on PA and Fitness in elementary
students
CA Dept. of Ed Study
A California study compared academic and fitness
scores of students grades 5, 7 & 9.
Results:
• Schools with more fit students experienced higher gains
• Higher achievement was associated with higher levels of
fitness at each of three grade levels measured
• Physical activity had beneficial results for academic
progress in both low- and high-performing schools
CA Dept. of Ed Study
Grade 5 SAT 9 and Physical Fitness
353,000 Students
SAT 9 Percentile
80
71
70
58
60
50
40
36
29
45
40
50
55
46
40
36
32
30
20
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
Number of Fitness Standards Achieved
Reading
Source: California Dept. of Education Study, December 10, 2002
Mathematics
6
North Carolina Study
Title: Effects of a Classroom-Based Program on
Physical Activity and On-Task Behavior
Purpose: to evaluate the effects in-school PA levels and ontask behavior during academic instruction.
Study: K-4th grade students participated in a classroombased physical activity program called Energizers.
Matithew T. Mahar, et al. Med. Sci. Sports
Exerc., Vol. 38, pp. 2086-2094, 2006.
North Carolina Study
Results found that:
Program was effective for increasing daily in-school PA
• Intervention group took significantly more steps
throughout the day
Improved on-task behavior during academic instruction
• Significant improvement especially in the students
who were the least on-task
SPARK Study Design
Elementary schools randomized to 3 conditions:
1. SPARK PE instructed by classroom teachers
2. SPARK PE instructed by PE specialists
3. Controls – usual PE
Intervention schools received:
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Curricula
Training
On-site follow up, phone/e-support
Equipment sets (also provided to control schools)
(McKenzie, Sallis, Lewis,
Rosengard,et al, RQES, 1999)
SPARK Study Design
3-Year Changes in Percentile Rank
Eight comparisons on standardized MAT tests:
4 better, 1 worse, 3 no difference
Increasing PE from 32 to 98 or 109 min/week
did not reduce academic performance
(McKenzie, Sallis, Lewis,
Rosengard,et al, RQES, 1999)
Additional Studies
Other research studies that have shown a
connection between PE/PA and academic
achievement
Sample: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2003)
•http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/health_and_academics
/index.htm
Additional Studies
Findings that achievement is
positively affected by PE
Canadian Study (Shephard, 1996)
• 546 elementary students
Massachusetts Study (Tremarche, et al., 2007)
• 311 4th graders
CDC Study (Carlson et al., 2008)
• 5,316 K-5 students
Additional Studies
Evidence that PE Does Not Hurt Academics
Australian Study, (Dwyer et al., 1983)
• Sample size: 350 5th graders
Michigan Study (Coe et al., 2006)
• Sample size: 214 5th graders
British Columbia Study (Ahamed et al., 2007)
• 287 4th-5th students
Summary of Research
Summary of Peer-Reviewed Research
• Key Findings
• Limitations
Source: Active Living Research
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Strategies to Integrate Activity
into Academics
• Why?
• When?
• How?
Integrating Activity
into Academics
Workout
Buddies
Exercise Equations
Did We Reach
Our Objectives?
Did you learn:
•
•
•
•
The differences between PE and PA
Why ample PA is critical to quality PE
PE and PA’s relationship to academic achievement
Maintaining support for programs by showing the
importance and relevance of PE
• Strategies for linking PE, classroom, and PA
FREE SPARK RESOURCES FOR YOU!
The SPARK Family Website
Thanks for Joining US!
Check Out Our New
Website!
Parents and Family
Sample Lessons
Grant Information
Much more!
At www.sparkpe.org
Don’t Miss It!
February 17th @ 3:00 pm PST
Next time, bring a friend!
What
questions
do you
have?
More Information
Jeff Mushkin
jmushkin@sparkpe.org
Contact SPARK:
E-mail: spark@sparkpe.org
Phone: 1-800-sparkpe
Register for a SPARK Institute:
www.sparkpe.org/institutes.jsp
Next Webinar: February 17th, 3 pm PST