Quality, Daily
Physical Education
For Health, Fitness, and Learning Today—
and Tomorrow
The health and well-being of most American
children are being short-changed at school in
that they lack opportunities to
take regular, quality physical education
classes,
participate in adequate physical activity,
develop motor skills, and
learn about fitness concepts.
Source: Educational Frameworks.
Meanwhile . . .
“The percentage of young people who are
overweight has doubled since 1980.”
“Of children aged 5 to 10 who are
overweight, 61% have one or more
cardiovascular disease risk factors. . . .”
“Adult-onset” (type 2) diabetes is now
seen among adolescents, along with its
life-threatening complications.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS)
2000b, p. 5.
However,
something
can be done . . .
“[The CDC and NIH have called] for more
physical activity and physical education
for all children. School boards should take
note and heed their call. . . Daily, quality
physical education in all schools is a
sound investment in our nation’s health
and productivity.”
Source: American School Board Journal, Oct. 2000
The National Association of State Boards of
Education (NASBE), in its “Fit, Healthy and
Ready to Learn” policy statements,
recommends a
“sequential physical education curriculum
taught daily in every grade . . . that involves
. . . physical activity; that teaches knowledge,
motor skills, and positive attitudes . . . taught
by well-prepared and well-supported staff. . . .
Source: www.nasbe.org
New Physical
Education =
Quality Physical
Education . . .
Today’s quality physical education programs
respect and enhance the physical, cognitive,
and social-emotional development of the
child.
Students learn how to develop, maintain, and
self-assess health, fitness, and motor skills
through physical activities in which they can
participate for a lifetime.
Only in Quality
Physical Education . . .
Students learn basic movement skills (e.g.,
skipping, throwing, catching, kicking) and
knowledge for developing and monitoring
their own fitness levels:
Proven, safe methods for improving
the health-related fitness components—
cardiorespiratory endurance, body
composition (fat to lean mass), and
muscular strength, endurance, and
flexibility
Self-assessment skills—e.g., heart-rate
monitoring during physical activity,
application of healthy heart rate target
zones in which to maintain intensity, and
practical self-tests for health-related
fitness components. Students also learn
how to self-assess their motor skills.
Students develop skills for and
experience a variety of physical
activities. While playing a team sport
often contributes to fitness, small-sided
games (e.g., tennis) and individual
activities (e.g., walking and biking) will
also be important to a lifetime of fitness
and wellness.
Secondary students learn how to be good
consumers of fitness products and
services.
Note: Researchers estimate that $5 billion is wasted each
year on fraudulent weight loss products alone (Linder 2000).
Athletics

Physical
Education . . .
While athletics are very worthwhile to those
participating in them, they only meet the
current needs of some students. All too often
the high school athletes of today become
the spectators—not the participants—of
tomorrow.
Only quality, daily physical education
prepares all students for a lifetime of fitness
and good health.
“Helping children and youth find success,
enjoyment, and confidence in their
physical abilities is important.”
Educational Leadership (March 2000)
“Unhealthy behaviors take many years to
present themselves clinically, but . . .
helping students learn to be active early in
their lives will provide an important
foundation for lifetime physical activity.”
Educational Leadership (March 2000)
Providing quality
physical education
prepares our
children for lifelong
physical activity and
health.
Isn’t that enough?
Also
in Quality
Physical
Education . . .
Students:
Learn how to apply academic skills in
meaningful ways (e.g., writing for
understanding, studying how the body
functions)
Develop appropriate social behaviors
(e.g., cooperation, respect, healthy
competition)
Practice healthy stress-reduction
strategies
New Physical Education =
Quality Physical Education
It’s not just basketball, football, and softball
anymore: Students explore a broad range of
physical activities to discover their interests.
Some contemporary activities:
Biking
Adventure
Backpacking
Orienteering
Ropes courses
Cross-country
skiing
In-line skating
Line dancing
Self-designed
fitness programs
Today’s quality physical education is
Individualized—Students learn and are
authentically assessed on their own
needs, goals, and efforts.
Meaningful—Students gain skills and
knowledge in context.
Developmentally appropriate—
Activities and content are geared toward
research-based expectations.
Academically enhancing—Crosscurricular activities extend meaning.
Lifelong—Encourages lifelong enjoyable,
accessible, cost-effective physical
activity.
Quality physical education also helps
students learn to
set and work toward goals,
recognize the benefits of lifelong
participation in physical activity,
practice self-assessment,
celebrate what they can do, and
value others’ personal achievements.
The Facts
Are In . . .
“. . . School physical education
programs . . . can be effective in
increasing the health, fitness, and
physical activity levels of students.”
Educational Leadership (March 2000)
Children and youth who participate
in quality physical education programs
are more likely to participate in physical
activity as adults (American Sports
Data, Inc.).
Unfortunately, negative habits carry over into
adulthood as well.
“Regular, moderate physical activity
among . . . inactive Americans over age 15
might reduce annual national medical
costs by as much as . . . $76.6 billion in
2000 dollars.”
The Physician and Sportsmedicine, October 2000.
Year after year, the percentage of
adults who exercise at moderate intensity
for 30 minutes at least 5 days per week
continues to decline (USDHHS 2000a).
Data from CDC 1991-97, 1990-99.
Physical activity levels decrease steadily
during adolescence (USDHHS 1996).
Adapted from CDC 1997 (Kann et al. 1998).
When physical inactivity is combined with
poor diet, the impact on health is
devastating, accounting for an estimated
300,000 deaths per year.
Tobacco use is the only behavior that kills
more people.
—JAMA 1993
More and more young people are overweight.
Data from CDC 2000.
Today, 2- to 18-year-olds average more
than 4 hours a day watching TV and
videos, playing video games, and using
computers (Kaiser Family Foundation
1999).
One recent study found that only 20% of
students met all the minimum healthrelated fitness standards. More than 40%
did not meet the minimum for heart health
(CA Dept. of Ed. 1999).
The Facts
Are In . . .
Children and adolescents who are regularly
physically active:
Enhance skeletal development
Increase muscle and bone strength
May find it easier to control their weight
Reduce anxiety and stress
Source: USDHHS 2000a.
“Through its effects on mental health,
physical activity may help increase
students’ capacity for learning”
(UDDHHS 2000b).
“. . . Spending more time in physical
education did not have harmful effects on
the standardized achievement scores of
elementary school students”
(Sallis et al. 1999).
“In fact . . . participation in a two-year
health-related physical education program
had several significant favorable effects
on academic achievement”
(Sallis et al. 1999).
The First Choice Program
Kids who increased their physical activity
from three to five days a week showed
20% improvement in school attendance
20% improvement in school grades
50% reduction in smoking
60% reduction in drug and alcohol use
Source: Collingwood 2001
You Can Make
a Difference . . .
Curricular Decisions . . .
Require daily, quality physical education
for all children, pre-K through 12th grade
(USDHHS 2000b).
Ban the use of physical education waivers
(USDHHS 2000b).
Provide adapted physical education for
students with disabilities (USDHHS
2000b).
Support state and national standards and
developmentally appropriate practices in
physical education.
Form school- and district-wide health
and wellness committees to assess and
improve student and staff fitness and
health.
Develop comprehensive school- and
district-wide health screening and
counseling programs, more fully utilizing
school health education, nursing, physical
education, and other staff.
Encourage interdisciplinary instruction,
including integrating core academic
subjects into physical education and
integrating movement skills and fitness
topics into, e.g., math, language arts, and
science.
Teacher Qualification and
Training Decisions . . .
Only certified physical education teachers
should teach the skills and provide the
motivation our young people need to
adopt and maintain a physically active
lifestyle.
Intensify efforts to provide quality
physical education staff development
opportunities.
Source: USDHHS 2000b
Strategical Decisions . . .
Abolish large class sizes. Class sizes
should be the same as for other subject
areas (USDHHS 2000b).
Provide adequate, safe facilities.
Fund sufficient equipment and supplies to
increase time on task.
Facilitate physical activity-related field
trips.
Community Relationship
Decisions . . .
Encourage after-school care programs to
provide health-enhancing amounts of
physical activity and practice
opportunities for skills taught in physical
education (USDHHS 2000b).
Team with local businesses and national
corporations to facilitate physical
education and physical activity funding
and implementation.
Your Support
Will Make a Difference . . .
Support national programs to improve the
fitness and wellness of our children and
youth.
Support the PE4Life
Initiative
PE4Life serves as the collective voice for
promoting and expanding quality, daily
physical education programs to develop
active, healthy lifestyles for America’s
youth. Further information about this
not-for-profit organization can be found at
www.PE4Life.org.
Support NASPE
The National Association for Sport
and Physical Education is a nonprofit
professional organization that studies
human movement as well as studies,
develops, supports, and promotes quality
sport, physical activity, and physical
education programs.
New Physical
Education
=
Quality Physical
Education . . .
Quality physical education provides the
opportunity for every student to gain
physical, social-emotional, and academic
confidence today—gifts that can last a
lifetime.
The Facts
Are In . . .
Quality physical education enhances the
current physical fitness and emotional
well-being of students.
Students who participate in a quality
physical education program today are
more likely to be fit in the future.
Regular physical education can favorably
affect academic achievement.
Your Support Will
Make a Difference . . .
Today, you can greatly enhance the
current—and future—physical fitness and
emotional health and well-being of
students in your school and district
simply by supporting your local physical
education program as outlined in this
presentation.
Funding for this program was provided by
PE4Life (www.PE4LIFE.org) and
Human Kinetics Publishers
(www.humankinetics.com)
Content support was provided by The
National Association for Sport and Physical
Education (NASPE)
www.aahperd.org/naspe