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Advocacy Resources for Physical Education
Unfortunately quality physical education is not happening everywhere. While some of this is due to ineffective teaching practices, we believe the large bulk of responsibility lies with inappropriate education policies (ie. contact hours, class sizes, etc.) and lack of support (ie. professional development opportunities, facilities, etc.). Use the resources on this page, and our other advocacy pages, to help advocate for quality physical education.
Stone Soup Fable (from our No Excuses Documentary)
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Advocacy Guidelines
- Be proactive rather than reactive. If you wait until your program needs advocacy, it may be too late.
- Start with easy advocacy strategies such using a school bulletin board and building a support team.
- Have a prepared "elevator speech"; you never know when when an opportunity will present itself.
- Share what you do with parents (example 1 and example 2) and participate in Take Your Parent to PE Week.
- Communicate to stakeholders via school functions, class website, newsletters, presentations, videos, social media, etc.
- Collaborate with class teachers and involve their content in your classes (examples).
- Get local support via petitions and invite the community to your classes.
- Write blog posts and post advocacy comments on online articles related to physical education.
- Respond to state and national legislation initiatives.
- Provide testimony at local, state, and national forums (ie. SPEAK Out! Day).
- Involve people who fight for social justice (articles on PE and social justice).
- Pledge your commitment to quality physical education (REAL Pledges).
advocacy Resources for Physical Education
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Advocacy Advice
Advocacy Resources and Toolkits
Advocacy Letters (COVID)
RESOURCES TO SHARE WITH PARENTS
Articles
Websites
Campaigns to Increase Opportunities for Physical Activity
LAWSUITS REGARDING MANDATED PHYSICAL EDUCATION
- Be Careful What You Ask For
- Impact of Physical Education Litigation on Fifth Graders’ Cardio–Respiratory Fitness, California, 2007–2018
- The 2013 California Physical Education Lawsuit’s Impact on Physical Education in Elementary Schools: Summary of Research Study Results
- The Impact of State Laws & District Policies on Physical Education & Recess Practices in a Nationally Representative Sample of US Public Elem. Schools
Advocacy Infographics from supportrealteachers.org
advocacy infographics FROM Other WEBSITES
RESOURCES FOR NEWSLETTERS, ADVOCACY VIDEOS, AND WEBSITES
It is important for physical education teachers to inform parents and administrators about the great things they are doing in their classes. Share what you do in your class, why it is important, and how they can support your efforts at home. These advocacy efforts can help garner support for your program from parents and administration if budget cuts become a threat.
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Example Video Using MySimpleShow
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RESOURCES FOR PRESENTING TO A SCHOOL BOARD
- Tailor presentations to the stakeholders you are addressing and collaborate with other education professionals.
- Show evidence of student learning through personal case studies, assessments, and student testimonials.
- Share local, state, and national guidelines and recommendations; organizational position statements on physical education; and research studies that support physical education (see our page The Importance of Physical Education and What Does Quality Physical Education Look Like for these resources).
- Be prepared for possible arguments that may be made for not following physical education guidelines and recommendations (ie. course substitutions/waivers).
advocacy clips taken from our Documentary "no excuses!"
Physical Education Does Not Take Away from Academics
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Healthy Children are Better Learners
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Transformation in South Carolina Schools
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Schools in California Sued for Not Meeting State Requirements
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Promoting Physical Activity Through Collaboration
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Getting Buy-In From All
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