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No Excuses! - A Documentary about Quality Physical Education
QUALITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY
EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES
TEACHER RESOURCES

The Importance of Physical Education

  • Overview
  • Related Pages
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Infographic on the importance of physical education
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Of the many subjects children study in school, there may be none more important than physical education. However it must be of high quality and aligned with state/national standards and guidelines. A high quality physical education program offers children opportunities to develop the skills, concepts, and dispositions needed to be physically active for life. Sufficient, regular physical activity not only helps prevent major diseases but it also promotes learning; reduces stress, anxiety, and depression; and improves overall student wellness. It doesn’t matter if the child excels in every other subject in school and grows up to become a successful doctor/lawyer/engineer/etc., with poor health any professional achievement becomes secondary.
There are many factors that contribute to the ease of implementing and sustaining a quality program, including the involvement of the administration, parents, and community. However it ultimately comes down to the willingness of the physical education teacher(s) to do their best no matter the situation (our REAL Teacher’s Pledge states this clearly). That being said, REAL teachers still need our support and appreciation. This can be in the form of equipment (every jump-rope, pedometer, heart-rate monitor, and home-made scoop catcher counts), classroom assistance, time and funding for professional development, and by advocating for quality physical education at the local, state, and national level.
 

Videos on the Benefits of Physical Education

Our Documentary - No Excuses!
What is Physical Literacy and Why is it Important?
Research indicates that one of the leading factors for participating in physical activity is one's confidence and self-efficacy (competence in one's abilities to perform a specific skill). This finding supports the need for attaining physical literacy in order to have the best chance at leading an active lifestyle. With each skill mastered, new opportunities for physical activity are opened. The table below lists some of the most utilized skill themes and what percentage of popular physical activities require them (table is based on Children Moving: A Reflective Approach to Teaching Physical Education, 2007).
Skills Needed in Various Physical Activities
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Additional Resources on Physical Literacy

​National Guidelines and Recommendations for Physical Education
According to the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, physical education is now part of a "well-rounded education." ​
​"SHAPE America recommends that schools provide 150 minutes of instructional physical education for elementary school children, and 225 minutes for middle and high school students per week for the entire school year. A quality physical education program provides learning opportunities, appropriate instruction, meaningful and challenging content and student and program assessment."
Position STATEMENTS on PHYSICAL EDUCATION
  • Links to Documents
  • Selected Excerpts from Documents
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  1. Active Living Research - School Policies on Physical Education and Physical Activit
  2. American Academy of Pediatrics - Physical Fitness and Activity in Schools
  3. American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and American Heart Association - Learning for Life: Physical Education in Public Schools
  4. American Heart Association and American Stroke Association - Physical Education in Schools: Both Quality and Quantity are Important
  5. ​Aspen Institute - Project Play
  6. ​​Association for Physical Education - Health Position Paper
  7. Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs: A Guide for Schools
  8. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies - Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
  9. International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education - Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
  10. National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments - School-Based Physical Fitness and the Link to Student Academic Outcomes and Improved School Climate​
  11. PHIT America - Physical Education in Schools
  12. ​​Physical and Health Education Canada - Why Do Our Children Need Quality Daily Physical Education?
  13. ​SHAPE America - 2016 SHAPE of the Nation Report
  14. SHAPE America - Physical Education is Essential for All Students: No Substitutions, Waivers or Exemptions for Physical Education
  15. The Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation - Position Paper
  16. ​United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization - Quality Physical Education: Guidelines for Policy Makers
  17. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth
  1. “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released national health objectives for 2020 with recommendations that underscore the importance of physical activity in schools, including daily physical education, regular recess, and access to physical play and exercise spaces during non-school hours and in the summer.”
  2. “Establish policies that promote enjoyable, lifelong physical activity. These include: Comprehensive, preferably daily, physical education for children in grades kindergarten through 12…”
  3. “Daily quality physical education in the nation’s schools is an important part of a student’s comprehensive, well-rounded education program and a means of positively affecting life-long health and well-being. The optimal physical education program will foster a lifetime commitment to physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle."
  4. "Quality, daily physical education in the nation’s schools is an important part of a student’s comprehensive, well-rounded education program and a means of positively impacting life-long health and well-being."
  5. "…Offer daily physical education, an obvious venue for promoting physical literacy. Bring back intramurals. Add alternative sports that tap into cultural interests, such as double dutch and netball…"
  6. “Physical education contributes to public health and personal well-being through the physical learning context that it provides for every child. Health and well-being should be viewed holistically to comprise physical, psychological/mental and social aspects of health which contribute to people’s quality of life. afPE recommends that limited and limiting views of children’s health and well-being which reduce health to a focus on appearance, weight, size and shape are avoided.”
  7. "A Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) is a multi-component approach by which school districts and schools use all opportunities for students to be physically active, meet the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime."
  8. "Schools can and should play a major role in efforts to make children and adolescents more active. The recommendations in this report provide approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school."
  9. “Physical education in school is the most effective and inclusive means of providing all children, whatever their ability/disability, sex, age, cultural, race/ethnicity, religious or social background, with the skills, attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding for lifelong participation in physical activity and sport. It is the only school subject whose primary focus is on the body, physical activity, physical development and health; and helps children to develop the patterns of and interest in physical activity..."
  10. ​"This statement finds support in a growing body of evidence suggesting that physical activity and physical education, offered within the context of the school day, are not only essential for children’s healthy development but also may contribute to children’s academic achievement and positively impact school climate and conditions for learning in schools."
  11. "Can you name a school class or curriculum which can improve children's health and self-esteem, build strong interpersonal skills, and actually help improve a child's academic performance? It is quality physical education. Physical education has often been overlooked for years despite the tremendous values it offers to children. And, these physical and mental life lessons are able to be used forever."
  12. "Implementing Quality Physical Education programs on a regular basis by qualified teachers ensures that students become physically literate. These students have the attitudes, skills, and knowledge necessary to lead active, healthy lives now and in the future."
  13. “SHAPE America and the American Heart Association support the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s recommendation that children and adolescents (ages 6-17) do 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity...recommend that schools provide 150 minutes per week of instructional physical education for elementary school children, and 225 minutes per week for middle and high school students throughout the school year."
  14. "SHAPE America believes that each K-12 student should complete all required physical education courses and that state, school district, and school policies should not allow substitutions, waivers or exemptions for physical education courses, class time, or credit requirements."
  15. “ACHPER believes that an educated nation, comprising active and healthy young people is the best investment we can make for the future. School Health and Physical Education teaching is central to the development of children and youth skills, knowledge and habits of mind that lead to active and healthy living.”
  16. "These Guidelines have been developed, in partnership with the European Commission, the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, IOC, UNDP, UNICEF, UNOSDP and WHO, to inform the provision of quality physical education across the full age range from early years through secondary education...This is also a strong recognition of physical education as a driver for promoting gender equality, social inclusion, non-discrimination and sustained dialogue in our societies.
  17. "PE provides students the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to establish and maintain a physically active lifestyle through childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. PE can enhance students’ knowledge and skills about why and how they should be physically active, increase participation in physical activity, and increase fitness."
DATA ON HEALTH and Health Policies
Research articles on the benefits of physical education
EDITORIALS ON THE BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Top 10 Reasons for Quality Physical Education
"This article presents the reasons that account for the need for quality physical education given the current trends of obesity and physical inactivity among youths and adults. The reasons presented are intended for physical educators to use when communicating the profession's scientific base to the general public."
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1. Regular Physical Activity Helps Prevent Disease
2. Regular Physical Activity Promotes Lifetime Wellness
3. Quality Physical Education Can Help Fight Obesity
4. Quality Physical Education Can Help Promote Lifelong Physical Fitness
5. Quality Physical Education Provides Unique Opportunities for Activity
6. Quality Physical Education Teaches Self-Management and Motor Skills
7. Physical Activity and Physical Education Promote Learning
8. Regular Physical Activity Participation Makes Economic Sense
9. Physical Education Is Widely Endorsed
10. Quality Physical Education Helps to Educate the Total Child
The Relationship Between Physical Activity & Academic Performance - Infographics
Click on Photos to Enlarge and on the Links for Original Source​
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE - SPARK by Dr. John Ratey
​SPARK: "A groundbreaking exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance that shows how even moderate exercise will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, enhance memory, and much more."
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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE - ​RESEARCH ARTICLES
Additional Documentaries promoting physical activity
​Promoting Quality Physical Education through Advocacy and Free Access to Information and Resources