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No child left behind policy analysis
How to improve physical education in schools
No child left behind policy analysis
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Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, in 2001, many schools have removed or decreased the amount of time for physical education classes, recesses, and before and after school programs. Many of these programs have been removed due to tough financial times and the pressure to meet increased educational demands of the core subjects, includes reading, writing, math, and science. Studies show that students should be receiving a minimum of 60 minutes of vigorous and/or moderate intensity physical activity each day. The physical activity should take place during recess, incorporated into lessons, during classroom breaks, and in physical education classes. Less than 4% of school offer daily physical education opportunities; only about
Who doesn’t want to have to do exercise? Everybody needs exercise to be in good health, but some people don’t like to exercise. They just want to stay inside and do nothing in life. Even though people don’t want to exercise all the time they could have a treadmill or a bike to exercise on instead of going outside and running or play basketball with friends just to lose weight. Sometimes students get lazy after work or school and don’t want to go outside and enjoy the nice weather. Although for students they have to exercise because they have to stay in shape for sports, but if the school is trying to take away interscholastic
In the “The Crucial Role of Recess in School” (2012) article it explains, many schools are beginning to replace physical activity, like recess, with more attention to academic subjects. What these schools are forgetting is that well-supervised recess also has benefits that surpass academics. They help make a well rounded student because recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits to the student when they are young that they carry with them into adulthood.
Ah recess, the highlight of the elementary school days, no work to do, just running around outside, but did it really benefit us? Many people across the world are against recess because they believe it takes time away from learning. In addition, some parents value the education more than letting their kids have a break during school, which leads them to believe that recess is no good. What they don’t know is that recess actually benefits their kids. Kids should have recess because it helps them build social skills, reset their brains for future information to be learned in the day, and improve their mental function through regular fitness.
Schools all over the country are considering, if not already applying, the removal of recess for elementary school students. Having recess has scientifically proven to play a substantial part in the social development of a child, their physical health, and the amount of attention they pay in the classroom. For example the Tennessee Board of Education says, "It is the position of the NASPE that all elementary school children should be provided with at least one daily period of recess of at least 20 minutes on length" (National Association for Sports and Physical Education). Keeping recess in schools could help lower the childhood obesity rate, help children to be more attentive in class, and assist in the development of their much needed social skills. These aspects are essential to academic healthiness and to your child succeeding academically. Removing recess could cause a dramatic decline in the graduation rate in the U.S.
Caralee Adams, reported to Scholastic.com, “About 11 percent of states and 57 percent of districts require elementary schools to provide students with regularly scheduled recess, a study by the Centers for Disease Controls, in 2006.” As far back as 1884, W.T. Harris, addressed students being overweight, could be reduced with physical needs, be saved by recess. On the other hand, those who do not think recess is beneficial, argue that recess is a waste of time in the school day. Recess should be allowed in all schools because physical health and concentration benefits to kids.
“More than 40 percent of school districts across the country, … have done away with recess or are considering it” (Mulrine). This is a ridiculously high number when considering all the benefits that recess has on young children. Children develop and improve so many basic skills, as well as just simply getting a brain break. Educators, however, believe they need more time in the classroom in order to learn more information. What they need may be just the opposite. Researchers of Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found, “ ‘Recess may play an important role in the learning, social development, and the health of children’ “ (“Let Them Play”). Specifically, fourth grade students and younger should be required
The physical activity requirements of the Healthy Kids Act are simple. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are to participate in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each school day. Students in sixth through twelfth grade are to participate in at least 120 minutes of physical activity every week. Sixth through twelfth grade students can meet this requirement by not only being enrolled in P.E. class, but by being involved in sports, marching band, dance, cheer,
These activities provide students with adequate physical fitness especially during the season of their activity. Therefore, adding forty-five minutes to an hour and a half of extra physical exercise is not necessary because those students are already physically fit. Active students usually have hours of practices and rehearsals everyday, taking away time they could use to work on homework, or use as relax time. If students are forced to do even more physical exercise during the school day, it tires them further and simply exhausts them. According to Arthur Allen of Webmd, thirty minutes of exercise a day is enough to prevent diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
Most adults do not realize the amount of weight such young minds have to endure in a single day. Director Howell Wechsler of the Division of Adolescent and School Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that “Some shortsighted people thought that cutting back on time spent on physical education to spend more time drilling for tests would improve test score’’ (Nanci). However, many other studies reflect quite the opposite: allowing more time for physical education activities actually improve academic performance (Nanci). With little knowledge to the issue at hand, society is assuming what is best for children without acknowledging what they may really need. Not only would it affect their mental stability, but possibly their future social
Also, some protective parents may fear that their kids will be hurt either when playing on playground equipment, or through bullying from other kids. Bullying behavior is dreaded by most parents and is usually done on school property. Some schools argue that children come to school to learn and therefore recess is a waste of time, yet they should be busy in class improving their grades. Some eliminate the break policies once the school grades go down saying that teachers ought to have more time with the kids to save the situations.
motivated than past students. Many of these young people would prefer to be sitting passively in front of the television rather than to do something physically active. Most high school students believe they do not have sufficient time, opportunity or guidance to participate in physical activities. The ideal place in which students would be able to find adequate time, opportunity and guidance are in the high schools themselves. Politicians and educators responsible for the mandatory physical education program at the junior high school levels (grades
Patterson, Joan. “Many schools cutting back on physical education”. Review Journal. Stepens Media LLC, 2013. Web. 28 April 2014
Physical education time is being cut in schools to give more time for students to focus on core courses such as Science, Math and Reading. Some districts have eliminated the course or do not even provide it. These courses, although very important, should not take away from a student’s well-being. Physical education provides a foundation for a student’s future lifestyle and good health habits. Physical education should be treated like every other foundational course because it is a necessary part of a student’s lifestyle that they will benefit from every day.
People who takes short breaks are more productive than people people who do not. So with that being said, in my opinion students should have breaks in school! I think students should get breaks throughout the day because giving them breaks in school will have them not tired in school and walking around like a zombie, teaching them so much can have their brains go crazy and get them stressed, and lastly having them interact better with other students. So that the students would be more productive in class/school.
Most people recognize that physical education is important to stay healthy and live a balanced lifestyle. However, our culture’s focus on this truth is rapidly diminishing. Over hundreds of years ago, the ancient Greeks held physical education superior to many other things. According to Encyclopedia Americana (2014), the article about the history of physical education, states that the Greeks “strove for physical perfection and the total development of the body.” Years later, in 2008, a study done by the Center for Disease Control states that “only 19% of high school students were active for 20 min or more in physical education classes” (Osness, 2014, p. 1). The amount of physical activity has been rapidly diminishing over the years, causing severe health conditions and problems in the lives of many sedentary individuals. Being physically active used to be a focus in our nation, yet now it seems that society is discouraging physical activity. School systems are currently cutting physical education out of their curriculum, not requiring students to participate in these classes. It is important that physical education classes are mandatory especially at a high school level, because it benefits the students both academically and physically helping encourage lifelong fitness, cognitive skills, attitude, and academic performance.