Education Law

Revamping recess for vulnerable students

BoardBuzz recently wrote about a new report by the Center for Public Education showing that, while recess is not dangling by as thin a thread as was previously thought, students attending high-minority, low-income, and urban schools are still much less likely to get recess than students at other schools. Other reports, like a 2007 publication by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), have shown similar disparities. And with mounting evidence that physical activity improves both student health and academic achievement, shortchanging students?particularly those most vulnerable to underachievement and chronic disease?by depriving them of recess just doesn?t make sense.

For this reason, BoardBuzz applauds RWJF and Sports4Kids, who have announced an $18 million dollar partnership to improve access to recess and opportunities for play at school for one million students in low-income and high-minority schools by 2012. This is an important step in revitalizing and revamping an important avenue for increasing physical activity at school, which also happens to be students? favorite pastime?recess!

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on October 08, 2008 (boomark / email).