2012 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of physical education in the USA, National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the American Heart Association (2012). This report provides current information on the status of physical education in each of the states in the USA. Data for the following areas is presented: time requirements, high school graduation requirements, exemptions/waivers and substitutions, physical activity targets, local school wellness policy, standards for curriculum and instruction, class size, student assessment and program accountability, body mass index data of students, physical education teacher certification/licensure, and state physical education coordinator requirements.
K-12 Education: School-based physical education and sports programs, United States Government, Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters (2012). Schools are uniquely positioned to provide students opportunities to increase physical activity through physical education (PE) classes and involvement in sports teams. In view of the federal government’s role in promoting the health and welfare of children, the Congress is currently considering a number of proposals aimed in part at increasing the physical activity of youth. To assist the Congress as it considers options, the GAO was asked to review: (1) the status of opportunities for elementary and secondary school students to participate in school-based physical education or sports activities; and (2) what challenges schools face in providing physical education and sports opportunities. This report estimates that in 2006 only about 14% of elementary schools offer PE at least three days per week to all grades. This percentage raises slightly (15%) for middle schools and junior high schools and falls to only 3% of high schools. These percentages have declined significantly from figures obtained from surveys conducted in 2000. The challenges faced by school officials include: budget cuts; inadequate facilities and lack of dedicated space for PE; limited funding for specialist instructors; and transportation. However, the percentage of schools offering PE at least once per week increased in all grades, kindergarten through year-12. Along with the decrease in PE instruction time, the emphasis on quality PE programs (competency in motor skills) seems to have increased. School-based sports programs offer another opportunity for students to engage in regular physical activity; an estimated 77% of middle schools and 91% of high schools offered students opportunities to participate in interscholastic sports programs.
Making Strides: State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Bicycling, and Active Kids and Communities, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, (2018). The report cards primarily look at state policy, focusing on four key areas: Complete Streets and Active Transportation, Safe Routes to School and Active Transportation Funding, Active Neighborhoods and Schools, and State Physical Activity Planning and Support. Specifically the report looks at how many states require a schools to provide the number of weekly physical education minutes recommended by experts. For elementary school children only seven (7) states had such a requirement, while 19 states required some mandatory weekly minutes. For middle school youth three (3) states met the recommendation of 225 minutes per week, while 14 states had some requirement. For high school students no state required the recommended number of minutes, although 41 states required some physical education credits for graduation and 5 states had a weekly PE requirement.
Physical activity: Moving toward obesity solutions (workshop summary), Pray L, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, USA (2015). The National Academies’ Institute of Medicine invited experts to attend a workshop on the science and practice that links physical activity to health outcomes, specifically the impact of physical activity on the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity in the United States. Chapter 7 – Institutional strategies for promoting physical activity – provides evidence-based and innovative strategies for school-based physical activity programs. One of the key findings in the 2012 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report is the importance of a multicomponent approach to promoting school physical activity. Two important national initiatives were forthcoming: the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program and SHAPE America. In 2013 (for the first time) the CDC provided funding to all 50 States to support their efforts to address physical activity in schools. The experts agree there is strong evidence to support a multicomponent approach to school physical activity: (1) ensure that a sound physical education curriculum is one component; (2) emphasise that schools should ensure that sufficient time during the school day is spent on physical education and that activities actually keep students active; (3) implement active transportation — that is, walking or biking to/from school; (4) provide activity breaks (i.e. classroom-based physical activity and recess) during the school day; (5) encourage physical activity before and after school – through shared facility use and partnerships; (6) school staff involvement (implementing and energising the program), and; (7) community engagement. Based upon national data collected by the CDC, in 2012 no State had more than 30% of its public schools implementing such as comprehensive program, and only 12 States had more than 20% of their schools implementing a comprehensive program. A key challenge for any funded initiative is ensuring implementation – including professional development training, rigorous program evaluation, and student assessment.
Presidential Youth Fitness Program. School-based fitness programs in the United States have entered a new era in 2014 as the assessment protocols of the ‘Presidential Youth Fitness Program’ replace the 24-year-old Physical Fitness Test. A partnership between the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; the Amateur Athletic Union; the Cooper Institute; and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has facilitated the change. The new program will emphasise health over performance.
Promoting Physical Activity through Policy, Bassett D, La Monte M, Wiese-Bjornstal D, Volpe S and Mechanick J, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, Research Digest, Series 12, Number 3 (2011). Policies to improve physical activity may be direct, such as required participation in quality physical education programs in schools, or less direct, such as a transportation policy that encourages additional walking, or replacing automobile transport with cycling. This report describes five policy categories within schools and communities that have the potential to improve population physical activity. Evidence of effectiveness of these policies is already available or emerging. Currently, there is a growing consensus that policy-based approaches targeting the school environment, such as mandatory physical education (PE), may have the greatest impact on child and adolescent physical inactivity and childhood obesity. The five promising policy areas are: (1) quality physical education programs in schools; (2) complete streets – policies that influence how communities are designed to influence physical activity; (3) joint use – policies that allow shared access to facilities and spaces; (4) community trail – construction or use of existing access routes (such as bicycle/pedestrian paths) that allow a variety of modes of active transport (i.e. walking, cycling, in-line skating, wheelchairs, etc.), and; (5) policies for active transport to-and-from school.