Survey Finds Majority of Elementary Schools Still Offer Recess Time

Washington

Despite widespread concerns that the daily recess period is going the way of the dinosaur, a federal survey issued last week suggests that the vast majority of elementary schools still offer unstructured playtime for students each day.

According to the study, released May 16 by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 83 percent to 88 percent of elementary schools provide daily recess for children in 1st through 6th grades. The report, part of a series of fast-turnaround surveys that the department conducts on hot educational topics, is based on responses from a nationally representative group of 1,198 schools serving those grades.

The findings come at a time when parents’ groups and health advocates say they are worried that schools are giving recess short shrift in the drive to boost students’ scores on state tests. A recent survey by the Chicago-based National PTA, for instance, estimated that nearly 40 percent of elementary schools in the United States have eliminated or are considering eliminating recess time. ( "National PTA Aims to Restore Time for Recess," ...