Physical Activity

Learn more about how students' health and academic achievement are affected by movement, including sports and P.E.
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A high school football field in Crofton, Md., on Aug. 22, 2026. Gunfire has wounded or killed someone at 43 high school football games since 2018, according to tracking by Education Week. Safety specialists suggest deliberate planning ahead of football season and clear assignments for school staff at games, among other steps schools can take to enhance security.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
School Climate & Safety When Gunfire Interrupts High School Football: What Schools Should Do
Education Week has recorded 43 shootings tied to high school football games since 2018.
Grace Jiang, August 24, 2026
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9 min read
Games, school supplies, and a lobster! Back to school fun, enrichment
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Teaching Opinion Could Your Classroom Use a Little More Fun? Start Here
How teachers and school leaders are incorporating a sense of play into the work.
Mary Hendrie, August 14, 2026
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3 min read
A group prays outside of the Supreme Court ahead of the court's ruling on whether transgender girls and women can play on school athletic teams, on June 30, 2026, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
A group prays outside of the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the court's ruling on whether transgender girls and women can play on school athletic teams, on June 30, 2026, in Washington. The court upheld two state laws barring transgender girls from joining girls' school sports teams.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts What Schools Need to Know About the Supreme Court’s Transgender Sports Ruling
The justices upheld two state laws that bar transgender girls from participating in female sports.
Mark Walsh, July 2, 2026
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10 min read
20260618 AMX US NEWS HOW 30 MINUTES RECESS COULD 1 LA
First and 2nd graders play during a mid-morning recess at William F. Prisk Elementary School in Long Beach, Calif. on May 20, 2026 . The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its recess recommendations this year for the first time in 13 years, recommending a minimum of 20 minutes of recess daily.
Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A What Students Lose When Recess Is Squeezed Out of the Schedule
Two professors discuss why recess is not a priority in the education system and equity issues amongst students.
Jennifer Vilcarino, June 23, 2026
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6 min read
Wed., May 06, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Student Well-Being & Movement Spotlight Spotlight on the Athletic Advantage: How Districts Are Turning School Sports Into Community Assets
Find out how you can improve student engagement, belonging, and mental health through inclusive sports programs, esports, and gaming.
April 30, 2026
Preschool students run on the new cushioned rubber surface while others use the double slide at Taft Early Learning Center in Uxbridge, Mass., on March 12, 2025.
Preschool students run on the new cushioned rubber surface while others use the double slide at Taft Early Learning Center in Uxbridge, Mass., on March 12, 2025. In Oklahoma, elementary schools will have to provide 40 minutes of recess daily starting this fall.
Brett Phelps for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement 40 Minutes of Recess Is Now the Law in This State
Elementary schools will have to provide 40 minutes of recess, after years of declining time nationwide.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 30, 2026
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3 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Video Female Athletes' Physical and Mental Struggle to Recover From Torn ACLs
For many female athletes who tear their anterior cruciate ligaments, the arduous hours spent recovering through physical therapy are only part of the battle.
Kaylee Domzalski & Yi-Jo Shen, April 28, 2026
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1 min read
Plano East varsity soccer player Aliya Jacob's knee brace, left, is visible as she attacks Rock Hill's Adalina Flores during a soccer game, Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas.
Plano East varsity soccer player Aliya Jacob's knee brace, left, is visible as she attacks Rock Hill's Adalina Flores during a soccer game, on Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas. Experts explain why female student-athletes are more prone to injuring their ACLs and the consequences.
Julio Cortez/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement For Young Female Athletes, the Damage From ACL Tears Goes Well Beyond the Physical
Teenage girls are more prone to ACL tears, and the injuries can upend their mental health and academic achievement.
Jennifer Vilcarino, April 28, 2026
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7 min read
Easton's Aubre Krazer, left, battles Hazleton Area's Miah Molinaro, right, during the first found of the PIAA High School Wrestling Championships in Hershey, Pa., on March 7, 2024. Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country.
Competitors square off during high school wrestling championships in Hershey, Pa., on March 7, 2024. A new study finds that high school students who participate in varsity sports were less likely to miss school in the 2023-24 school year, even during the offseason.
Matt Rourke/AP
Student Absenteeism The Lesson Schools Can Learn From Student-Athletes' Attendance Data
A new study has some insights for schools as they struggle to cut chronic absenteeism.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 13, 2026
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3 min read
Red sports barbell on the background of a concrete wall
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion The Weight Room Is the Best Classroom in a School
The lessons I’ve learned as a strength and conditioning coach make me a better classroom teacher.
Alexander H. Han, March 31, 2026
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4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Why a Good School Needs Both Coaches and Referees
If teachers are forced into being referees, they can't fill that role properly or coach well, either.
Rick Hess, February 24, 2026
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6 min read
Students play basketball at Parkway Sports & Health Science Academy on Feb. 21, 2025 in La Mesa, Calif.
Students playing basketball at Parkway Sports & Health Science Academy on Feb. 21, 2025, in La Mesa, Calif. Some schools are using sports as a way to help students develop social-emotional skills.
Ariana Drehsler for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Want Kids to Have Better SEL Skills? Try Using Sports
In a panel discussion, district leaders and an expert discuss why sports is a great place to learn life skills.
Lauraine Langreo, February 19, 2026
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3 min read
Dr. April Brooks, the director of athletics for Jefferson County Public Schools, leads a clinic at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, January 9, 2026.
Dr. April Brooks, director of athletics for Jefferson County Public Schools, leads a clinic at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 9, 2026.
Madeleine Hordinski for Education Week
Families & the Community Q&A Youth Sports Can Turn Toxic. This District Focuses on Prevention
As sideline behavior worsens, athletic leaders focus on prevention, safety, and resetting expectations.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 9, 2026
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4 min read