Physical Activity

Learn more about how students' health and academic achievement are affected by movement, including sports and P.E.
Students on Northwood High School’s pickleball team warm up ahead of a match against Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Md., on Oct. 1, 2025.
Students on Northwood High School’s pickleball team warm up ahead of a match against Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Md., on Oct. 1, 2025.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Video How One District Made Pickleball an Inclusive Varsity Sport
Kids with IEP and 504 plans play alongside their peers on one district's varsity pickleball team.
Jaclyn Borowski & Yi-Jo Shen, October 31, 2025
2:07
AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025.
AB Hernandez, a transgender female student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track and field championships in Clovis, Calif., on May 31. The U.S. Supreme Court in its new term will consider state laws that prohibit transgender girls and women from competing in female athletics.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Law & Courts New Supreme Court Term Puts Transgender Student Rights in the Spotlight
The justices will weigh state laws that bar transgender girls from female athletics, amid other issues of interest to educators in new term
Mark Walsh, October 2, 2025
8 min read
Third graders play Ring Around the Rosie during recess at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022.
Third graders play Ring Around the Rosie during recess at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022. Researchers say regular, positive recess experiences can boost student learning.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Download Recess Can Boost Student Learning. 9 Ways to Make It Matter (DOWNLOADABLE)
All kids benefit from regular, positive recess experiences. These steps can make it happen.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 26, 2025
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Video The Top Priority for This District’s First Female Athletic Director
Protecting student-athletes from heat-related injuries and illnesses is the top priority for this district's first female athletic director.
Yi-Jo Shen & Kaylee Domzalski, September 18, 2025
1:53
Students play during recess at Whittier Elementary School on Oct. 18, 2022, in Mesa, Ariz.
Students play during recess at Whittier Elementary School on Oct. 18, 2022, in Mesa, Ariz. A recess expert shares best practices for structuring recess—and calls for more opportunities for students to get outside and play.
Matt York/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A Getting Recess Right: A Researcher Shares Best Practices
Well-structured recess can improve student learning and well-being, Rebecca London says.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 18, 2025
9 min read
Addison's Ava Bartlett attacks during Class 1A play in the AHSAA North Super Regional volleyball tournament at the Finley Center in Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 24, 2024.
Student-athletes participate in a volleyball tournament in Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 24, 2024. The Trump administration has withdrawn a proposal to change a Title IX regulation related to noncontact sports through the U.S. Department of Energy.
Vasha Hunt/AL.com via TNS
Federal Trump Admin. Drops Bid to Change a Title IX Rule Through Energy Dept.
The administration has used multiple agencies to enforce its view of the sex-discrimination law.
Matthew Stone, September 15, 2025
3 min read
Junior Ryan Edson takes a drink of water during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Junior Ryan Edson takes a drink of water during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Download Student Safety: Everything You Need to Know About Heat Stroke
As summer heat waves stretch later into fall—and with higher temperatures arriving earlier in spring—protecting student-athletes from heat-related illnesses has become a year-round concern.
Laura Baker, Vanessa Solis & Gina Tomko, September 15, 2025
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Video One Small Change Helped This Football Team Prevent Heat Injuries
Dehydration and heat stroke are serious concerns for high schools and their athletics programs.
CJ Riculan, September 11, 2025
2:26
Senior Joaquin Garcia takes a drink of water on the sideline during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Senior Joaquin Garcia takes a drink of water on the sideline during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Heat Illness Is Preventable Even on a Budget, Experts Say
Building awareness of risk is a critically important strategy for under-resourced school districts.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 5, 2025
5 min read
Football players gather around a coach during practice at Heard County High School in Franklin, Ga., on Aug. 27, 2025.
Football players gather around a coach during practice at Heard County High School in Franklin, Ga., on Aug. 27, 2025.
Lynsey Weatherspoon for Education Week
School Climate & Safety ‘We Can Save Other Athletes’: How One State Is Fighting Heat-Related Deaths
The state has encouraged schools to modify their practices and monitoring during tough conditions.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 5, 2025
5 min read
Third graders Elizabeth Porter, left, and Tilia Thomsen take turns counting sit up reps during P.E. class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Third graders Elizabeth Porter, left, and Tilia Thomsen take turns counting sit up reps during P.E. class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Trauma or Motivation? Educators Reflect on the Presidential Fitness Test's Return
The return of the Presidential Fitness Test sparks memories of shame, fun, and the thrill of victory for educators who did it as children.
Evie Blad, August 7, 2025
2 min read
President Donald Trump hands a pen to professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau after Trump signed an executive order restarting the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools as Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, from left, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Vice President JD Vance watch, July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington.
President Donald Trump hands a pen to professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau after Trump signed an executive order restarting the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools as Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Vice President JD Vance watch on July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal Trump Revives the Presidential Fitness Test. Will It Look the Same?
A new generation of students could be tested on how fast they run the mile and how many pushups they can do.
Brooke Schultz, August 7, 2025
6 min read
Young girl watching video online on laptop and doing fitness exercises at school. Distant training with personal trainer. Online education concept.
Konstantin Koekin/iStock
Classroom Technology Is Virtual P.E. the Future?
Physical education plays a big role in keeping kids active in an era dominated by screens. But as technology is increasingly incorporated into schools and classrooms, can it also be leveraged to get them moving?
Jennifer Vilcarino, July 22, 2025
5 min read
This artist sketch depicts Justice Amy Coney Barrett, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Justices announce opinions at the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 27, 2025.
An artist sketch depicting Justice Amy Coney Barrett, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Justices announce opinions at the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 27, 2025. The Supreme Court on July 3, 2025, announced it will hear cases challenging Idaho and West Virginia laws that bar transgender students from participating in girls’ or women’s school sports, stepping into a high-profile legal battle over transgender rights in schools.
Dana Verkouteren via AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh State Laws Barring Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up transgender sports laws from Idaho and West Virginia, among the 27 states that have such laws.
Mark Walsh, July 3, 2025
5 min read