Physical Education

Read about the role PE classes in schools have in students’ learning and development
Student Achievement In-Shape Students Outscore Obese Peers Academically, Study Finds
Middle schoolers in prime physical shape outperform their overweight peers on tests and grades, new research says.
Bryan Toporek, December 7, 2012
3 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Study: Muscle-Enhancing Behaviors Increasingly Common Among Teens
Both boys and girls are engaging in muscle-enhancing behaviors far more than previously known, says a new study.
Bryan Toporek, November 19, 2012
2 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Big Share of Calif. Students Deemed Physically Unfit
Only 31 percent of 5th, 7th, and 9th graders passed all six parts of the state's physical-fitness test.
Bryan Toporek, November 16, 2012
2 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Report: States' Loopholes Detracting From Effectiveness of Phys. Ed.
A majority of states allow exemptions, waivers, and/or substitutions to satisfy physical education requirements, a new report finds.
Bryan Toporek, November 13, 2012
4 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Many Parents Say Children's Free Time Is Best Spent With Sports
Forty-six percent of parents think their children's free time is best spent through sports activities, according to a recent survey.
Bryan Toporek, November 8, 2012
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Building the Academics-Sports Connection
Schools need to do more to encourage athletic participation by all students, Serge Caceres writes.
Serge Caceres, November 6, 2012
5 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Is Forcing Students to Run Laps a Form of Corporal Punishment?
A report by the Des Moines school district, published by the Des Moines Register, contends that a high school football coach "hazed and bullied" a student-athlete.
Bryan Toporek, October 9, 2012
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement States Could Have 60 Percent Obesity Rate by 2030, Report Suggests
The "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012" report estimates that every state could have an adult obesity rate of 44 percent or higher within the next 20 years, assuming obesity rates continue increasing along their current trajectory.
Bryan Toporek, September 18, 2012
3 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Presidential Physical Fitness Test to Be Replaced After 2012-13
Starting next school year, the Physical Fitness Test will be replaced by a "health-related, criterion-based assessment."
Bryan Toporek, September 10, 2012
2 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Ill. Enacts Law to Bolster Physical Education in Schools
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law this past Saturday that calls for the creation of an "Enhance Physical Education Task Force," in an effort to improve the state's physical education offerings.
Bryan Toporek, August 27, 2012
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Physical Education's Role in the 2012 London Olympics
Before the London Olympics wrap up on Sunday, let's take a quick look at the role that physical education has been playing in these summer Games.
Bryan Toporek, August 10, 2012
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement N.Y.C. Council Members Concerned About Adequacy of Schools' P.E.
Thirty-four New York City Council members sent a letter to N.Y.C. Chancellor Dennis Walcott last Friday expressing concern about the lack of physical education for some city students.
Bryan Toporek, August 9, 2012
2 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Healthy Lungs and Hearts Predict Better Math, Reading Scores
In addition, the study found that social support—defined as reliable help from family and friends to solve problems or deal with emotions—had an influence on reading scores for boys.
Nirvi Shah, August 3, 2012
2 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Schools, Nonprofits Win $27 Million in Phys. Ed., Nutrition Grants
The winning programs must help students make progress toward passing their state standards for physical education and secondarily, they have to teach students about good nutrition and healthy eating habits.
Nirvi Shah, July 31, 2012
1 min read