Why Physical Education?
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends that elementary school students are provided with 150 minutes and middle and high school students are provided with 225 minutes of instructional-based physical education per week. Unfortunately, while about 75% of states in the U.S. require physical education, over half of those states substitute the instructional-based physical education class time for other activities (Education, 2012). This is due in large part to the No Child Left Behind Act and added pressure for schools to perform well on standardized tests. As a result, students are at risk for sedentary lifestyles as they grow older, which contributes to obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular diseases.
Studies have shown that regular physical activity reduces the risk of obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular diseases, as well as increases brain function (McKinney et al., 2016). A study conducted by Derrick Mears, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education in the Department of Physical Education, Health, and Recreation at Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA found that college students who participated in instructional physical education classes during elementary, middle, and high school had significantly higher cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance/strength (Mears, 2008). In order for students to fully benefit from a physical education course, the content should contain a mixture of motor skills, cognitive components, and fitness education. Since students spend most of their daily hours in school, it is critical that a change takes place in order to help improve the health of today’s youth and cut costs of unhealthy lifestyle choices.
References:
McKinney, James; Lithwick, Daniel J.; Morrison, Barbara N.; Nazzari, Hamed; Isserow,
Saul H.; Heilbron, Brett; & Krahn, Andrew D. (2016, April). The health benefits of physical activity and cardiorespirstory fitness. British Columbia Medical Journal, 58 (3), 131-137.
Physical education programs stalled by state loopholes: 2012 shape of the nation
report. (2012, November 14). Education. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/2012-shape-of-the-nation-_n_2130115.html