Dolly Lambdin

The landscape of elementary school physical education

Elementary school physical education has repeatedly been shaped by the forces of history. Presently, concerns about the obesity epidemic and the low levels of physical activity in children are exerting a major influence on curriculum. Whereas building physical fitness has been a dominant influence during wartime, the focus today is on (a) providing students with ample opportunities for vigorous physical activity, (b) teaching basic motor skills, and (c) guiding children toward subsequent adoption of physically active lifestyles as adolescents and adults. The purpose here is to provide readers with information about the social context and present status of physical education in elementary schools. Attention is given to the effect of national recommendations from governmental and scientific health agencies, newly devised standards from professional organizations, recent legislative mandates, experimental trials of sustainable in‐service education, and the role of research in shaping both pedagogy and curriculum.

Youth Physical Fitness: Ten Key Concepts

The promotion of physical fitness has been a key objective of physical education for more than a century. During this period, physical education has evolved to accommodate changing views on fitness and health. The purpose of this article is to discuss issues with fitness assessment and fitness education central to the new Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) and the Institute of Medicine recommendations. To facilitate effective coordination, it is important to build consensus on common terms and principles underlying physical education, fitness assessment, and fitness education. This article outlines 10 key concepts, developed by representatives from the organizations involved with the PYFP.

Changes in K-12 Physical Education Programs from 2001 to 2006.

In this study, we investigated the changes in physical education programs from 2001 to 2006 based on an analysis of data reported in The Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006). Means and standard deviations for numeric variables in the reports were computed, and percentages were calculated for the categorical variables. The data indicated a significant increase from 2001 to 2006 in establishing state physical education standards. Mandated class size at all educational levels and required physical education units for high school graduation remained the same. The requirement for physical education assessment and mandated fitness testing did not increase significantly. Furthermore, there was no significant improvement in state regulations.

SHAPING the Future: Our Cause, 50 Million Strong

ABSTRACT Amy Morris Homans was an amazing leader in the early development of physical education. She believed that every individual must be educated academically and physically. Earlier this year, SHAPE America committed to making her vision a reality with the goal of empowering ALL students with the skills, knowledge, habits, and determination to make meaningful physical activity and healthy choices a regular part of their lives. This is called “50 Million Strong by 2029.” Fifty million is the number of school-aged youth nationwide, and 2029 is the year this year’s preschoolers will graduate from high school. To be successful will take everyone working together, but people are ready and the country’s future depends on success. Are you on board? This presentation will explain the 50 Million Strong commitment, showcase programs moving the nation in this direction, and celebrate the physical and health education teachers who are key to this movement.

Analysis in Wonderland Wickets and Winners in Elementary School Physical Education

Physical activity provides both immediate and future benefits for children, and recent documents clearly point out the importance of school physical education in helping children reach the nations goals for physical activity (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996,2000). Healthy People 2010, for example, promotes the daily provision of physical education and suggests that children be physically active for at least 50 percent of their time spent in physical education classes. In classes children can learn different health-related physical activities, develop movement skills, and foster a positive attitude toward physical activity, enabling them to become lifelong movers. There are many parallels between the day-to-day activities ofphysical education teachers and the experiences of Alice in Lewis Carrolls classic, Alices Adoentures in Wonderland. The parallels are particularly strong in Alices visit to the Queens croquet-ground:

A Conceptual Framework for Tiered Intervention in Physical Education

Our goal as physical educators is to help all students develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be physically active for a lifetime. Despite efforts to address the diverse needs of students through quality physical education, the reality is that some students still need additional support beyond physical education to achieve their full potential. Response to intervention (RTI) is a proactive approach to educational-service delivery that relies on data-driven decision making to identify student needs and to tailor support. Traditionally, RTI has focused on addressing the needs of lower-performing students through tiered interventions. The purpose of this article is to review the basic principles of RTI, discuss how they have been applied in physical education thus far, and expand the conceptual framework so it can be used to address the needs of both higher- and lower-performing students.