HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Op-Ed: …A recent report by the Institutes of Medicine shines a spotlight on the problem and draws a direct link to our increasingly dysfunctional system of public education. The IOM found that only about half of U.S. school-age children engage in the recommended 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day (boys are more likely to meet the daily goal than girls). At least half of this hour should take place during school hours. But with fewer schools investing in physical education programs, the gym classes most of us dreaded in the 1970s and 80s are fast becoming a relic.
The Government Accountability Office found that between 2000 and 2006, the percentage of elementary schools that offered P.E. at least three days a week declined by nearly half. The culprit, not surprisingly, appears to be No Child Left Behind, which, since taking effect in January 2002, has decimated school art, music, social studies and physical education programs to make room for more math and reading. As a result, 44 percent of school officials report cutting significant time from P.E. to bolster standardized test-oriented subjects, the IOM found. Experts say President Obama’s Race to the Top program, which places even more emphasis on core academics, threatens to accelerate this shift…
Our children’s health is not the only thing at stake. Data reveals strong links between physical activity and academic performance. A meta-analysis of existing research conducted in 2010 by the Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found regular physical activity promotes improved attention; better information processing, storage, and retrieval; and enhanced coping, self-esteem and creativity in students. As an avid runner and cyclist, I can personally attest to these benefits.… (more)
