Advocating for quality physical education in schools
"Quality Physical Education (QPE) is an essential entry point…to learn life skills, and develop positive patterns of behavior" (MINEPS V 2013)
It has been proven that students that are physically active at least 60 minutes a day may experience better health, self-confidence and achieve better grades than those students that are less active. There is also an inter-disciplinary aspect and students can learn specific concepts and skills for subjects taught in their classroom from a physical education perspective: subject examples include languages, mathematics, science and the arts. The current reality is that 32 percent of children and adolescents (ages 2-19) are overweight or obese, and most are too sedentary, do not meet physical activity recommendations, and are not offered sufficient physical education (Shape America, Shape of the Nation 2016).
In the US, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 identified the following subject areas as “core academic subjects”: English, reading or language arts, math, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography. The exclusion of physical education sent a strong message to state and local school boards and education policymakers that the federal government viewed physical education as a marginal subject (Shape America 2015).
In my research, I have found that some schools only offer 1-2 physical lessons per week with class sizes up to 40 students. Many states allow PE substitutes, while some states allow physical activities to be withheld from students or used as a form of punishment against them. A school is a great place for children to get physical activity in a safe and organized way but there is a large disparity in state requirements and implementation, affecting children’s ability to engage in and benefit from these programs.
National organizations such as The Society of Health and Physical Educators America (SHAPE America) can use their large membership base to influence educational policies that can affect physical education as a subject in schools. This can be achieved by serving on state department educational committees, providing input and submitting proposals that can be taken to Congress for consideration. Shape America already sets the National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education and works with over 50 states and national partners to support different physical activity initiatives across the US.
National organizations such as The Society of Health and Physical Educators America (SHAPE America) can use their large membership base to influence educational policies that can affect physical education as a subject in schools. This can be achieved by serving on state department educational committees, providing input and submitting proposals that can be taken to Congress for consideration. Shape America already sets the National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education and works with over 50 states and national partners to support different physical activity initiatives across the US.
In July 2016, the NEA newspaper reported that with the signing of the ESSA Act in December 2015, there is a call for a "well-rounded education" for all students, which includes physical education and making the subject eligible for federal funding. It is now up to state departments to work with district schools to find the best way forward to implement the new ESSA Act.
SHAPE America's Legislative Action Center is also advocating to ensure that appropriators in Congress follow the bipartisan Congressional intent and fully fund the state block grant in Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act that supports health and physical education in schools at the authorized level of $1.65 billion (SHAPE America 2016).
SHAPE America's Legislative Action Center is also advocating to ensure that appropriators in Congress follow the bipartisan Congressional intent and fully fund the state block grant in Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act that supports health and physical education in schools at the authorized level of $1.65 billion (SHAPE America 2016).
Internationally, there is also a push for change in policies regarding physical education in developing countries. UNESCO is the United Nations lead agency for Physical Education and Sport (PES). They provide support to governments and NGO's by providing guidelines to policy makers to develop an inclusive, child-centered physical education policy that supports skill acquisition. The outcomes of the QPE policies is to contribute to 21st-century skills, such as physical, social and emotional skills which develop self-confident and socially responsible citizens.
These programs or initiatives seem to be aimed at developing countries who might not have clear policies and guidelines on delivering quality physical education in schools and these countries can benefit from the expertise offered by UNESCO and its partners such as the European Commission, International Bureau of Education, International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education, etc as most developing countries do not have clear policies.
These programs or initiatives seem to be aimed at developing countries who might not have clear policies and guidelines on delivering quality physical education in schools and these countries can benefit from the expertise offered by UNESCO and its partners such as the European Commission, International Bureau of Education, International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education, etc as most developing countries do not have clear policies.
The National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in Namibia developed a physical education syllabus in 2015 but still it only focuses on skills-based outcomes and none of the essential skills a student will need to succeed in a modern society. Despite the fact that a PE syllabus is available, physical education lessons in Namibian state schools are still virtually non-existent and when offered, students are given a ball to play any game they want without proper instruction. Some of the difficulties that schools face are a lack of trained PE teachers, facilities, and equipment.
If the Ministry of Education saw PE as one of the priority subjects that contributes to the development of the whole child than an initiative such as the UNESCO Quality Physical Education Policy can support the MOE and its stakeholders to revise any current policy that affects physical education in schools. A revised policy will help in setting specific goals such as providing training for current and future physical education teachers, investing in basic sports facilities, sports equipment and implement a curriculum that will develop critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, collaboration skills, and open-mindedness.
If the Ministry of Education saw PE as one of the priority subjects that contributes to the development of the whole child than an initiative such as the UNESCO Quality Physical Education Policy can support the MOE and its stakeholders to revise any current policy that affects physical education in schools. A revised policy will help in setting specific goals such as providing training for current and future physical education teachers, investing in basic sports facilities, sports equipment and implement a curriculum that will develop critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, collaboration skills, and open-mindedness.
In conclusion, national and international organizations can influence educational policies in specific countries by providing findings on research studies and data to support the implementation of educational programs that can benefit every student, teacher,and administrator.
References
SHAPE America (2016). Shape of the Nation . Retrieved from
www.shapeamerica.org/advocacy/son/2016/upload/Shape-of-the-Nation-2016_web.pdf
SHAPE America (date unknown). Explore Physical Education. Retrieved from http://www.shapeamerica.org/explorePE.cfm
www.shapeamerica.org/advocacy/son/2016/upload/Shape-of-the-Nation-2016_web.pdf
SHAPE America (date unknown). Explore Physical Education. Retrieved from http://www.shapeamerica.org/explorePE.cfm
neaToday (2016). Goodbye 'Core Subjects', Hello 'Well-Rounded Education'. Retrieved from http://neatoday.org/2016/06/21/essa-well-rounded-education/
UNESCO (2016). Promoting Quality Physical Education Policy. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/physical-education-and-sport/policy-p
NIED (2015). Syllabus and Learning materials. Retrieved from
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