Elementary School Physical Education:

A Position Statement

Benefits of elementary Physical Education -- Quality physical education programs for the elementary school student can enhance all aspects of development. Areas of specific contribution include:

• Academic performance
• Health
• Weight control
• Physical fitness
• Movement Knowledge/Motor skill development
• Self-esteem
• Stress management
• Social development

The above mentioned benefits can be achieved through quality physical education programs. For optimum results programs should be regular, frequent, developmentally appropriate, success-oriented, and instructed by trained physical education teachers. Research has shown that competent teachers credentialed in physical education provide the best physical education. However, providing classroom teachers with special training has also proven beneficial.

According to one study comparing physical education specialists and specially trained classroom teachers with classroom teachers who had not received special in-servicing in physical education, trained teachers provided more and better quality instruction spending, over three times more class time on instruction in fitness activities, and over twice as much time on skill drills. In addition, students of trained teachers were twice as likely to be "very active" (McKenzie, Sallis, Faucette, Roby, and Kolody, 1993).

Increased emphasis on the quantity and quality of physical education programs is in direct compliance with healthy People 20000, our national strategy for improving the health of all Americans over the next 10 years. Specifically, Healthy People 2000 seeks to increase the proportion of:

1. children and adolescents in first through twelfth grade who participate daily in school physical education, and
2. school physical education class time that students spend begin physically active, preferably engaged in lifetime physical activities.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (1992), "The inclusion of a national health objective calling for daily physical education classes underscores the importance of frequent physical education."