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As the amount of physical activity children get in and out of school has declined in recent years, youngsters have become more overweight and less fit. To help reverse that trend, some fitness experts say, physical education classes should be revamped so there is less emphasis on team sports and more on lifelong fitness activities.

Complete text of the article here.

Time. (May 21). See the Living Section for an article about the banning of dodge-ball.

The Painful Playground
Williams, Marjorie. (Wednesday, May 9, 2001). The Washington Post. page A31.
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opionion/columns/williamsmarjorie/A1052-2001May8.html

In school districts across the nation, authorities have banned the playing of games such as dodgeball, killerball, prison ball and bombardment in physical education classes, on the ground that they foster aggression and discriminate against less athletic children.

Complete text of the article here.

The Dodgeball Debate
To read comments by physical educators on the dodgeball issue go to PELinks4U's PE Forum at
www.pelinks4u.org/discus/messages/6/25.html?989880864. The PE Forum at PE Links for you has discussions on a variety of other PE issues as well.

"Be Fit for Life' Says P.E. Teacher of the Year
Dunne, Diane Weaver. (May 8, 2001). Education World
www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr221.shtml

Named best high school physical education teacher of the year by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, Dale Kephart uses fun and music to help kids get fit for life. Kephart, a former Olympic gymnast, shares her thoughts about physical education and physical fitness for life with Education World readers. Kephart communicates the key elements of quality physical education well.

Complete text of the article here.

The New PE 'Life' Sports Are Emphasized Instead of the Team Concept so that No Child is Left Out
Weir, Tom. (May 2, 2000). USA Today.Com.
www.healthfirstusa.com/education/usatoday.html

The New PE strives for lifetime approaches to fitness. Its growing vanguard of advocates says it's time to scrap the PE most baby boomers had. They believe that era's emphasis on team sports puts today's less-fit children in situations where they fail in public and naturally tend to withdraw from the activity, increasing their chances not only for obesity but also heart disease, the nation's No. 1 cause of death. (A large detailed article.)

Complete text of the article here.

Bill Would Mandate P.E. Throughout High School
Rawls, Phillip. (April 22, 2001). The Associated Press.

Life could be about to change for young couch potatoes in Alabama. The Legislature is considering making physical education mandatory for all grades in Alabama high schools rather than optional.

Complete text of the article here.

TV Linked to Child Obesity
Budding Couch Potatoes: Girls and Minority Kids on the TV Fat Track
Saved from abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/obesekids0324.html
Joseph, Jenifer. (March 25, 2001). ABC News.

By the time U.S. kids reach senior high school, they've spent on average of three years of their waking lives in front of the tube. In a study published March 25 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, they report that teenage girls and black and Hispanic kids of both genders watch more TV than their white, male peers, and they're also heavier.

Complete text of the article here.

Children Add On the Pounds
Hellmich, Nanci. (March 13, 2001). USA Today. page 6D.

More children in this country are overweight than ever before, about double the number who were heavy in the late 1970s, according to government findings just out. The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show:

• 13% percent of children ages 6 to 11 were overweight in 1999, up from 11% in 1988-1994 and 7% in the late '70s.
• 14% of children ages 12 to 19 were overweight in 1999, up from 11% in 1988-1994 and 5% in the late '70s.

Even more children are headed toward becoming overweight. About 20% to 25% of kids are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, the government says. "Overweight children are at risk for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other serious health problems,'' says Jeffrey Koplan, director of the CDC.

Complete text of article here.

Dodgeball Dodge Ball Takes a Drubbing In Several School Districts
Gehring, John. (February 21, 2001). Education Week on the Web.
www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=23dodge.h20.

These days, dodge ball is taking a drubbing from some educators and recreation experts who say the game has no place in schools. Schools and districts across the country have been dropping dodge ball from the roster of games played in physical education classes. In some cases, school officials have cited liability concerns. But others have done away with the game because they say that the message it sends children is inappropriate and incompatible with what schools should be teaching.

 Complete text of article here.

Cartoon
News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, February 12, 2001

Olympian Dot Richardson Urges Congress to Provide Every Child in America Quality Physical Education
NASPE Press Release Reston, VA. (January 24, 2001)

Two time Olympic Gold Medallist Dot Richardson urged Congress to "give boys and girls of this country quality physical education programs so that they can be the best they can be." Speaking yesterday to the Bi-Partisan Congressional School Health and Safety Caucus, the orthopedic surgeon and member of the U.S. Softball Team at the Sydney and Atlanta Olympic Games called herself a living reminder of the importance of physical education and sport. "My dream of winning a gold medal would never have come true without the opportunity in school to learn the skills of throwing, batting and running."

Complete press release here.

Convincing Your Principal About the Importance of Physical Education
Teaching Elementary Physical Education. (January 2001)

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) invites you to use your creativity, enthusiasm, and love for your profession to let your principal know about the importance of physical activity and a quality physical education program.

Is Recess On the Way Out?
Offspring. (December/January 2001)

The pressure to squeeze ever more education into a kid's day has led large numbers of school districts to sacrifice the time-honored tradition of recess.

Loftier Heights to Reach in Gym
The Herald News. (December 17, 2000)

Today's physical education is less geared toward competition and more so on exercise and health.  Now, the trend is to take a more holistic approach - working mind, body and spirit.  This way, gym is likely to be a positive experience for all kids, not just those with athletic prowess.

Time's Up for 'Killer-Competive' Gym Classes
Staten Island Advance. (December 4, 2000)

New programs integrate sports social skills and more.

Fit for Life
Time. (December 4, 2000)

More than ever, American kids need to exercise. The Rx: a kinder-and healthier 'New PE". A "New PE" movement is taking hold of hundreds of school districts across the country.  Unlike the old, often dreaded gym class, with its focus on team sports, New PE stresses lifetime fitness.

Schools Take a Serious Look at P.E. Class
Taylor, Ted. (December 4, 2000). The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon.
www.bendbulletin.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=2535

By next school year, third-, fifth- eighth- and 10th-graders in Oregon will likely have to meet state physical education standards in much the same way they now must meet standards in reading, writing, math and science.

Complete text of the article here.

Getting a Jump on Good Health
Harvard Education Letter. (November/December 2000)

As obesity rises and activity levels fall, many schools are trying new phys ed curricula that aim to teach students healthy practices that will last a lifetime. In a country of couch potatoes, teaching kids the value of exercise is essential. Unlike traditional gym class, the new PE is designed to help each student develop a personal lifetime fitness program.

Complete text of article here.

Are the Three R's Crowding Out PE?
The New York Times. (November 29, 2000)

Preparing adults healthy enough to use academic skills will require more time in gym classes, not less.

America's Youth Needs to Get Moving
Hellmich, Nanci. (Nov. 29, 2000). USA Today. Health Section.
www.usatoday.com/life/health/child/lhchi001.htm

America's kids are getting increasingly overweight and out of shape, and fixing the problem will require an overhaul in the way schools, families and others view physical activity, says a government report released today. The report to President Clinton on youth physical activity and sports is being touted as the first of its kind. It says the percentage of children who are overweight has doubled since 1980. Currently, about 25% of children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Also, daily enrollment in high school physical education classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 29% in 1999.

Complete text of the article here.

The Youth of America - Fat and Getting Fatter
USA Today. (November 29, 2000)

A government report on youth physical activity and sports from the Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and Education Secretary Richard Riley at the request of President Clinton, says the percentage of children who are over weight has doubled since 1980. America's kids are getting increasingly overweight and out of shape, and fixing the problem will require an overhaul in the way schools, families, and others view physical activity.

White House Report Supports Increased Physical Activity Among Youth

On Wednesday, November 29, 2000, President Clinton released a report from the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education entitled "Promoting Better Health for Young People Through Physical Activity and Sports." The report identifies ten strategies to promote better health among young people through increased participation in physical activity and sports. A full copy of the report, the executive summary, and the press release can be found at:

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/presphysactrpt/index.htm
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/presphysactrpt/summary.htm
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/presphysactrpt/pressrelease.htm

Remember Gym Class?
The Washington Times. (November 26, 2000)

Inactive children can turn into inactive and overweight adults, who will be at high risk for such problems as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. So not only is it important for schoolchildren to get more time in the gym, it also is important for them to learn how their bodies work so they can care for those bodies throughout their lifetimes.

The Tyranny of Dodgeball
Dembling, Sophia. (November 2000). Delta Sky Magazine.
www.delta-sky.com/editorial/skywriting/education/default.htm

Physical education is not for the gifted athlete - it's for everybody. Numerous NASPE Teachers of the Year are quoted in this story on the latest issues and trends in physical education class.

Complete text of the article here.

PE Promotes Active Lifestyle Among Adolescents, Study Finds
Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy. (June 14, 2000). Teacher Magazine.
www.teachermagazine.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=40obese.h19&keywords=physical%20education

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say they have found concrete evidence to back up what child-health experts have known intuitively for years: Students who do not participate in regular physical education or community recreation programs are far more likely to become couch potatoes.

Complete text of the article here.

The New PE
Lambert, Leslie T. (March 2000). Educational Leadership. Volume 57 Number 6.
www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0003/lambert.html

Because the school physical education program promotes physical activity and can teach skills as well as form or change behaviors, it holds an important key to influencing health and well-being across the life span. To improve the fitness of students, we need to rethink the design and delivery of school-based physical education programs.

Complete text of article here.

What Happened to Play?
Flaxman, Sheila G. (February 16, 2000). Teacher Magazine.
www.teachermagazine.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=23flaxman.h19&keywords=physical%20education

We have lost sight of play as a critically important factor in the normal development of children from birth through childhood. A lot of what passes these days for play—educational games; toys that teach academic concepts; puzzles for matching words, numbers, and colors—is not really play at all. Play involves a free choice that is a nonliteral, self-motivated, enjoyable process.

Complete text of the article here.

Obesity May Kill 300,000 a Year
USA Today. (Sunday, Oct. 26, 1999).
www.usatoday.com/life/health/diet/lhdie069.htm

Obesity is a U.S. epidemic that has surged in the past decade and now affects nearly one in five adults, killing some 300,000 a year, a collection of new studies suggest. The studies, which will be published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, are the latest to spread the warning that Americans are getting fatter - and that fat kills.

Complete text of the article here.

Physical Education Has Strong Advocate in PE4LIFE
Sporting Goods Business. (October 11, 2000)

Formed out of the interest surrounding the Physical Education for Progress (PEP) Act, a pro-PE bill introduced last year, PE4LIFE, a non-profit advocacy group, is stepping up its efforts to re-establish daily physical education programs in America's schools.

Investing in Life
American School Board Journal. (October 2000)

NASPE Past President Carl Gabbard addresses the benefits of a quality physical education program. A sedentary lifestyle almost doubles one's risk for coronary heart disease, a condition that can begin to develop in childhood.

No More Funny Gym Suits
The Washington Post. (September 19, 2000)

"Quality PE" teaches health-related fitness skills and encourages lifetime physical activity. Some experts say concern over child hood obesity is bringing attention to the importance of quality physical education.

New Moves: PE Reinvents Itself
Northwest Education. (Fall 2000)
www.nwrel.org/nwedu/fall_00/index.html

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory devotes its fall issue to an inside look at some of the Northwest's best efforts to save the "new" physical education with its emphasis on lifelong fitness.

Schools Partly Blamed for Overweight Kids
USA Today. (June 6, 2000).
www.usatoday.com/life/health/child/lhchi169.htm

Schools need more mandatory physical education classes and parents need to unplug TVs and video games, say researchers who concluded that most young Americans, particularly blacks and females, are far too sedentary. A nationwide study of adolescent physical activity was conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina and published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

Complete text of the article here.

P.E. Teachers Fear Flabby Generation
Mollison, Andrew. (April 2, 2000). Cox Washington Bureau. Cox News.
www.coxnews.com/washingtonbureau/staff/mollison/PHYSED0402aMAI5.html

Embattled physical education teachers are leading an uphill struggle to reverse the gradual disappearance of their classes from American schools. With less than 30 percent of high school students now taking daily physical education classes, many worry that the lack of activity could be making the next generation of American adults less healthy. Last month, the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., reported that while its new recruits are ''smarter and more mentally agile,'' they ''do not have the physical fitness foundation of their predecessors.''

Complete text of the article here.

Physical Education: Should It Be in the Core Curriculum?
NAESP Principal Magazine. (January 2000)
www.naesp.org/comm/p0100c.htm

Carl Gabbard says a quality program can reverse a growing trend toward obesity in children and make them better students.

Complete text of the article here.

The New Physical Education
Update. (December 1999). Association for Educational Development Newsletter.
eta.aed.org/feature.html

In this our premiere issue, we take a look at the "new" physical education, a new philosophy that is changing the shape of physical activity for our youth. Gone are the days when physical education felt like boot camp and waiting to be selected for a team was more dreaded than pimples on prom night. Today's students are learning the ups and downs of climbing walls, the challenges of ropes courses, and the ins and outs of aerobic dance. The focus is on getting youth interested and involved in physical activity for a lifetime.

Complete text of the article here.

Kinder, Gentler P.E. Meant to Get Kids Hooked on Exercise
Koch., Kathleen. CNN.com. (October 2, 1999)
www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9910/02/physical.education/

Gone are the rigorous exercises and games where the skilled students excelled and the weak struggled. Instead, instructors are boosting confidence levels and the fun factor by designing classes where everyone participates at their own level. In schools with new P.E., grades are based not on who is the strongest or fastest but who can meet their own personal standards in various exercise disciplines.

Complete text of the article here.

Health Group: Couch-Potato Kids = More Sickly Adults
Posted May 13, 1998
www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9805/13/kids.health/index.html

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education, a health advocacy group, says a childhood spent as a couch potato produces an adult who is more open than others to chronic ailments such as heart disease. NASPE issued guidelines calling for physical activity to start early and continue throughout life.

Complete text of the article here.

As Some Skate Forward, Others Dodge PE
Education Week. (April 2, 1997)
www.edweek.org/ew/1997/27aldine.h16

The new generation of gym classes is as likely to include in-line skating, aerobics, and biking as it is basketball and soccer. They may also teach children about movement, nutrition, and an overall healthy lifestyle, a holistic approach advocated in the national standards that NASPE crafted.

CDC Urges Daily Physical Activity in Schools
Education Week.(March 19, 1997)
www.edweek.org/ew/1997/25cdc.h16

If students are to lead healthier lives, educators must prod them to flex more than their intellectual muscles while they're in school, a federal report released last week says. Noting that more young people have become overweight in recent years, the report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls on schools to diversify the physical activities they offer students and to mandate physical education courses that stretch from kindergarten through 12th grade.

PE in the News is taken from NASPE mailers and NASPE News.

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