1. Project Specialist/Trainer
Presented by:
Jeff Mushkin, M.P.H.
Project Specialist/Trainer
The SPARK Programs

2. SPARK Programs

3. PE and Academics Today’s Topic!
What role does Physical Education (PE) and Physical Activity (PA) play in the academic success of students? 3

4. PE vs. PA What is the difference?
Physical activity is:
A behavior
A voluntary movement of any type
Unstructured
Physical education is:
A curricular area that teaches about PA
Teaching skills to participate lifetime activities
Specific, structured, and progressive 4

5. PE is being Reduced and Eliminated
PE Dosage
PE is being Reduced and Eliminated
No Child Left Behind
PE mandates have bark but rarely bite
Budget cuts
PE perceived as less important than other subjects
*The 2006 CDC’s School Health Policies and Programs Study showed that only 4% of elementary children participated in daily PE down from 42% in 1991

6. PE Dosage 6

7. Today’s Kids Effect on the Health of Children
20% of children categorized as obese (4x rate in 1970’s)
70-80% chance an obese child will become an obese adult
$14 billion spent annually on child obesity-related health care costs
Today’s American children may be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents

8. Increasing the Opportunities for Physical Education
Maintain support by showing the importance and relevance of PE:
Improve the quantity and quality of PE
Data showing effects of PE on learning
Integrate activity into academic lessons 17

9. Improving Quantity and Quality of PE

10. Improving Quantity and Quality of PE
Space – Ensure facilities are accessible
Time – Assess minutes then set goals to increase
Movement – 50% of class time in MVPA
Equipment – MSPAN study showed increasing
equipment increased PA time
Supervision – MSPAN showed activity time
increased when supervision increased 17

11. Increase MVPA! 11

12. Effects of PA on Learning
“Exercise itself doesn't make us smarter. Instead, exercise makes us more able to learn and focus and optimizes the brain for learning."
John Ratey, author of:
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain 17

13. Effects of PA on Learning
Healthy Children are Better Learners
Children who are physically active may have:
Improved attention span
Improved attendance
Improved behavior
Increased concentration
Reduced disruptive behaviors 17

14. Effects of PA on Learning
What benefits have been researched?
++ Psychological well-being
– – Anxiety and depression
++ Self-esteem
– Overweight and obesity
+ HDL cholesterol
– Blood Pressure
++ Skeletal health
+ Musculoskeletal injuries 17

15. PA is Important! 15

16. Effects of PA on Learning
Encourage Opportunities for PA
Before school
Recess
Lunch break
Classrooms
Physical education
After school 17

17. What Does the Data Show? Most research addresses two questions:
Does PE have a positive effect on academic performance?
Does PE take away from academic time? 17

18. What Does the Data Show? We’ll share a few studies: California Study
Comparing academic & fitness scores of students grades 5, 7 & 9
North Carolina Study
Effects of a Classroom-Based Program on PA
SPARK Study
Effects of PE program on PA and Fitness in elementary students 17

19. CA Dept. of Ed Study
A California study compared academic and fitness scores of students grades 5, 7 & 9.
Results:
Schools with more fit students experienced higher gains
Higher achievement was associated with higher levels of fitness at each of three grade levels measured
Physical activity had beneficial results for academic progress in both low- and high-performing schools 17

20. CA Dept. of Ed Study 17

21. North Carolina Study Title: Effects of a Classroom-Based Program on
Physical Activity and On-Task Behavior
Purpose: to evaluate the effects in-school PA levels and on-task behavior during academic instruction.
Study: K-4th grade students participated in a classroom-based physical activity program called Energizers.
Matithew T. Mahar, et al. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 38, pp , 2006. 17

22. North Carolina Study Results found that:
Program was effective for increasing daily in-school PA
Intervention group took significantly more steps throughout the day
Improved on-task behavior during academic instruction
Significant improvement especially in the students who were the least on-task 17

23. SPARK Study Design Elementary schools randomized to 3 conditions:
1. SPARK PE instructed by classroom teachers
2. SPARK PE instructed by PE specialists
3. Controls – usual PE
Intervention schools received:
Curricula
Training
On-site follow up, phone/e-support
Equipment sets (also provided to control schools)
(McKenzie, Sallis, Lewis, Rosengard,et al, RQES, 1999) 17

24. SPARK Study Design 4 better, 1 worse, 3 no difference
3-Year Changes in Percentile Rank
Eight comparisons on standardized MAT tests:
4 better, 1 worse, 3 no difference
Increasing PE from 32 to 98 or 109 min/week did not reduce academic performance
(McKenzie, Sallis, Lewis, Rosengard,et al, RQES, 1999) 17

25. Additional Studies
Other research studies that have shown a connection between PE/PA and academic achievement
Sample: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2003) 17

26. Findings that achievement is positively affected by PE
Additional Studies
Findings that achievement is positively affected by PE
Canadian Study (Shephard, 1996)
546 elementary students
Massachusetts Study (Tremarche, et al., 2007)
311 4th graders
CDC Study (Carlson et al., 2008)
5,316 K-5 students 17

27. Evidence that PE Does Not Hurt Academics
Additional Studies
Evidence that PE Does Not Hurt Academics
Australian Study, (Dwyer et al., 1983)
Sample size: 350 5th graders
Michigan Study (Coe et al., 2006)
Sample size: 214 5th graders
British Columbia Study (Ahamed et al., 2007)
287 4th-5th students 17

28. Key Findings Limitations
Summary of Research
Summary of Peer-Reviewed Research
Key Findings
Limitations
Source: Active Living Research
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 28

29. Strategies to Integrate Activity into Academics
Why?
When?
How? 29

30. Integrating Activity into Academics30

31. Workout Buddies

32. Exercise Equations 32

33. Did We Reach Our Objectives?
Did you learn:
The differences between PE and PA
Why ample PA is critical to quality PE
PE and PA’s relationship to academic achievement
Maintaining support for programs by showing the importance and relevance of PE
Strategies for linking PE, classroom, and PA 33

34. FREE SPARK RESOURCES FOR YOU!34

35. The SPARK Family Website35

36. Thanks for Joining US! Check Out Our New Website! Much more!
Parents and Family
Sample Lessons
Grant Information
Much more! At

37. Don’t Miss It!
February 3:00 pm PST
Next time, bring a friend!

38. What questions do you have?38

39. More Information Jeff Mushkin jmushkin@sparkpe.org Contact SPARK:
Phone: sparkpe
Register for a SPARK Institute:
Next Webinar: February 17th, 3 pm PST