Physical Education In Schools

The children who were academically performing below their grade level who participated in the program were more likely to get higher scores on standardized tests than students similar to them who did not participate in the physical activity (“Active”). There are other factors that play into the optimal conditions for academic success in physical education classes (“Active”). One is that different forms of physical exercise are found to be more beneficial than others (“Active”). Students who exercised in smaller groups of ten to thirty children are found to have better results in classrooms when compared to groups over thirty students and groups less than ten students (“Active”). While physical activity can improve academic performance, different

In an effort to improve academics, many schools ironically cut physical education and recess times to leave more time for core classes (The Editorial Board). A study by the Institute of Medicine found that children who are more active are faster to focus their attention, are quicker to perform simple tasks, and have better working memories and problem solving skills than less-active children (The Editorial Board). While physical fitness relies on several factors including parental involvement and socioeconomic status, children who are active active children have the tendency to exhibit a stronger performance in reading and mathematics regardless of their background (The Editorial Board). These are skills that last a child through all of their schooling years (The Editorial Board). While an increase in time allotted for physical education classes takes time away from core classes, the benefits of the exercise outweighs the negatives (The Editorial Board). Exercise should go hand in hand with core classes as physical activity during the school day helps students with reading, mathematics, and other problem solving skills (The Editorial

The Health Neighbourhoods Study surveyed over eight thousand students in Australia about their involvements in physical exercise in school as well as outside of school(Wagner). Questions inquired about the number of days spent in physical education classes, the degree of activity during those classes, the number of days being active outside of school, the amount of sports and school organizations that they were involved with, and other questions of the same sort (Wagner). The students also reported how much time they spent watching television, using the computer, and time spent on video games (Wagner). They also filled out the Mood and Feeling Questionnaire to assess any depressive symptoms they might have (Wagner). It was found that one in three of the youths exhibited moderate to high depressive symptoms (Wagner). However, the odds of a students expressing these symptoms decreased when there were more opportunities for physical education classes and team sports, and when students spent less time on screens (Wagner). When a child was involved in more activities that required physical activity, they were less likely to have depression or exhibit depressive symptoms (Wagner). This means that there is a direct correlation between physical activity and overall well being (Wagner). If physical education classes were made mandatory in schools, students would display a better morale and