Physical Education/Activity & Academic Performance: Considering inequalities and consequences Macaulay Seminar 4 - Professor E. Thorne Saumik Islam, Jordyn Green, & Nissim Hazkour
What are the inequalities we’re focusing on? ● Inequality amongst elementary school students in participating in sufficient physical activity on a daily basis as a result of: ○ Having full-time, certified physical education teachers ○ Participating in physical activity/education as is mandated by the state education department ○ Issues regarding space and equipment challenged schools ● Consequently, disparities in academic performance
Why we care and why you should too ● According to NYC DOHMH, the city is home to one of the highest rates of obese and overweight children across the country ● Childhood obesity - along with its own associated health issues - increases the likelihood of adult obesity ● We, as college students, can reap the benefits too!
Why we care and why you should too - continued ● Afflicted youth have higher risks for health problems which can impact cognitive development and performance ● However, students with better physical fitness have higher academic test scores
Thesis ● Exercise has been found to significantly improve students’ academic performance along with its health benefits ● Students who live and attend schools - in lower income neighborhoods - without full time certified physical education teachers, with inadequate facilities for physical activity, and without a sufficient physical education program fare worse in terms of academic performance than students in better-off neighborhoods
“ Physical fitness activities mean those physical activities which are designed to develop endurance, strength and agility and to fit the individual so that he can perform the task repeatedly without undue fatigue and with a reserve capacity to meet unexpected stresses and hazards.”
Recommendations for physical activity ● Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily ● As part of the 60 minutes or more recommendation, aerobic , muscle- strengthening , and bone- strengthening physical activity should be included on at least 3 days of the week
Title 8, Section 135 of the Rules of the Commissioner of the NYS Education Department Requirements for P.E. by Grade
Variation #1 in P.E. Classes:
Variation #2 in P.E. Classes: ● Brooklyn : 65% of participating schools offer P.E. only 1-2 days/week ○ 34% of these schools offer P.E. only once ● Queens : 65% of participating schools offer P.E. only 1 -2 days per week ○ 31% of these schools offer P.E. only once
Variation #3 in P.E. Classes ● 67% of schools surveyed used a teacher certified in P.E. ● 32% used other teachers ● 8% used other options (other physical activity certification, in progress)
Other variations in P.E. Classes: ● Almost 153,000 students attend 435 city schools lack gyms or dedicated physical fitness spaces ● Nearly 10% of city schools do not have access to an outdoor schoolyard or nearby park ● Across all 5 boroughs, the average class size exceeded the NASPE’s recommendation of a class size ratio of a maximum 1:25 for elementary, 1:30 for middle, and 1:35 for HS
Reasons for variations in physical education and activity ● Loss of teachers or teacher’s aides ● Forced sharing for gym space with multiple schools ● Reductions in funds allocated towards physical education necessities - staff/space ● Prioritization of other classes over physical education such as art and music ● Reduction of class time/number of PE classes per week ● Overall funding towards school to allow for adequate facilities, staffing, and curriculum
● ‘10-12 U.S. Census Bureau: ○ Estimated median household income across NYC: $50,711 (Down from $54,057) ○ Various parts of Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx have suffered more than 10% drops in median income ● ‘10-14 - Median annual household incomes: ○ Brooklyn: $49,958 ○ Queens: $57,210 ○ Bronx: $34,284 ○ Manhattan: $71,656 ○ Staten Island: $74,043
The association between physical activity and academic performance ● In the last 60 years, there has been a growing body of evidence indicating that physical activity and fitness can benefit both health and academic performance of children ○ Key findings: ■ Both immediate and long-term benefits on academic performance - attention, memory, and behavior ■ Immediately after engaging in physical activity, children have better concentration and classroom behavior ■ Positive effects on academic performance in mathematics, reading, and writing - standardized testing ■ Children who participate in vigorous or moderate intensity activity benefit the most
Studies indicating the positive association between physical activity and education ● Physical Activity Across the Curriculum (PAAC) - 2009 ○ 24 elementary schools that added sessions of physical activity to school curriculum: PAAC group scored 6 percent better than control group ● Legacy Charter School in Greenville, South Carolina - 2014 ○ 5 year study ○ Legacy Charter schools was the only public school in SC to provide 45 min of physical education each day ○ Growth of 59% in their cognitive abilities compared to 25% of control schools ● CDC and US Department of Health and Human Services - 2010 ○ A systematic review of scientific literature that studied the association between school- based physical activity and academic performance ○ Of the total 251 associations between physical activity and academic performance: ■ 50.5% of all associations were positive, 48% were not significant, and 1.5% negative
The science behind the association ● Cognitive skills and motor skills appear to develop through a dynamic interaction ● Physical movement can affect the brain’s physiology by increasing ○ Blood flow ○ Oxygenation ○ Production of neurotrophins ○ Growth of the nerve cells in the hippocampus ○ Brain tissue volume ○ Density of neural network ○ Development of nerve connections
Miscellaneous ideas to consider ● Playing in the streets vs. “playing” inside ● Community centers and parks ● Decline of traditional notion of “recess” ● Association between race and academic performance
Conclusion ● Regular participation in physical activity and higher levels of physical fitness have been linked to improved academic performance and brain functions - but, there are limitations to be furthered studied ● PE serves as a conduit for children to remain physically active and healthy ● However, whether it is due to funds, not adhering to mandates, staffing, facilities, or prioritizations, up until now NYC public schools have seen variations in their PE programs which has played a role in academic performance ● There has to be change in policy that allocates funds towards schools lacking teachers and facilities as well ● Also, there has to be a change in mindset amongst the government and schools together
Moving forward - what should be done? ● Enforcing requirements ○ Full-time, certified PE teachers ○ Adherence to state mandated recommendations for daily/weekly activities ● Rewarding ideal schools ● Greater allocation of school funds to PE ● Mitigate issues of classroom sizes ● Further study association between physical activity and academic performance ● Public health initiatives
References American Heart Association . (2013, January). Physical Education in New York City: Ignoring the 800 lb. Gorilla: Preliminary Results of the American Heart Association’s Survey on Physical Education January 2013 Aweau, J; Stucks, M; Colacicco, M; Farnell, G; Cunliff, E; and Powers, M (2013) "ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF COLLEGE STUDENTS," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 26. Available at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol11/iss1/26 Bellar, D., Judge, L. W., Petersen, J., Bellar, A., & Bryan, C. L. (2014). Exercise and academic performance among nursing and kinesiology students at US colleges. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 3, 9. http://doi.org/10.4103/2277-9531.127560 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The association between school based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010. Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment; Food and Nutrition Board; Institute of Medicine; Kohl HW III, Cook HD, editors. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013 Oct 30. 4, Physical Activity, Fitness, and Physical Education: Effects on Academic Performance. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201501/ Mayor's Budget Adds $100 Million for Physical Education in Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02, 2016, from http://www.wnyc.org/story/mayors-budget-adds-100-million-physical-education-schools/ School Meals. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02, 2016, from http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines School Search. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02, 2016, from http://schools.nyc.gov/ .
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