Recess & Success
The Robert Johnson Wood Foundation recently commissioned a survey of school principals on the importance of recess. The overhwelming majority see a link between recess and both academic and social achievement. And, at the same time, most schools are devoting less time for recess (including Physical Education, PE).
In recess (or PE), students learn actual physical skills, group dynamics, social skills, and even build neural pathways as they learn and repeat different physical actions.
At Elijah School every student has PE for at least 45 minutes every day. Middle schoolers have PE in the morning and a 30 minute recess after lunch. With a population of non-traditional learners (many of whom have ADHD and the like), the time to burn off some excess energy is critical to their ability to focus on schoolwork. It is also important in their social development.
We think this survey is an important piece of information for our schools – homesschoolers, too. What do you think?
http://www.rwjf.org/vulnerablepopulations/product.jsp?id=55249
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