National Association for Sport and Physical Education
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Getting Students To Move! This New School Year

It Starts in School, It Starts with PE

RESTON, VA, August 17, 2010 – What part can schools play to help students achieve the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day? First Lady Michelle Obama says, "For our kids to be successful academically, they need to be successful physically." In February she launched the Let's Move! campaign to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. Now, in support of Let's Move!, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) established the Let's Move in School public action initiative to ensure that every school provides opportunities for quality physical education and physical activity in order to educate youth about all of the benefits of a physically active lifestyle.

   "Schools can play a key role in educating youth about the benefits of a physically active lifestyle and teaching them the skills to be active for a lifetime," said NASPE President Dr. Lynn Couturier, chair of the Physical Education Department at SUNY Cortland. "NASPE's Let's Move in School initiative seeks to provide schools with the guidance and tools necessary to help solve one of the nation's most serious health problems – childhood obesity."

Let's Move in School
Let's Move in School urges schools to provide a comprehensive school physical activity program with quality physical education as the foundation to help youth develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime. A comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) includes:

Quality Physical Education (QPE)
Physical Activity Integrated into Classroom Learning
Physical Activity Breaks
Recess
Before-and-After School Programs
Intramural Sports Interscholastic Sports
Walk- and Bike-to-School Programs

Assessment: Is your school providing a CSPAP?
Principals, administrators, educators and parents should evaluate the current status of their school's physical education program and other school-based physical activity opportunities.  

 

Take Action
Back-to-school is the perfect opportunity to begin your CSPAP evaluation and campaign. Get the facts and resources needed to be an advocate for change, visit www.letsmoveinschool.org. Prepare for the new school year – find lesson plans and other teaching tools through NASPE's Back-to-School Center.

Communicate the Benefits of QPE and CSPAP
Research shows that QPE programs can contribute to students' regular participation in physical activity, and can increase student participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity. QPE is at the core of a CSPAP because of its role in helping students gain the knowledge and skills to become proficient movers and participants in a lifetime of physical activity. Along with physical education classes, students need physical activity opportunities throughout the school day to meet the recommended minimum requirements of at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

   School physical education and physical activity programs are linked to positive academic achievement and are the best way to teach our children the skills and knowledge and confidence they need to establish and sustain a physically active lifestyle. Download NASPE's new brochure Active Kids and Academic Performance: The Positive Impact of School-Based Physical Education and Physical Activity at http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/advocacy/letsmoveinschool/upload/NASPE-AcademicsBrochureFINAL.pdf

   A physically active lifestyle also benefits our youth by: promoting health and fitness, building healthy bones and muscles, reducing the risk of developing obesity and risk factors for diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and positively affecting concentration, memory and classroom behavior.

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Contact:
Juliet Prillaman
jprillaman@aahperd.org
703-476-3485

The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE?s 15,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, administrators, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare professionals in these areas. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs. It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD). For more information, visit www.naspeinfo.org.

AAHPERD, an alliance of five national associations, six district associations, and a Research Consortium, provides its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support, and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. It is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, recreation, fitness, dance, health promotion and all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. AAHPERD serves 20,000 members and has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia, 25 miles west of Washington DC. To learn more, visit www.aahperd.org.