# Presentation: 220765

## School Steps to A Healthier US

**        ****Mike Ward**
- State Superintendent, North Carolina
- President, Council of Chief State
-                  School Officers

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## A Personal Challenge

- “They say a marathon is two halves -- the first 20 miles and the last 6.”
- Euphoria and “The Wall”

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## Observation 1

- There is a real health crisis for children out there, and schools are conflicted about their role in the solution.

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## No Child Left Behind

- New standards for:
- student achievement
- eliminating achievement gaps
- empowering parents
- highly qualified teachers in core subjects

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## NCLB:  School Reform on Fast Forward

- 150 years since the beginning of common school movement
- 150 years to achieve universal access
- 12 years to universal proficiency

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## High Stakes Accountability: Unintended Consequences

- Cuts to time for health and PE
- Graduation requirements
- Health and PE funding cuts
- Shortchanging students

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## Observation 1

- There is a real health crisis for children out there, and schools are conflicted about their role in the solution.

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## Observation 2

- There’s a compelling case for schools as problem solvers in the health crisis confronting our kids.

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “Physical activity is positively associated with academic performance.”
-         (Dwyer, Blizzard and Dean, 1996)

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “School-based physical activity programs increased concentration, improved math, reading and writing scores and reduced disruptive behavior.”
-      (Kolbe, LJ, Appropriate Function of Health Education Schools, Child Health Behavior:  A Behavioral Pediatrics Perspective, New York, NY, John Wiley 1986)

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “Students who met minimum fitness levels in three or more physical fitness areas showed the greatest gains in academic achievement.”
-        California Dept. of Education, 2002.

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “Reading and math scores of third and fourth grade students who received comprehensive health education were significantly higher than those who did not receive comprehensive health education.”
-       (Schoener, Guerrero and Whitney, 1988)

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “In a study of two parochial schools, class time for academics was reduced by 240 minutes per week in the experimental group to increase time for physical activity. Yet, math test scores were consistently higher for this group than for a group that did not have increased time for physical activity.”
-      (Shephard, RJ, “Required Physical Activity and Academic Grades,” Children and Sport, 1984, 58-63)

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “Students who participate in health education classes that use effective curricula increase their health knowledge and improve their health skills and behaviors.”
-      (Connell, Turner, Mason, 1985)

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “Students in health education classes also decrease risky behaviors . . . .”
-      (Bolvin, Griffin, Hill-Williams, 2001)

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## Health and Physical Education: Important at the Core

- “73 percent of adults from a nationally representative sample felt that health  education in schools was definitely necessary.”
-         (Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning Survey, 1998)
- “82 percent of parents from a nationally representative sample felt that health education is either more or as important as other subjects taught in school.”
-          (Marzano RJ, Kendall JS and Cicchinelli LF, 1999)

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## Observation 2

- There’s a compelling case for schools as problem solvers in the health crisis confronting our kids.

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## Observation 3

- There are steps we can take to address the crisis — in spite of the challenges.

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## NC Successes

- Joint commitments to children’s health
- Special events and leadership assemblies
- Healthy Active Children policy
- Model districts
- Report cards

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## Actions We Can Take Now

- Strengthen agency partnerships.
- Call on our organizations.
- Review the use of resources.
- Advocate.

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## Strategies for Advocacy

- Strategy 1--Make friends before you need them.
- Strategy 2--Make 'em smart before you make 'em mad!
- Strategy 3--Make advocacy a personal mission.
- Strategy 4--Be role models.

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## Observation 3

- There are steps we can take to address the crisis — in spite of the challenges.

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## It Matters!

- To the economy
- To the community
- To families
- To individual children

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##   Thank you!