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Designating Physical Education as a Core Subject
Recommendation 3: Because physical education is foundational for 
lifelong health and learning, the U.S. Department of Education should 
designate physical education as a core subject.
Physical education in school is the only sure opportunity for all school-
aged students to access health-enhancing physical activity and the only 
school subject area that provides education to ensure that students develop 
the knowledge, skills, and motivation to engage in health-enhancing physi-
cal activity for life. Yet states vary greatly in their mandates with respect to 
time allocated for and access to physical education. As stated previously, 
44 percent of school administrators report having cut significant time from 
physical education and recess to increase time devoted to reading and 
mathematics in response to the No Child Left Behind Act. Moreover, while 
the literature on disparities in physical education by race/ethnicity and 
socioeconomic status is limited and not always as straightforward, dispari-
ties have been documented in access to physical education for students of 
Hispanic ethnicity and lower socioeconomic status. 
Currently, despite growing concern about the negative consequences of 
physical inactivity, physical education is not considered or treated as a core 
subject. Several national studies and reports have pointed to the importance 
of implementing state laws and regulations mandating both time require-
ments for physical education and monitoring of compliance with those 
requirements. Although a number of national governmental, nongovern-
mental, private industry, and public health organizations and agencies have 
offered specific recommendations for the number of days and minutes per 
day of physical education, no policy that is consistent from state to state has 
emerged. If treated as a core academic subject, physical education would 
receive much-needed resources and attention, which would enhance its 
overall quality in terms of content offerings, instruction, and accountability. 
Enactment of this recommendation would also likely result in downstream 
accountability that would assist in policy implementation.

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Summary
 
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