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Analysis of State Statutes and Administrative Codes 
In the United States, school policies on curriculum and school-based 
activities are determined by local education agencies according to state laws 
governing educational activities. Decisions about what to teach, who will 
teach it, and what level of resources will be provided are made by the state, 
county or district, and school administration. To better understand the 
status of state statutes, administrative codes, and policies impacting physi-
cal education in schools, the committee analyzed NASBE’s State School 
Health Policy Database (NASBE, 2012; www.nasbe.org/healthy_schools 
[accessed February 1, 2013]). Of importance to this analysis is the distinc-
tion made between state statutes and administrative codes, which accords 
with the definition proffered by Perna and colleagues (2012): “At the state 
level, the 2 primary official public policy levers referred to as ‘codified law’ 
used for developing school-based physical education policy are 1) statutory 
laws (laws enacted by the given State legislature); and 2) administrative 
laws (rule and regulations by state executive branch agencies, such as the 
Department of Education)” (p. 1594). A second point to note is that in 
descriptions of physical education graduation requirements, it is impossible 
to differentiate among “credit,” “Carnegie unit,” and “course” so as to 
determine the exact time requirements for graduation.
Using the NASBE database, the committee performed an overall 
analysis of policies on physical education and physical activity of the 50 
states and the District of Columbia. The analysis revealed that 45 states 
(88 percent) mandate physical education; 22 states (23 percent) require it 

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