Not so long ago, losing recess time at school was mostly occasional, the product of inclement weather or a misdeed. Now, in a growing number of schools, losing recess time is policy, the product of increased demands and decreased resources. In an earlier post, entitled All That Is Left Behind, I noted how “a great many schools…are finding themselves in the unenviable position of having to forsake fundamental elements of the curriculum in order to comply with provisions of the No Child Left Behind act.� I cited a New York Times article by Sam Dillon that reported on a survey which revealed that, “since the passage of the federal law, 71 percent of the nation’s 15,000 school districts had reduced the hours of instructional time spent on history, music and other subjects to open up more time for reading and math.� It now turns out that recess time is also being reduced. Ben Feller, an education writer for the Associated Press, reports on this distressing phenomenon:

Some Schools Are Leaving Recess Behind

One sure way to get parents exercised is to take away recess, the playful part of the school day when their kids can run wild. In some places, it no longer exists. The proportion of schools that don’t have recess ranges from 7 percent for first and second grades to 13 percent by sixth grade, new government figures show.

Put in perspective, the overwhelming majority of elementary schools still offer recess each day, usually for about 25 minutes. Most children get one recess a day, if not two or three. What troubles parents, though, is a sense that recess is under siege, so much that the Cartoon Network and the National PTA have launched a “Rescuing Recess” campaign. Kids are leading the huge letter-writing effort to school officials with one theme: Let us play.

“The reason I get riled up – and that most parents do – is we see recess as an opportunity for children to play,” said Diane Larson, a mother of four in Tacoma, Wash. “It’s a time for children to be imaginative, to show innovation on the playground. And it’s one of the times when kids actually get to interact with their friends.” Larson and other parents in her district want elementary schools to offer separate recess periods each day, but students often get only their lunch periods to let loose. The recess drop-off is most noticeable in third grade, she said, when preparation for testing kicks in.

Where recess is in decline, school leaders usually blame academic pressures. Under federal law, schools must test and show progress in reading and math starting in third grade. But how schools manage their time is a local decision. Recess competes with many other activities for schedule time, from music and arts to gym classes and computer classes.

At Rivers Edge Elementary outside Richmond, Va., children get only one gym class a week, which makes their daily recess period even more important, said PTA President Wendy Logan. “The kids study all day, and they need some time for social activities,” Logan said. “And those kids who struggle sitting the whole day – they’re the ones who need it the most.”

Nationwide, 99 percent of elementary schools schedule time for physical education apart from recess. More than half, though, offer those gym classes only once or twice a week. Elementary schools in poor communities offer less recess, and less overall time for exercise during the school week, than other schools, the government study found. more…

For more on this subject, I refer you to the following list of websites and resources:

* Rescuing Recess – a joint venture (referenced above) of the National PTA and the Cartoon Network.

* “New Report Highlights Food, Exercise Available to Children in Nation’s Public Elementary Schoolsâ€? – a press release issued yesterday by the U.S. Department of Education.

* “Recess: Is It Needed in the 21st Century?� – a well-balanced report by the Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting.

* “Recess and Social Development� – an excellent article by Tom Jambor, Ed.D.