Welcome to the March edition of pelinks4u:

Last month's editorial on "Saving Physical Education" sparked reader response from home and abroad. Most writers agreed that legislators and the public often poorly understand the value of physical education.

Commenting on his experiences in Ohio, Daryl Siedentop felt that Ohio congressmen and senators seemed to have utter distain for physical education - opinions he believed were based primarily on their own negative physical education experiences. Daryl shared an Op-Ed piece he wrote for the Columbus Dispatch when he discovered last year that the legislature "had completely ruined a rather good piece of legislation that would have really moved physical education in Ohio forward." You can read Daryl's letter below.

This month's editorial "Is change in the air?" focuses on our professional future. As many of you know, our national convention will be held at the end of March in San Diego. Hopefully, many of you will be there. Conventions are a great time to celebrate the good things happening in our profession. And after a harsh winter, San Diego is a perfect place to celebrate pretty much anything! But all is not well with AAHPERD. Change is long overdue. Read the editorial. Learn more about the challenges facing AAHPERD, and if you are a member make your voice and vote count at this critical time in the Alliance's history.

Finally, be sure to check out the half dozen original articles featured this month. Share them with your colleagues and physical education majors. The advice shared by our authors is based on their many years of professional and practical experience. The articles are pretty brief, but full of thought-provoking ideas. Enjoy.

Ps. I'm pleased to report that legislation to remove the physical education requirement in WA State did not make it to a vote this year.

ARTICLE INTRODUCTIONS:

USING A SMART BOARD TO HELP TEACH ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION
In September, pelinks4u contributing editor, Scott Tomassetti switched schools. His new elementary school has incorporated electronic "smart boards" into every classroom. Scott describes how he has learned to embrace this technology, and gives practical examples of ways that smart boards are enhancing his teaching. His advice? "If you get the chance to have one placed in your play-space or gymnasium, don't hesitate for a second. Just be open to trying new things and exploring the world of interactive teaching."

Welcome our new pelinks4u Editorial Assistant, Kayla Johanson! Bio: In 2010, Kayla graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology. After much consideration, Kayla decided to pursue a career as a School Psychologist in order to join the force of professionals striving to help children learn and grow. Currently in her first year as a graduate student at Central Washington University in the School Psychology program, she hopes to one day become a positive resource for parents, teachers, and students. We invite you to contact her if you have ideas for articles and/or would like to write an article for publication at pelinks4u. c/o Kayla Johanson, pelinks4u@gmail.com

TRAVELING TO AND FROM SCHOOL: TO WALK OR DRIVE?
Physical educators may not be able to solve the obesity crisis, but they can certainly do more to encourage their students to be more physically active. Every day, 50 or so million students make a round-trip journey between home and school.

Exercise advocate Tiffany Quilter believes that many students live close enough to ride or walk to school. In this article she addresses practical issues such as supervision and safety. She also introduces readers to an amazing mileage tracking tool available from Google that you will want to learn about.

CHARACTER BUILDING (OR REVEALING)?
Author Jon Poole writes, "A long standing joke among physical educators and coaches goes something like, 'sports don't build character…they reveal it.'"

Despite their obvious talents, it's clear from media reports that many elite athletes are not ideal role models for today's youth. This makes it difficult for physical educators and coaches whose programs often strive to promote sports participation. Jon describes how the use of the "Sport Education" teaching approach combined with small-sided games, can help to promote the positive character building benefits of sports participation.

SPORTSMANSHIP
March 1st was National Sportsmanship Day, and regular pelinks4u contributor Gerry Cernicky chooses to write this month about ways that physical educators and coaches can teach sportsmanship. It begins, he suggests, with a sportsmanship code shared not just with students but also with parents and the entire school community. Coaches and parents need to be taught appropriate and expected behaviors. Fortunately, much has been written on ways to foster good behaviors and prevent bad behavior, and Gerry suggests useful resources. This article is also available as a podcast.

ADVANCED FITNESS ASSESSMENT AND EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION
Okay, this piece is actually our book review for March, but it is so well written that we decided to feature it with our articles. Reviewer Ted Scheck is clearly a fitness advocate, and describes how he stayed active during the recent winter storms. He also describes in detail all facets of the book he reviewed, and ways in which this information might help physical educators serious about improving their students' physical fitness.

SUCCESSFUL INCLUSION IN THE REGULAR PHYSICAL EDUCATION SETTING
It’s been more than 35 years since Congress authorized the inclusion of individuals with disabilities into programs that received federal funds. Since then physical educators have been challenged to find effective ways to integrate students of all abilities into their classrooms. It's not easy. Author, Tamara Wilsey Forrester writes this month about the many ways that physical educators can modify, adapt, and create instructional settings that are fair and appropriate for all students.

EDITORIAL:

IS CHANGE IN THE AIR?
written by Steve Jefferies, publisher, pelinks4u

Almost 25 years ago, Shirl Hoffman, then a professor at the University of North Carolina, Greensborough, was challenged to imagine a future without physical education. Among many fascinating insights he wrote:

"Looking back over the rise and fall of physical education in both public schools and colleges, one couldn't help but be struck by the welter of causes and interrelated effects. Bressan (1979) had predicted the eventual death of the profession, either at its own hands or at the hands of others. However, as things turned out, it was neither suicide nor murder that did the profession in, but death by natural causes. The profession contracted what can best be described as Organizational Alzheimer's, leaving it confused, disoriented, and unable to put together an effective strategy for accomplishing reasonable goals. Professionals consoled themselves with the notion that the profession had lived a long and fulfilling life but that professions, like people, do not live forever. It wasn't until 3 years after its passing that word finally reached the AAHPERD, who immediately assigned a committee to study the matter..."

This month, members of AAHPERD will convene in San Diego and between presentations will also consider the Alliance's future. Simultaneously, NASPE members will participate in discussion about the future of physical education at the PE2020 Forum.

In contrast to Hoffman's bleak (and imaginary) 2020 predication, the good news for AAHPERD members is that this year we are preparing to confront key issues affecting our future. And we are doing so before it's too late. Nonetheless, all of us who care about physical education and its allied professions would do well to recognize that all is not well, and the path the Alliance is currently on is not sustainable.

For more than 20 years, 16 or so appointed committees have visited then revisited the challenges facing AAHPERD. Recommendations for change were repeatedly made and ignored. Simultaneously, membership has halved, costs escalated, and income fallen. Ironically, in a world beset by health challenges and urgently in need of programs to counter sedentary living, public support for what we do is meager and the vast majority of health and physical activity practitioners fail to see value in professional membership. What's to be done?

What's clear is that doing nothing imperils our future. In honesty, it guarantees our demise. Unfortunately, as those who have attended recent AAHPERD Assembly meetings know, inaction best characterizes our decision-making. Alliance member voting has persistently countered the popular notion that "change is the only constant." Meanwhile, membership and budgets have continued to decline, and predictions for the next few years are chilling. We seem united only by a dogged determination to stay proudly aboard our sinking vessel even as it descends to the seabed. But perhaps all is not lost? Hope may be in the air.

For the past year, an "Organizational Planning Committee" has been studying how to transform AAHPERD into a more efficient and effective association. Previously, the Board of Governors voted to transform the Alliance into ONE national organization "focused on comprehensive physical education and physical activity." What does this mean? Don’t trust my interpretation. See for yourself by visiting the AAHPERD web site and listening to the video presentations.

Fortunately, the fate of physical education does not appear to face such immediate and dire consequences. But that makes it an even more opportune time to discuss and plan a roadmap for our professional future. That was the vision of NASPE's PE2020 initiative, and to date more than 1800 visions have been posted on the www.pe2020.org web site. In San Diego, close to 250 individuals are signed up to share and discuss visions for the future.

pelinks4u will report more about the outcome of the PE2020 Forum next month, but I encourage you to take time to read some of the visions. What's interesting is the common outcome that many writers share for physical education. Although differently phrased, there seems general agreement that we want to prepare young people for a future life that is healthy and physically active. Of course, how we can best do this is less clear, but once again the submitted essays do often seem to support certain key program characteristics. For example, many people believe that to get young people regularly active we need to do more to connect with local community resources.

Perhaps just as important as debating what we should be doing in physical education is addressing how physical education fits into future public school education thinking. Debating how we think physical education should be taught isn't going to matter much if physical education is excluded in forthcoming educational reforms. Impossible? Think again.

This year, Congress is due to vote on renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Better known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislators will have an opportunity to reaffirm or radically change public school education practices. While skeptics might point to the historically lethargic pace of educational reform, more and more data illustrates the extent to which American students are falling behind the youth of other nations. In a global society, the consequences of a failing education system threaten serious economic repercussions. Something will need to be done. And soon.

And finally, world events of the past two months leads me to conclude that doubting the possibility or direction of sudden and unanticipated change is an unwise and risky gamble.

Commentary: A Very Good Effort?
written by Daryl Siedentop

The June 24th edition of the Dispatch quoted Governor Strickland as saying that the recently passed Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Act was "for a beginning effort I think it's a very good effort, and it is the result of compromise and collaboration."

The legislation covers eleven topics. Three of the eleven sections of the proposed bill (increasing from 20 to 20.5 units of PE for graduation, requiring schools to report percentage of students whose BMI is below, at or above accepted BMI, and requirement for ODE to determine whether schools are in compliance) were removed from the legislation. The key "physical activity" topic, requiring 30 minutes/day of PA exclusive of recess and exempting athletes, cheerleaders and band, was delayed to the 2011-12 school year, was amended to allow school approved community activities to count towards the 30 minute/day requirement, exempts career technical, PSEO, and e-schools, and allows for a waiver if schools feel that implementation presents a financial hardship.

The requirement that ODE establishes a performance indicator for PE was extended to the 2012-13 school year. The requirement for BMI screening of students in K, 3rd, 5th, and 9th grades (schools could administer screening or ask parents to obtain screening from pediatrician/family physician) and allows parents to opt out was changed to exempt e-schools, and allows a waiver for schools that feel implementation would present a financial hardship. The requirement that districts must report aggregate BMI data to ODE was removed and changed so that ODH is responsible for collecting aggregate data. The requirement that schools adopt nutritional standards was adopted. The requirement that ODE determine whether schools are in compliance was removed. The requirement to create an 18 member Healthy Choices Council of 18 was amended to allow for additional members.

When the legislation was introduced, Senator Kearney said "we're going to get kids moving for at least 30 minutes per day and make sure they are developing good fitness habits by providing high-quality physical education classes" (PRNewswire, Nov. 17, 2009). The legislation as passed provides several ways for districts to ignore the 30 minutes/day requirement, and essentially removes any requirement for districts to employ certified physical education teachers.

The Healthy Choices for Healthy Children website proclaimed that the adoption of the amended bill "will make Ohio a national leader in addressing childhood obesity," a claim that the evidence cited above does not support. Like many states, time for recess and physical education in Ohio schools has been reduced over the past few years as an unintended consequence of No Child Left Behind. School districts that serve lower-income and minority families are the districts most likely to invoke the "financial hardship" criterion allowing them to ignore the key elements of the legislation that would improve physical activity opportunities for their students; that is, the students most likely to benefit from increased physical activity will be the least likely to get more opportunities for PA during the school day.

(Letter submitted to the Columbia Dispatch, June 2010)

Daryl Siedentop bio: Included among many accolades received over the past 30 years are the following: International Olympic President's Prize (Samaranch Award), AAHPERD C&I Scholar Award, Research Consortium Award, NASPE Hall of Fame, OSU College of Education Hall of Fame, Distinguished Alumni Awards from Hope College, Western Michigan University, and Indiana University, AAKPE Fellow.

Dr. Siednetop also taught PE and coached basketball and baseball at Hope College (1960-69) and was in the Sport and Exercise Education faculty, College of Education, OSU (1970-2003.