Friday, February 11, 2011

4LAKids/YouTube Moments: A PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN NAPERVILLE + GETTING KIDS OUT OF THEIR SEATS

A physical education in Naperville

By Mona Iskander \ from the PBS series “Need To Know” | http://to.pbs.org/i8xHZM

February 8, 2011 - While physical education has been drastically cut back across the country — in response to budget concerns and test score pressures — Naperville Central High School, in the Chicago suburbs, has embraced a culture of fitness: PE is a daily, graded requirement. And for one group of struggling students, there’s an innovative program to schedule PE right before their most challenging classes. In the six years since that program started, students who signed up for PE directly before English read on average a half year ahead of those who didn’t, and students who took PE before math showed dramatic improvement in their standardized tests.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Getting kids out of their seats

from the PBS series “Need To Know” | http://to.pbs.org/iedGPb

February 11, 2011 - At Naperville Central High, a suburban school outside of Chicago, educators are committed to combining movement with learning. In our hour devoted to success in education, we featured the school’s efforts to schedule physical education before challenging classes, which resulted in a dramatic improvement in the students’ standardized tests.

A “culture of fitness” has taken hold in the school, and in many classrooms here, teachers are getting their kids up using “brain breaks.” The idea is that splitting up a lesson with exercises will help kids stay more focused and attentive. And educators here say it doesn’t cost a penny.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

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