Dive Brief:
- The Robla School District, just outside of Sacramento, has taken advantage of California’s local control funding to prioritize physical education and health through PE classes, daily walks and better food.
- EdSource reports the district hired new physical education teachers for each school as well as a school climate coordinator who offers after-school yoga classes to staff members three times per week with plans for teaching kindergartners yoga in the works.
- Parents have been included in the health and fitness push with nutrition classes, food bank giveaways and parent walking groups, and all students are expected to walk or run at least one mile per week, which teachers have said contributes to calmer students in class.
Dive Insight:
One of Michelle Obama’s most lasting legacies will be her success at getting students, schools and communities across the country focused on child health. As first lady she became a leader in prioritizing that conversation. Many schools have become focused on their responsibilities to educate the “whole child,” beyond a strict focus on academics.
More than simply preparing students with the content knowledge they need to perform well on standardized tests, schools are thinking about the lifelong benefits to students of developing healthy habits early and focusing on the social emotional skills students need to be successful in college and career. Katherine Smith Elementary School in San Jose, CA, uses project-based learning to foster the critical thinking, oral communication and collaboration skills staff know students will need whatever they do after high school.