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New Research Examines Physical Education in America

In an effort to better understand physical education (PE) exposure among U.S. students the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance (NPAPA) collaborated with experts in the federal government, industry, and academia to examine trends in PE attendance and PE policies.

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Some of the latest findings of this work include:

  • The percentage of U.S. high school students reporting PE attendance did not change significantly between 1991 and 2015 for the overall sample or across sex and race/ethnicity subgroup, a finding counter to the widely held belief that U.S. students' PE attendance has decreased over time.
  • Data indicates minority students have been disproportionately affected by cuts to school PE programs during the past two decades.
  • Many schools are only implementing a few of the physical education policies that can strengthen their physical education programs. More than 65% of schools implemented between two and four of the seven essential physical education policies examined in the study, the average number of physical education policies implemented by schools was three.

More information, and links to the respective manuscripts, can be found on the NPAPA website.