The nation's second largest school system (Los Angeles Unified School District) has launched a Physical Education Campaign: Helping Students Move More, Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Do Their Best in School.

Components of the Campaign include:

First, a 55:1 cap on class size. WOW. 55 students to one teacher??? This seems outrageous. How can one teacher teacher 55 students?

Second, twenty-a-day: enforce California Education Code which mandates …

A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends counteracting increased stress with more play, “which is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth.” Although play for children might seem intuitive, it is clear Americans must make play a priority in children’s lives.

While doctors are recommending that children spend more time playing, som…

A new website is a must for teachers, want-ta-be teachers and those who appreciate teachers.

TeachersCount.org has three main sections: I’m a Teacher, I Want To Teach, and I’m a Teacher Booster. You’ll also notice that on the left side of many pages on this site are images from our “Behind Every Famous Person Is a Fabulous Teacher” Campaign, an ad series in the Time Inc. family of magazines that depicts celebrities with their favorite teachers. …

The United States is NOT going to compete with the rest of the world in terms of cheap labor or cheap raw materials. If we are going to compete productively with the rest of the world, it's going to be in terms of creativity and innovation. America has always had a capacity for hard work and stamina, but those qualities of creativity and ingenuity are not being nurtured and fostered by our current educational system. Dana Gioia, Chairman …

A shift in the schedule of US schools to accommodate Muslims students’ prayers is being considered by some to be unconstitutional with the implication that the schools promote religion, reports the Christian Science Monitor.
During afternoon recess, at an elementary school on the outskirts of San Diego, some students go out to play, while others assemble in a room for prayers. This “special treatment” has raised a controversy with Constitutional…

Happy 4th! Today's post is one to ponder. My daughter introduced me to the TED.com website. It is an amazing window into the world of "thinkers." My first visit into the world of Ted.com lasted about 3 hours so that is the reason for the holiday post. Enjoy! Why not take a minute and share your thoughts regarding the Ted website by commenting below?



Why don't we get the best out of people? Creativity expert Sir Ken …

The 2008 federal discretionary budget request for the United States is $1.075 trillion. At the link below, you can find a graph that depicts the president’s budget request for 2008.. It will be debated, amended, and approved by Congress, ideally by October 1, to begin the next year. The discretionary budget includes spending that must be approved by Congress every year. It is paid for largely with your federal income taxes and includes all depar…

Every morning there's school, rain or shine, Christina Parker shepherds a group of children through the woods in Newton."The kids love it," said Parker, 50. "It's obviously a tremendous way to start the day. It's healthy. It just makes a lot more sense to me to be walking instead of driving."Parker's flock came together informally. But such groups may soon get a boost from a bill pending in the Legislature tha…

Consider how physical education teachers teach basketball. That's right -- think about how basketball is taught and learned and how we might apply those processes to other subjects taught in schools.

Imagine parents at the dinner table asking their young son or daughter that age-old question "What did you learn in school today?" The child shrugs, as children often do, and says, "We learned to play basketball." The parents …

TEMECULA, Calif. - A seventh-grade girl got suspended from school for a week for bullying another student. Then Mom got involved, and things got worse for the bully.
During the suspension week, the 12-year-old's mother, made her daughter stand outside various schools with a poster reading: "I engaged in bullying behavior. I got suspended from school and this street corner. Don't be like me. Stop bullying.""I don't want…

Children need to play," according to Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, Peaceful Playgrounds creator. "Play is children's work. We expect them to sit still, be attentive and learn in the classroom. But it's really important they have an opportunity to socialize with their friends, play kickball, jump rope, feel the breeze, enjoy the sun and learn how to negotiate social situations. They need time to have fun." According to a 2006 r…

By: Barbara Lantin

How much energy children expend may be determined by their genes, a study suggests, implying that they find their own activity level no matter what we tell them to do Chloe Harris prefers reading to sport and would rather travel to school by car than walk. Sean Bowden does at least 13 hours of exercise a week, including basketball, football, swimming and PE, and would take on more if his parents let him. Yet analysis indicat…