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School recess isn't exactly on the run
Ohanian Comment: Affluent kids get more of everything, even recess: how much money a student's parents earn has a dramatic effect on how much recess he or she can expect to get.
By Greg Toppo
WASHINGTON — Reports of the death of recess may be greatly exaggerated, a U.S. Education Department study suggests.
With the nation's public elementary schools balancing growing academic demands and tight budgets, advocates have warned for years that recess is in danger of extinction. In March, for instance, the National PTA, the Cartoon Network and others launched the Rescuing Recess campaign, saying nearly 40% of elementary schools "have either eliminated or are considering eliminating recess."
But data released Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics finds that 83% to 88% of elementary school children still get nearly a half an hour of recess a day, as well as regular physical education classes. Only about one in 12 students go without daily recess, according to school surveys last spring.
But the study also finds that how much money a student's parents earn has a dramatic effect on how much recess he or she can expect to get. Public schools with more wealthy children get, on average, about 50% more recess a day than those with the most low-income students.
First-graders in the wealthiest schools, as measured by the percentage of children enrolled in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program, get 31.8 minutes a day, the study shows. Those in the poorest schools get only 21.0 minutes per day.
The gap holds throughout the grades, with the wealthiest sixth-graders getting 28.6 minutes of recess vs. only 17.2 minutes for the poorest kids.
Adding physical education classes to the mix evens things out a bit.
National PTA spokeswoman Jenni Gaster Sopko says PTA members remain concerned about recess. "We got involved in the campaign because our PTA leaders saw it as an issue," she says, and PTAs in 41 states have signed on.
In Chicago, for instance, where the PTA is based, the school district has no overall requirements on recess. It's up to principals whether they give kids a break.
The study also examined foods served in elementary schools, finding that, in addition to the typical school lunch, only 40% of schools offer extra fruit or green salads, and 53% offer fruit or vegetable juice.
Prompted by concerns over childhood obesity, the study, titled Calories In, Calories Out, finds that 36% of schools sell treats such as chips, candy and ice cream to subsidize the school meal program.
Erik Peterson, spokesman for the School Nutrition Association, which represents school food workers, says inadequate federal funding and tougher nutrition requirements mean schools "have to find other ways to cover the costs."
NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
Children in schools with more low-income students get less recess than other schoolkids, a new study suggests. For first-graders:
Percentage of low-income students(1) Minutes of scheduled recess(2)
75% or more 21.0
50% to 74% 27.6
35% to 49% 30.2
Less than 34% 31.8
1 - Eligible for federal free or reduced-price lunch program.
2 - Mean number per day
Source: U.S. Education Department
— Greg Toppo
USA Today
2006-05-17
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
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