The Disappearance of Recess
By. L. Marie Wise

From the onset of the No Child Left Behind Act, educators nation-wide have been searching for ways to improve classroom learning for all students. One way that schools and entire school districts have decided to do just that is by eliminating that time-honored tradition called recess.

Currently approximately 40% of the nation's 1600 school districts have either eliminated recess altogether or severely reduced the time spent on what is considered an activity with little to no educational value. More schools are considering this trend.

Locally, the Evanston public school system has eliminated all recess in order to add extra minutes to classroom instruction time. The superintendent said he could add 2 weeks of instruction to the school year by not having recess. He also said that the additional instructional time will give students the boost they need to improve test scores. Though the idea sounds good, a quick look at standardized test scores indicates otherwise. Scores have not improved since the district lost its recess.

The lack of improved tests scores should not be a surprise. Studies have shown that when young students do not have a break they become fidgety and pay less attention in the classroom. The findings indicate that eliminating recess in lieu of additional classroom time may in fact be counter productive because the first step in learning is being able to pay attention.

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Advocates for recess are mounting a nation-wide campaign to restore recess. Currently, according to the American Association for the Child's Right to Play, an associate of the International Play Association has been instrumental in forming recess advocacy groups in 25 states including Indiana , Wisconsin and Minnesota . Illinois has not yet formed an advocacy group.

Recess contributes to a child's cognitive and intellectual needs so it makes one wonder why is it that judges and congress call a recess when they are tired and labor unions demand breaks for workers while children who have lower attention spans than adults are forced to sit at their desks for extended periods of time without a break.

It may be time for parents, teachers and administrators to take a closer look at the benefits of recess and reinstate a few minutes each day to take a break so that students can sit still in class, pay closer attention to lessons and improve their overall behavior. Restoring recess is of such a concern that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Education Association (NEA), the National Association for Sport & Physical Education (NASPE), The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, New Leaders for New Schools, and Health MPowers have all joined the National PTA organization along with the Cartoon Network as advocates of allowing children a recess break.

For more information on restoring recess see the National Association for the Education Young Children , the National PTA , or The American Association for the Child's Right to Play