Dive Brief:
- As schools have replaced recess periods with additional instruction, parents have been among those fighting for a return of the free time they say is critical for students to stay healthy and focused, and even to learn important social skills.
- USA Today reports a growing number of schools have eliminated recess entirely, and in 2014, fewer than two-thirds of middle schools and barely one-quarter of high schools offered breaks for physical activity outside of P.E.
- Legislators in Florida, New Jersey and Rhode Island have introduced bills that would require recess, and New Jersey’s passed through both chambers before being vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie.
Dive Insight:
Students in Finland get 15-minute breaks after every 45 minutes of instruction, a practice that has been highlighted as one of the positive elements of the country’s high-performing education system. Students are often set free to go outside and play with each other while teachers take their own break. Research has shown a range of benefits of these frequent breaks, including student focus. But schools don’t have to figure out a way to get students outdoors every hour to see those benefits. They just need to create the space for unstructured time, even if it’s in the classroom.
In schools under major pressure to prepare students for standardized tests, every minute in the classroom seems to count. But in the shift to new, more holistic accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act, perhaps schools will feel more confident testing such breaks.