Policy Development in Physical Education … The Last Best Chance?

ABSTRACT

In this article, I provide a brief historical perspective on how state-level policy was an integral part of the rise of school physical education in the first half of the twentieth century, as well as the evolution of sport pedagogy as a subdiscipline within the field of kinesiology. The role and importance of policy in changing behavior are presented using reductions in tobacco use and improvements in automobile safety as examples. “Impact” of best available research evidence is presented as a multilayered concept, from surface level impact at the personal level to “deep impact” that would be reflected in improved professional practice. The influence of the changing landscapes in K-12 and higher education present both external and internal barriers that, coupled with a lack of awareness (or neglect?) of the role and impact of policy, have hamstrung any appreciable progress in professional practice. In the final section, I argue that unless kinesiology becomes proactive in advocacy toward state-level policy development, school physical education will retain its marginalized place. Initial suggestions are provided to help initiate greater involvement in such policy development.

KEYWORDS:

• Policy development
• physical education
• impact

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Professors Charles Corbin, Hal Lawson, Thom McKenzie, and Michael Metzler for their valuable editorial suggestions to improve this article.

Notes

^1. Readers are encouraged to review the “Classification of Laws Associated with School Students” (CLASS) website (http://class.cancer.gov/index.aspx). It provides interactive policy maps for physical education and nutrition relative to time requirements, physical activity (PA) time requirements, staffing requirements, curricular standards, recess time, etc., across school and grade levels (Perna, Hennessy, & Oh, 2013).