Background: National school curriculum statements detail what it is important to learn and are highly context- and discipline-specific. The health and physical education (H&PE) learning areas have multiple learning purposes, and facilitating this in curriculum design is a significant and challenging task. Objective: There is little reporting…

Psychiatric disorders, particularly substance use disorders, are an impactful and highly prevalent public health concern in youth from low-income neighborhoods (YLINs). Indeed, prevention and intervention programs for mental health disorders that have evidenced improvements in youth from general population are not well integrated into community…

As comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) professional development becomes increasingly available to current K-12 physical education teachers, this special feature shifts attention to the preparation of future PE teachers and teacher educators for CSPAP. The purpose of this concluding article is to summarize the undergraduate- and…

Physical education has been an integral part of the school curriculum for more than a century. Although the focus has changed over time, the major objective has remained relatively constant: to provide students with the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and confidence to be physically active throughout their lifetime. As more physical…

As a result of their participation in K-12 physical education, students should obtain high levels of physical activity and learn motor and/or sport skills. How to accomplish these outcomes in the context of K-12 physical education is a continuous challenge for teachers. The purpose of this article is to introduce the play community model, which…

Background: A lack of physical activity (PA) and the occurrence of overweight and obesity among school-aged youth have become a major societal problem. Arising from the general concern about the future generations' health, schools have been found to be potentially important settings to promote positive health behaviour, since all pupils can be…

Dr Fritz Duras was the first director of a department of physical education in an Australian university. He had a significant influence on the development of the field of physical education in Australia and his legacy is honoured at each biennial ACHPER conference with the Fritz Duras memorial lecture. Recently, the Graduate School of Education at…

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) recommends that all PK-12 schools implement a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program. Schools play an important role in public health, and the physical, mental, and social benefits of regular physical activity for youth are well documented. Leading public health, medical,…

Describes the essential link among content standards, curriculum, instruction, professional development, and assessment in elementary physical education, discussing the National Association for Sport and Physical Education standards for physical education and emphasizing the importance of assessment in monitoring student progress, improving…

In 1977, a 10-year plan was developed for the improvement of health education in North Carolina schools through the hiring of additional health coordinators, the development of new health education curriculum guides, and the creation of additional health education programs. (JN)

This paper focuses on how between 1965 and the present, the field of recreation has and has not accomplished the goals of author and educator J. B. Nash's in regard to recreation, physical education, and health, focusing on public recreation sponsored by city governments, county governments, and special tax districts. The paper looks at Nash's…

This publication presents information on physical activity among children and youth. Section 1 discusses physical activity patterns of young people, explaining that the issue has been a concern for educators and health professionals for several years because of the trend for children to become less and less active over time. Section 2 looks at how…

The purpose of this article is to summarize the developing role and the challenges facing the British primary and secondary education sector in the promotion of children's health-enhancing physical activity. This is in the context of a public agenda on physical activity for health that grew steadily in stature throughout the 1990s and has…

Researchers recommend that physical educators pursue a public health goal, preparing students for a lifetime of physical activity. If the role physical educators play in improving health is better understood by public health professionals, support for quality physical education programs will increase. (SM)

This annotated bibliography, designed for practitioners and those involved in improving practice, contains 218 citations on topics related to youth physical fitness. Topics include children's fitness and activity status; contents of, and rationale for, fitness education; program suggestions, methods, and strategies; drug problems; and fitness…