A new survey of Kansas schools found most elementary and middle schools offer less than 20 minutes of total time for recess and physical activity each day, and more than half of middle schools don't have any recess time at all. School administrators say they need all the classroom time they can get to prepare students for standardized tests. But David Dzewaltowski, (jev-ehl-TAW-skee), a professor of public health in Kansas State University’s College of Human Ecology, says children actually do better on tests when they’re physically fit. "We're starting to have science that really shows differences in brain function when kids are more physically active." Dzewaltowski says. "If test scores are your goal, they will actually do better if you give them more opportunities to be physically active." The survey of nearly 500 schools in Kansas was conducted by the Kansas Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
