Book Description

For nearly 20 years the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has been conducting the Shape of the Nation Report every few years to summarize information for the profession and the public regarding the status of physical education in the American educational system. The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, NASPE is partnering on the 2006 Shape of the Nation Report with the American Heart Association (AHA), a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. This joint project is important to both organizations because, in a time of increasing health risks and health care costs in America, prevention is key and exemplary physical education programs must be part of the solution for inactivity, obesity, and related chronic diseases. The challenge of the first "Shape of the Nation" Report in 1987 continues in this latest survey. That is, typically state mandates are broad and general, leaving many specifics open to interpretation. The purpose of this "Shape of the Nation" Report is to provide current information about the status of physical education in each state and the District of Columbia. This report will not only bring attention to the importance of quality, daily physical education programs for all school age children; it will also provide information that can be used as a basis for expanding and improving physical education programs in those states that need assistance. The vision is that every student will become physically educated and thus possess the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active and healthy for a lifetime. Appended are: (1) National Standards and Guidelines for K-12 Physical Education; (2) Federal Legislation Impacting Physical Education; (3) The Fight for Physical Education in the States; and (4) Public Policy Agenda for Physical Education Research. [This project was also sponsored by the volunteers and leaders of the American Heart Association.].