Poll finds lack of physical education in public schools a concern of parents

Almost seven in 10 parents say their child’s school does not provide daily physical education even though experts recommend 150 to 225 minutes per school week.

Princeton, N.J. – In a time of heightened worries that U.S. public schools do not give enough emphasis to math and English, a new poll released today finds that many parents are concerned about inadequate levels ofphysical education. NPR/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) polled 1,368 parents of public school children in grades K-12 on a range of issues around education and health in the their child’s school. One in four parents (25%) said their child’s school gives too little emphasis to physical education, compared with  one in seven who say the same thing about reading and writing (14%) or math (15%).

Poll finds lack of physical education in public schools a concern of parents