Loss of recess in schools hurts children’s growth, ability to learn
Buffalo News
June 4, 2008

If there were a way to scientifically measure which child had the most fun on the playground, then recess would be a federal mandate. But because the need for elementary-age students to get out of the building and blow off some youthful steam is better known to common sense than to scientific inquiry, the old-fashioned practice has sadly fallen out of favor in far too many American schools.

The national Parent Teacher Association has noticed, with appropriate alarm, that a nefarious combination of factors has knocked recess out of as many as 40 percent of elementary schools nationwide. Those factors include budget cuts, worries about injuries or bullying on the playground and the growing emphasis on core academic subjects and frequent high-stress tests. [More]

Learn how to write an op/ed!