Assessing the value of physical education in schools

Assessing the value of physical education in schools
Research suggests that exercise can improve a person's ability to learn. Flickr/Emanuela Zibordi
Assessing the value of physical education in schools
Research suggests that exercise can improve a person's ability to learn. Flickr/Emanuela Zibordi

Assessing the value of physical education in schools

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The conversation about a longer school day in Chicago was mainly focused on academics but more hours could also mean more time for activities—including the arts and gym class. Some research suggests exercise can improve more than the body; it may also increase one’s ability to learn.

To talk more about the benefits of gym class, Eight Forty-Eight was joined by two people who knew the field well: Sarah Buck, an associate professor of Physical Education at Chicago State University, and Gwyn Kram, chair of the Physical Education Department at Harper High School on the South Side of Chicago.