Recess

["Monty Neill" <monty@fairtest.org>]

From PEN Newsblast: 

IS RECESS A NECESSITY OR HINDERANCE?
In more and more schools across the country recess is being scrapped in
favor of more school time. In this day and age of 30 students per
classroom, children who enter high school with minimal reading skills, and
unsatisfactory standardized test scores, is there really any time or need
for recess? While the most common reason stated by school districts for
eliminating recess is to allow the schools to focus on more academics,
there is also the issue of accident-related lawsuits, the threat of
students coming into contact with strangers, and finding teachers willing
to supervise such outdoor activities can prove to be a problem. Despite
these issues, the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists
believes that play is an active form of learning that involves mind, body,
and spirit. Read six reasons for protecting time for recess.
http://schoolreform.bellaonline.com/articles/art7428.asp

Monty Neill, Ed.D.
Executive Director
FairTest
342 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-864-4810; fax 617-497-2224
email monty@fairtest.org
web: http://www.fairtest.org