Improving Focus, Academic Achievement, and School Morale ...



Improving School Climate with Physical Activity

Francis J. Amara

Lewis Mills High School is a suburban school with 830 students and 60 faculty members. Through surveying faculty and students, it was found that there is a need to improve the overall climate of the school. There is a feeling amongst the students that there is not a connection between them and the teachers. Teachers feel that there is little to no connection between departments. The teachers are looking for opportunities to interact with colleagues outside of their departments in a fun and morale boosting activity.

As the new physical education department leader I am looking to improve the school climate while also advocating and promoting the department’s programs. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends one of hour of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity. The CDC proposed an increase in physical education time in public schools in an effort to meet this recommendation. The lack of daily physical education is not just a concern because of the physical health of the students but also the decrease may be negatively effecting student’s academic performance.

Research has found a correlation between student’s personal fitness level and their academic achievement. “Youth receiving additional physical activity tend to show improved attributes such as increased brain function and nourishment, higher energy/concentration levels, changes in body build affecting self esteem, increased self-esteem and better behavior which may all support cognitive learning.” (Mitchell et al)

The Challenge

Greek philosopher Plato said, “You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” With this thought in mind, why not bring our faculty and students together in an activity setting to get to know each other, increase school climate as well as improve student focus and academic achieve. The challenge I have chosen to address these issues is to implement a morning fitness and activity program.

Morning Fitness and Activity Program

This program will bring our teachers and students together to improve personal wellness, work together, accomplish challenges, and improve focus and achievement. There will be two morning physical activity sessions per week. These sessions will be available on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for all faculty, staff, and students to attend. The physical education teachers will plan and facilitate the activities. Each morning there will be three activity choices available for participants. One of the choices will be fitness related and the other will be activity based. In addition to the two choice activities the weight room will also be opened for individual weight training.

|Fitness Activities |Activities and Games |

|Yoga |Basketball |

|Pilates |Volleyball |

|Circuit Training |Adventure Challenges |

|Plyo-metrics |Cooperative Games |

|Boot Camp |Tag Games |

The biggest challenge with this program will be attendance. I know of a handful of faculty and students that will be excited to participate but I will need to find incentives for the others. With approval from the principal, teachers participating will be allowed to “dress down” for the days that they participate. For students there will be extra credit or make up classes available for their physical education class.

The physical education department will be essential in the execution of this plan. They will be responsible for planning and facilitating all of the activities. As a department we must collaborate to develop the activities for the range of fitness levels and likes of the participants. As the leader of the department I will facilitate activities as well as help plan with the teachers. Our department currently meets twice a week for PLC time. I will allocate time from PLC each week for planning. I have a concern that all the physical education teachers may not be on board. They will be the key to promoting and running the program. If we have an initial positive result from the trial I will look to get some compensation for the teachers that are running the morning program.

Gathering feedback from the participants will be an important piece of the program. This will be done informally through questioning and discussion. There will also be a more formal review process that allows the participants to evaluate the activities each day. This will enable us to change and improve the program as we move forward. The key will be to peak the interests of the participants. If the participants are enjoying themselves they are more likely to bring someone with them the next session.

The program will be implemented on a trial basis. This program is a new concept for our school and it is difficult to predict how it will be received. The four week trial will allow us to gather some initial data. After evaluating the trial we will be able to collaborate and decide what worked and what has to be changed.

Timeline for Implementation

Step 1: Challenge Presentation

The program will be presented to faculty and students. The presentation will include rational for the program as well as the structure and incentives. This will be presented to the faculty at the monthly meeting and to students in their physical education classes.

Step 2: Presentation and Activity Survey

A survey will be given to faculty and students asking for feedback on the presentation of the program. Part two of the survey will ask for activity ideas and concerns about the program.

Step 3: Planning

PLC time will be used to plan for the planning of the morning activities.

Step 4: Initial program trial

A four week trial will be conducted during the month of October. This will allow for eight activity sessions. After the completion of the sessions we will have a better idea of the number of participants, things that worked, things that didn’t work, and will allow us to gather data from the participants.

Step 5: Evaluation

The physical education department will collaborate during PLC time and review the data collected and discuss the initial implementation. We will decide on what needs to be done for the final step.

Step 6: Implementation of year long program

After evaluating the trial and collaborating using the data collected, a final plan will be constructed and implemented in September 2012.

For this program to be successful I must take on the key attributes of a successful school leader as outlined by the ISLLC standards. “Standard 3: Managing school operations. 1. Coordinating, 2. Organizing, 3. Planning, 4. Resource Acquisition, 5. Ensuring Safe Schools.” (Green, 2009 p. 14) This standard is achieved in the process of getting the morning activity program started.

The implementation of this program also aligns with ISLLC Standard 2, “A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.” (Green 2009, p. 234) Initiating this morning activity plan aligns with many of the performance indicators from standard 2 including, “Extracurricular programs are designed, implemented, evaluated, and refined,” and “the school culture and climate are assessed on a regular basis.” (Green 2009, p. 235.

This program has the potential to involve other members of our community outside of the school. In our district we have many fitness related businesses that could be included. This program is a great opportunity for local fitness business to serve as guest facilitators, bringing their knowledge to our faculty and students as well as promoting their programs. “A school administrator is an education leader who promotes success of all students by collaborating with families and community members…” (Green, 2009 p. 237) One of the performance indicators for this standard is “effective media relations are developed and maintained.” (Green, 2009 p. 238) I will send a press release to the local newspapers promoting this new program at Lewis Mills High School. The release will be a focus on the teachers and students participating together to promote health and wellness. Pictures will be included and the papers will be invited to join in.

When implementing a new project that includes the entire school, there are many steps that must be taken. I truly believe that this project has the opportunity to grow into a program of excellence. The process of planning this project has made me aware of the many road blocks I will run into. It will be important that I am clear and concise with my communication of the purpose and vision for this program. I must convey that this program is for the good of our school culture and morale as well as the health and safety of the members of our school. I am excited to see the results of the initial trial and believe that this program will be successful.

References

Green, R. L. (2009). Practicing the art of leadership: A problem-based approach to implementing the ISLLC standards. Boston, MA:  Allyn & Bacon.

Mitchell, Debby & Scheuer, Leslee J., (2003) Does physical activity influence academic performance? Physical Education / Sports & Fitness. University of Central Florida. Retrieved from

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