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As Recess Goes…

Investing in Recess is Investing in Learning
May 17, 2011

We are often asked how schools can justify spending money on recess at a time when other programs are being cut. It’s a logical question. But after 14 years on school playgrounds, we’ve seen first hand that recess is a real predictor of the school day. Good or bad, as recess goes, so goes the school day. When you invest in recess, you actually invest in classroom learning.

Because kids return to the classroom more engaged and ready to learn, a well-run recess can magnify the investment that schools make in all their programs – academics to enrichment.

Principals, teachers and school nurses consistently tell us that they see fewer discipline issues, injuries and conflicts when we’re at the school. In fact, more than 1,900 teachers, principals, and other school staff were surveyed during the 2009-10 school year. Here’s a bit of what they reported: 

  • 88% report a decrease in the number of disciplinary referrals
  • 87% report a decrease in the number of physical and verbal conflicts
  • 86% report a decrease in the incidents of bullying during recess
In the first year of Playworks at AXL Elementary in Denver, for instance, disciplinary referrals dropped 75% going from 40 office referrals during lunch to only 10.  In addition, total injuries on the playground dropped 79% going from 242 injuries to 51 total injuries.


At a first year school in Boston, the suspension rate dropped 80% within the first six months of Playworks programming. The school credits Playworks with helping 4th and 5th graders learn the behavioral expectations and lowering discipline referral rates.
 
And the impact carries over to attendance as well at schools with our program, with 89% of teachers and principals reporting an increase in class attendance due to Playworks presence. For instance, a school in Boston reported that the average number of absences per school dropped 78% in the first year of Playworks going from an average of 28 absences per day to six.
 
Schools are so pressed to squeeze every possible learning opportunity out of every minute and penny they have. A small investment in recess, though, can result in a major payout in learning.

Learn more about why play matters or see how you can make recess count.