Reports

November 8, 2022

Holistic Student Assessment (HSA) Retrospective Self-Change (RSC) survey ›

Between Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, Playworks collaborated with Partnerships in Education and Resilience (PEAR) to collect data across 8 regions involving 710 4th and 5th graders in schools offering…

boy and girl with hula hoops
boy and girl with hula hoops

July 27, 2021

Recess Quality and Social and Behavioral Health in Elementary School Students ›

High quality recess contributes to the executive function, emotional self-control, resilience, and positive classroom behavior in elementary school children.  Citation: Massey WV, Thalken J, Szarabajko A, Neilson L, Geldhof, J.…

girl throwing basketball
girl throwing basketball

April 20, 2021

Memories of school recess predict physical activity enjoyment and social-emotional well-being in adults ›

This study examined adults’ memories of their recess experience and how they are associated with various aspects of adulthood, such as social isolation, meaning, and purposes, physical activity enjoyment. Key…

students playing on blacktop
students playing on blacktop

December 4, 2019

High quality recess contributes to positive student behaviors in elementary school children ›

A recent study on the connection between recess quality and student behavior found that the quality of recess contributed to student’s executive function, emotional self-control, resilience, and positive classroom behavior.…

May 11, 2018

Evidence-based Strategies for Socially, Emotionally and Physically Beneficial School Recess ›

Based on the evidence obtained from the authors’ investigation with Playworks participants and coaches, five strategies were identified for health and physical education practitioners to consider in the implementation of…

March 22, 2018

Development of the great recess framework-observational tool to measure contextual and behavioral components of elementary school recess ›

This study established initial evidence for a valid and reliable assessment tool to observe school recess environments with a specific focus on safety, resources, student engagement, adult engagement, pro-social/anti-social behavior,…

December 8, 2017

Social and Emotional Learning Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act ›

A new review conducted by RAND Corporation and commissioned by The Wallace Foundation found that Playworks stands out among social and emotional learning (SEL) programs for evidence of impact. The…

April 13, 2017

The Impact of a Recess-Based Leadership Program on Urban Elementary School Students ›

Urban youth face more barriers to physical activity outside of the school day. Results from this study suggest that youth have the ability to be change makers in the school…

April 11, 2017

The Impact of a Multi-Component Physical Activity Programme in Low-Income Elementary Schools ›

Results from this study provide evidence that school recess can be used to teach social–emotional competencies that can impact student behavior during recess and in the classroom. There were an…