Here is more evidence that public school physical education classes should be turned over to private sector firms like "24 Hour Fitness."
Ms. Jackie Lund, who is quoted below, is the President of NASPE, which the article identifies as "an association of fitness educators and professionals. Note well that she as much as admits that fitness is not the purpose of gym classes.
Researchers report that in the typical high-school gym class students are active for an average of 16 minutes.
The report by Cornell University researchers also found that adding 200 minutes more of physical-education time a week had little effect. (See the report.)
"What’s actually going on in gym classes? Is it a joke?" asked John Cawley, lead author of the study and a professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell.
. . .
The rest of the extra gym time is likely spent being idle — most likely standing around while playing sports like softball or volleyball that don’t require constant movement, Mr. Cawley said.
. . .
. . . , Ms. Lund says merely counting how many minutes students are moving may not be a fair measure of a gym class. "It’s not supposed to be aerobics class. The activity level is going to vary depending on the sport they’re learning," she said.
For the full story, see:
(Note: the online version of the article has the title: "Is High-School Gym Class An Exercise in Futility?")
(Note: ellipses are added.)