Eight in 10 principals polled by Gallup said recess has a positive impact on academic achievement, with more than two-thirds saying that students are more attentive following recess. Ninety-six percent of those polled said recess had a positive impact on social development.
In October, Gallup interviewed 1,951 principals around the country, and the results were weighted to reflect population, income level and geographic variation. The survey was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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Recess should be a "core part of any strategy for promoting learning and improving health," said an official at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which sponsored the survey of principals.
On the downside, behavioral problems most often occur during recess and lunch time, the principals said, as a result of inadequate staff supervision. Schools need to spend more money on updating playground equipment and also need to train additional staff to supervise recess, the principals said.
"Recess should no longer be treated as an afterthought but as a core part of any strategy for promoting learning and improving health," said Jane Lowe, a director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The findings of the survey corroborate numerous studies on the importance of integrating physical activity into the school day. One such study, conducted by Dr. Romina Barros, a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found that children who had more than 15 minutes per day of recess behaved better and were more likely to learn than those who did not.
"Just as adults need breaks as they go about their workday, children need time during the school day to run around," Barros said in a press release. "As we continue to make improvements to our education system, it's critical that we factor in this mounting evidence that recess plays an essential role in children's learning and development."
