PE + HE + PA = 50MS

(This essay was originally published on SHAPE America’s member Exchange [October, 2015] and is reprinted with permission.)

Heard about the new math? Well here it is: PE + HE + PA = 50MS, specifically designed for public school health education and physical education teachers. SHAPE America recently announced its intent to get all of America’s students physically active and healthy within the next 14 years. The shorthand for this is “50 Million Strong by 2029” or even shorter “50 Million Strong (50MS).”

We launched 50MS nationally in the Miami-Dade County School District last month. Superintendent of the Year Alberto Carvalho endorsed the goal and proudly spoke about the success of his own district’s physical education program – the fourth largest in the nation. You can read more about this event here.  Beyond the attendance of various dignitaries, the event was highlighted by the presence of a small group of smiling preschoolers wearing 50 Million Strong shirts. It’s this group of students who will be graduating high school in 2029, and these are the ones we have to make sure have the skills, knowledge and desire to stay physically active and make healthy lifestyle choices.

It’s going to be a huge challenge. There are so many obstacles to success in the lives of today’s youth. Far too many live in circumstances that severely handicap getting a great education and growing up healthy enough to enjoy disease-free productive lives. But this is where we come in.  Public school health and physical educators are present in the lives of most of America’s students throughout their childhood. Better than anyone else except parents, we have opportunities to help young people get and stay healthy and active.

To date, the evidence supporting our effectiveness is worryingly slim. Certainly all health and physical educators would like their students to enjoy physical activity and seek out ways to be active outside of class. While the massive increase in sedentary living is hardly our fault, we just haven’t had the effect we would like on the activity and health choices students are making today. And this has to change, not just for the benefit of future generations, but to justify our professional existence in America’s public schools!

Isn’t the purpose of health and physical education to get students healthy and physically active? That’s exactly what “50 Million Strong by 2029” is reminding us to do. It’s not an abandonment of effective teaching as some have suggested. We aren’t about to become physical activity organizers! Quality health education and physical education teaching stand at the foundation of 50MS. This is where the vast majority of America’s youth are first exposed to a wide variety of physical skills, and have the opportunity to develop the competence to want to be physically active.

It’s not enough for us to cling to the classroom or gymnasium. America’s 50 million students all need opportunities before, during, and after school to practice their movement skills. As HPE professionals, you and I must seize responsibility for making this happen. If we don’t do it, others will. If we provide effective instruction in health and physical education and ensure students in our school have breaks throughout the day to be physically active, it’s a win-win situation. “50 Million Strong by 2029” will succeed, and in doing so, our profession will thrive.