Physical Education and Student Activity

Evaluating Implementation of a New Policy in Los Angeles Public Schools

A new policy was set in place in 2009, adopted by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) after audits revealed that the district was not enforcing physical education (PE) minute requirements. This study evaluated whether this policy has had an effect on student PE.

An income-stratified random sample of 34 schools from LAUSD was assessed including elementary, middle, and high school levels. To assess changes in PE quantity and quality, class duration was a measure of PE quantity, and class size and moderate to vigorous physical activity were indicators of PE quality. The first round of assessment took place during the fall/winter of 2010–2011 (the first school year after the policy was set in place). The same schools were then re-evaluated in the fall/winter of 2011–2012.

Key Finding:

  • Results suggest that only partial implementation of the PE policy has taken effect throughout the district, despite the requirement where schools should have executed the policy no later than the fall of 2011.

Though modest improvement of PE was noted in some schools, further work is required to prioritize PE and ensure that physical fitness and physical activity among the youth population of LAUSD.

Introduction to the Active Living Research Supplement

  1. 1 Translating Research to Policy Through Health Impact Assessment in Clark County, Washington
  2. 2 Uneven Playing Field--Effective Strategies to Address Health Inequity Through Active Living Research
  3. 3 Using Evidence to Create Active Communities: Stories from the Field--Policy and Research with Chicago's Child Care Centers
  4. 4 Trends in Presentations of Environmental and Policy Studies Related to Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity at Society of Behavioral Medicine, 1995-2010
  5. 5 Spatial Disparities in the Distribution of Parks and Green Spaces in the USA
  6. 6 Exploring the Distribution of Park Availability, Features, and Quality Across Kansas City, Missouri by Income and Race/Ethnicity
  7. 7 Perceptions of Neighborhood Park Quality
  8. 8 Gender Differences in Self-Report Physical Activity and Park and Recreation Facility Use Among Latinos in Wake County, North Carolina
  9. 9 Beyond Distance: Children's School Travel Mode Choice
  10. 10 The Perceived and Built Environment Surrounding Urban Schools and Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls
  11. 11 Aesthetic Amenities and Safety Hazards Associated with Walking and Bicycling for Transportation in New York City
  12. 12 Does Neighbourhood Walkability Moderate the Effects of Mass Media Communication Strategies to Promote Regular Physical Activity?
  13. 13 Individual-and Area-Level Disparities in Access to the Road Network, Subway System and a Public Bicycle Share Program on the Island of Montreal, Canada
  14. 14 Effect of Bike Lane Infrastructure Improvements on Ridership in One New Orleans Neighborhood
  15. 15 Using Google Street View to Audit the Built Environment
  16. 16 School Sport Participation Under Two School Sport Policies
  17. 17 Physical Education and Student Activity
  18. 18 District and School Physical Education Policies
  19. 19 Predictors of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) in African American Young Adolescents
  20. 20 Pathways to Outdoor Recreation, Physical Activity, and Delinquency Among Urban Latino Adolescents
  21. 21 Locations of Joint Physical Activity in Parent-Child Pairs Based on Accelerometer and GPS Monitoring

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