Chapter 6 Case Study of an Institutionalized Urban Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program

We examined the effect of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) on gross motor skills in children. Participants were 959 children (1st-6th grade; Mean age = 9.1 ± 1.5 years; 406 girls, 553 boys) recruited from 5 low-income schools receiving a year-long CSPAP intervention. Data were collected at the beginning of the school year and at a 36-week follow-up. Gross motor skills were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development (3rd ed.) (TGMD-3) instrument. Multi-level mixed effects models were employed to examine the effect of CSPAP on TGMD-3 scores, testing age and sex as effect modifiers and adjusting for clustering of observations within the data structure. There were statistically significant coefficients for time (β = 8.1, 95% CI [3.9, 12.3], p < .001) and an age × time interaction (β = -1.7, 95% CI [-2.3, -1.1], p < .001) on TGMD-3 total scores. Significant improvements were also seen for locomotor skills and ball skills sub-test scores. Children showed improved gross motor skill scores at the end of the 36-week CSPAP that were modified by age, as younger children displayed greater improvements in TGMD-3 scores compared to older children.

There is a clear and well-documented link between physical activity (PA) and health. However, many youth do not participate in the recommended levels of PA in order to gain health benefits. Given the health disparities among urban youth, specifically among African American youth, and mindful of the lack of data for Arab Americans, the purpose of this study was to determine if in-school PA levels differed between European American, African American and Arab American urban elementary school children. The pilot study consisted of a sample that included 266 (107 males; M age = 9.36) fourth grade students whose in-school PA data was collected using an ActiGraph GT3X+ for six school days. Results showed male students were more active than female students, while African American and European American students were more physically active than their Arab American counterparts. This study highlights the difference of in-school PA levels of urban-minority students and discusses how urban schools should be intervening with Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs designed for urban youth in order to prevent the onset of disease in adulthood. Health and physical educators should consider creating programs that are culturally relevant in order to increase PA levels of all youth.

A comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) is a multi-component framework used by schools to ensure students get at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity and maximize the practical application of physical education knowledge and skills. However, despite overwhelming evidence supporting student benefits of increased physical activity offerings during school, CSPAP implementation remains low. Research indicates that equipping preservice teachers with content knowledge and hands-on experiences in implementing a CSPAP can enhance their self-efficacy to be a physical activity leader (PAL) and increase their likelihood of implementing whole-of-school physical activity programs in the future. Recess is a crucial component of an active school environment and aligns with the objectives of a CSPAP. This article aims to provide a resource for teacher educators to enhance preservice teachers’ understanding of how to expand, extend, and enhance recess to support the goals of a CSPAP.

Physical educators have been identified as ideal school champions to lead comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) efforts within their schools. As such, they should be adequately prepared to take on this role. Faculty from three physical and health education teacher education programs have collaboratively developed the Adopt-a-School program to address this need. This problem-based service-learning program aids inservice professionals as they implement CSPAPs while simultaneously developing the skills, knowledge and confidence of future physical activity leaders. Through mutually beneficial partnerships, teacher candidate teams and local elementary school champions use the Active Schools and Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Program websites to support and assess each school's current CSPAP, design and activate an action plan, and celebrate each school's success. Because each school and its needs are unique, teacher candidates have created and completed a variety of school physical activity initiatives over the past six years. An overview of service-learning is provided, followed by an in-depth description of the Adopt-a-School program and perceived stakeholder benefits.

Numerous strategies to increase physical activity levels among American youth have been recommended and implemented in schools, and physical education teachers have been identified as the logical personnel in schools to spearhead these attempts. Comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) are being promoted, implemented and endorsed in K-12 schools to maximize the amount of physical activity students, staff and members of the community engage in. To this end, several training workshops and programs have been created to train inservice physical education teachers to take on the role of CSPAP champions. Despite this trend, it is unclear whether preservice physical educators are being well prepared to take on this somewhat new role. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the physical education teacher education (PETE) program at the University of Kentucky and to describe how the CSPAP concept is taught and teacher candidates are prepared to take on the role of physical activity champion in a school. A number of learning experiences in which preservice teachers engage are described, and their place within the curriculum is discussed. These learning experiences relate specifically to maximizing physical activity during physical education, implementing strategies for increasing activity during recess and in the classroom setting, creating wellness programs for staff, and developing events to involve parents and community members. Samples of student work are also presented. Finally, future efforts planned to enhance the concepts of CSPAP in the PETE program are shared.

Daily physical activity (PA) among children and adolescents remains far below recommended levels, with participation disparities across socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and disability. Whole-school approaches to PA promotion, such as the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP), offer a framework for promoting equitable PA opportunities; however, implementation barriers persist. This article applies the Theory of Expanded, Extended, and Enhanced Opportunities (TEO) to illustrate how digital learning can strengthen CSPAP implementation and address inequities in student PA opportunity access. Examples are provided across the five CSPAP components of Physical Education, During-School PA, Before/After-School PA, Family and Community Engagement, and Staff Wellness. Recommendations include integrating digital PA promotion into wellness policies, addressing both physical and digital divides, safeguarding data privacy, and designing culturally and linguistically responsive resources. Practice considerations emphasize blended and hybrid modalities as complements to in-person learning, alongside sustained professional development for educators and public health stakeholders. Equitable access to PA opportunities and digital technology is positioned as a guiding principle. When implemented intentionally and equitably, digital learning-supported CSPAP strategies have the potential to address systemic barriers, reduce disparities, and support schools in fostering lifelong PA participation.

Many students would benefit from trauma-informed physical activity (PA); however, there is a lack of systematic guidance on incorporating trauma-informed practices across school-based PA opportunities. The purpose of this study was to generate a feasible framework for trauma-informed school-based PA. Framework development was guided by a modified Delphi approach, including an exploration phase and an evaluation phase. First, a multidisciplinary working group reviewed extant literature, mapping trauma-informed practices onto the domains and components of the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP). Subsequently, experts (n = 14) provided quantitative feedback on the utility and feasibility of these practices. Thirty-three practices met pre-determined thresholds for utility and feasibility. Across CSPAP domains, this included attending to: (a) safety; (b) positive communication and relationships; (c) empowerment, choice, and voice; (d) emotion management and skill building; (e) instructor competencies and support; and (f) cultural, historical, and gender issues. Incorporating trauma-informed practices into existing frameworks and approaches to school-based PA may promote uptake of practices that help meet the social and emotional needs of trauma-exposed youth. The present output provides a foundation for generating tools and supports for incorporating trauma-informed practices into school-based PA promotion efforts.

Trends in physical activity, health-related fitness, and gross motor skills in children during a two-year comprehensive school physical activity program

In the wake of COVID-19, online physical education (OLPE) has become essential to the sustainability of school physical education programs. The purpose of this article is to consider factors that may be influential in efforts to deliver OLPE to students. The comprehensive school physical activity program model is used to frame a multicomponent conceptualization of OLPE and its goals and outcomes. Central to this framing is the intersectionality of school physical education, the family, and the community. This article provides a platform for physical education teacher educators and researchers to advance OLPE in its support of both the educational and public health benefits of high-quality physical education programs.

ABSTRACTPhysical education (PE) can make meaningful contributions to public health by directly providing moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) opportunities for school-aged youth. Quality PE aims to contribute indirectly to PA beyond the school day. Unfortunately, insufficient evidence exists regarding the impact of PE on lifelong PA. This has led PE to a crossroads. Moving straight through the crossroads adds comprehensive school physical activity program responsibilities to the PE teacher’s load. Turning left results in PE teachers being replaced by PA leaders. The right turn reaffirms that the aim of PE is to teach youth the skills, knowledge, and dispositions to become physically literate and active for life. The right turn is the most difficult because it requires systemically changing school PE that has remained stagnant for decades. Recommendations are presented that include embracing the comprehensive school physical activity program model, conducting research clearly defining the role of PE and directing the contributions of PE to broader public health aims.

Part 1 of this article, which appeared in the April 2013 of JOPERD, presented the theoretical foundation and evidence-based needs for a main-theme curriculum model called Health Optimizing Physical Education (HOPE) for schools. It also described eight strands that could be used to plan, implement, and assess this version of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP). Teachers in HOPE programs will need a broader knowledge base than what is currently provided to preservice teachers and available for practicing (inservice) teachers. Also, HOPE programs cannot be effective without the support and collaboration of parents, teachers, administrators, and other professionals and organizations in the local community. This article, Part 2, presents some strategies for the initial preparation of HOPE teachers, continued professional development of inservice HOPE teachers, and suggestions for establishing strong working relationships both inside and outside of schools in order to make HOPE an effective CSPAP model.

A comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) is a multi-component approach that aims to provide opportunities for students to meet the nationally recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day and for students to be well-equipped to be active for life. In order for a CSPAP to be effectively implemented, it should be led by a trained physical activity leader (PAL). This review summarizes recent literature related to the roles and responsibilities of a PAL, various outlets in which aspiring PALs can be trained, and the potential effectiveness of PAL-led CSPAPs.

Purpose: The Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) model has recently been adopted as a national framework for physical activity (PA) promotion in schools. As a result, there is a need to develop an instrument to help leaders of PA measure policies and practices across the five component areas of a CSPAP. To address this gap, our team systematically developed and assessed the psychometric properties of the CSPAP-Q, an instrument designed to assess school policies and practices related to the five components of CSPAP. Methods: The instrument development process began by reviewing existing school health and PA surveys. The Delphi method was then used to evaluate face and content validity through expert feedback. Thirty-eight physical education teachers completed the CSPAP-Q twice over a 14-day period to further establish validity and to assess test-retest reliability. Results: In total, 117 items were identified for the initial review. Upon completion of expert feedback, 22 items were eliminated and 66 items were revised. After reliability testing, three additional items were eliminated due to low test-retest agreement levels (Kappa <.40; non-significant χ2). Ninety-two items were retained in the final version of the CSPAP-Q and kappa values indicated moderate to substantial agreement among items. Conclusions: After validity and reliability testing, results suggest that the CSPAP-Q is a valid and reliable tool for assessing policies and practices related to CSPAP.

Background/Purpose: Various public health and educational organizations have called for the implementation of comprehensive approaches at the state, district, and school levels to promote physical education and physical activity among children and adolescents. Proponents have argued that physical education teachers are positioned to assume the role of director of physical activity in the school setting; however many physical educators do not see directing comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAP) as their responsibility, nor have they been formally trained to provide this measure of leadership. Furthermore, there is limited research on CSPAPs and the associated leadership roles integral to planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating change in this area. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify the knowledge, skills, and behavioral competencies that a school leader would need to develop in order to implement and sustain a CSPAP.;Method: Researchers used an integrated approach to concept mapping that involved brainstorming, statement analysis and synthesis, sorting and rating of ideas, multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis, and development and interpretation of multiple graphic organizers. These steps were delivered in sequential phases using a web-based communication platform: anonymous brainstorming (n=51), sorting and rating of ideas by key stakeholders ( n=18), and interpretation of maps through semi-structured interviews (n=3). The participants across all phases included K-12 physical educators, school administrators, and higher education researchers identified through systematic review of the literature and snowball sampling.;Analysis/Results: Data aggregation and analysis were completed using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis to determine relationships among brainstormed statements. A variety of maps were developed to graphically display these relationships. Five primary clusters of ideas were identified: (1) Teambuilding and Facilitating, (2) Capacity Building, (3) Knowledge of Instructional Practices, (4) Content Knowledge, and (5) Program Development and Management. Data from the semi-structured interviews were analyzed inductively and used to verify results, determine final cluster names, and identify possible implications for teacher preparation.;Conclusions: The findings support the need for the development of transformational leaders in schools who are capable of empowering others through modification of the work environment, facilitating intrinsic motivation among colleagues, and supplying necessary resources. Teacher education and educational leadership programs have an opportunity to help develop transformational leaders in the area of school physical activity by modifying curricula to provide opportunities for pre-service and in-service teachers to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviors pre-requisite to the implementation and maintenance of CSPAPs within school environments.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived effectiveness and attitudes of physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty concerning the preparation of preservice teachers for Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) roles. Faculty (N = 175) responded to an electronic survey assessing perceived effectiveness and attitudes related to preparing undergraduate majors and nonmajors for CSPAP roles. Factor analysis of the survey items resulted in a four factor solution: (a) Effectiveness in Preparing Program Majors for Quality Physical Education, (b) Effectiveness in Preparing Program Majors for Other CSPAP Roles, (c) Effectiveness in Preparing Nonmajors for CSPAP Roles, and (d) Attitude Toward Preparing Program Majors for Other CSPAP Roles. Faculty agreed the most that their programs were effectively preparing majors for roles within quality physical education and agreed the least that their programs should be preparing majors for leadership roles with respect to school employee wellness and involvement in physical activity promotion. This study reveals a glimpse of current commitment in PETE programs to public health–related goals and informs CSPAP preparation in preservice education.