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50 MILLION STRONG by 2029

A

pproximately 50 million students are currently

enrolled in Americas elementary and
secondary schools (grades preK to 12).

Moving ideas into action

SHAPE America wants to ensure that by the time

todays preschoolers graduate from high school in
2029, all of Americas students are benetting
from the skills, knowledge, condence, desire and
opportunities to enjoy healthy, meaningful
physical activity.

the benets of living a physically active and

In your role as a health and/or physical

educator, you are uniquely poised to deliver
healthy life.
By coming together as a profession, we can
solidify public support for health and physical
education as benetting current and future
generations.

We call this movement 50 MILLION STRONG by 2029 .

About SHAPE America

SHAPE America Society of Health and Physical Educators is the nations largest membership organization of health and physical education professionals. SHAPE America works with its 50 state
affiliates and national partners to support initiatives such as the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, Lets Move! Active Schools and the Jump Rope For Heart/Hoops For Heart programs. Since
1885, the organization has dened excellence, and our resources provide the leadership, professional development and advocacy that support health and physical educators at every level from
preschool to university graduate programs. www.shapeamerica.org

OUR COMMITMENT
TO THE FUTURE
SHAPE America champions
health and physical educators
to ensure that all kids thrive as
healthy and active adults.

Physical inactivity is the fourth-leading cause of death worldwide and is a

pandemic, according to a series of studies released in The Lancet medical journal.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that just
one-quarter of American teens engage in the recommended 60 minutes or more
of daily physical activity as outlined by CDCs Physical Activity Guidelines for
Americans.
Compounding the problem are studies that show children and youth
are more sedentary than ever due to the widespread availability
of television, videos, computers and video games.

The First Step is Yours . . .

Making the case for physical education and

physical activity
A comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) is a
framework that not only provides young people with the knowledge
and skills to be active for a lifetime, but also assures them the
opportunities to engage in 60 minutes of physical activity associated
with the school day.
Research supports the many benets of physical activity in schools:
Positive relationship with academic achievement
and test scores
Positive association with attention, concentration and on-task
behavior
Strategy for reducing childhood obesity
Reduces discipline referrals and participation in high-risk
behaviors
Physical education is the foundation of a
CSPAP and provides our youth with the
fundamental education, skills and
healthy habits needed to embrace
a physically active lifestyle.

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Physical education includes four essential components that provide the structure for this
fundamental subject area:
1.

Policy and environment

2. Curriculum
3. Appropriate instruction
4. Student assessment
Dening the essential components of physical education raises awareness for the
critical policies and practices that guide school districts and schools in addressing
students education needs.
School districts and schools also must establish a written curriculum
that denes what is to be taught, guides rigorous instruction that
supports the curriculum and identies student assessment that
will provide evidence of student learning.
www.shapeamerica.org/explorePE

Learn How to Engage, Activate and Advocate . . .

Engage in the Profession

T

hrough SHAPE America membership, you are connected to a community of thousands of health and
physical educators. SHAPE America provides a number of resources and tools that will help you build
relationships, enhance your professional practice and promote the cause.

Grow your network

Identify and disseminate best practices

Use Exchange, SHAPE Americas

Determine whether your schools health and physical education

online member community, to start

programs meet the needs of all students, are enjoyable for your

conversations, share knowledge

students, and emphasize the knowledge and necessary

and contribute resources. Make a plan to meet face to face at SHAPE

skills for a lifetime of physical activity.

Americas National Convention & Expo and district conferences. Log in to

Download the new Physical Education

upload your photo, create your prole and start communicating with

Checklist from the SHAPE America

fellow members.

website to evaluate your programs

Americas new

strengths and weaknesses. Prepare a

Appropriate Practices for

plan for improvement where needed

Health Education document

and share with your principal.

View SHAPE

for an outline of best

practices in school-based
health education.

TAKE ACTION:
Become a Physical Activity Leader (PAL).
The PAL Learning System is offered at no cost
through Lets Move! Active Schools. It develops and
coaches individuals who will champion an effort in
their local schools to ensure 60 minutes a day
of physical activity for all students.

Champion the cause of

health and physical
education
Be a catalyst for change. Submit a proposal
to speak at SHAPE Americas National
Convention & Expo and introduce one colleague
to the benets of SHAPE America membership.
Invite him or her to join.

Engage with Your Professional Community at www.shapeamerica.org/engage

Activate New Initiatives

G

et involved with initiatives that promote physically active lifestyles. These initiatives can help you focus on
standards-basedstudent outcomes that improve academic performance.

Commit to implementing the Presidential

Youth Fitness Program

Sign up for Lets Move!

Active Schools

The Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) is a

Propel your school and students into motion, and

free, voluntary program that provides a model for

ensure that 60 minutes of physical activity is the new

tness education within a comprehensive, quality

norm at your school! Sign up to receive a

physical education program. It emphasizes appropriate instructional

customized Action Plan, and to unlock

practices and communication before, during and after the tness

access to exclusive resources, tools,

assessment takes place. Learn more about PYFP.

professional development

PYFP focuses on three areas:

and funding opportunities.

1. Professional development for physical educators

2. A health-related tness assessment and goal setting
3. Motivational recognition to empower students to adopt and
maintain an active lifestyle

TAKE ACTION:
Use Facebook and Twitter
to redirect people to
opportunities for deeper,

Teach the younger generation about

heart-healthy living

in-person engagement.

Jump Rope For Heart and Hoops For Heart are educational
fund-development programs co-sponsored by SHAPE America and
the American Heart Association. These programs engage students in
physical activity while empowering them to improve their own health,
help others with heart-health issues, and raise awareness of heart disease
and stroke. Funds raised through events support research programs
to ght cardiovascular disease and stroke, and health and physical
education programs for schools. Sign up to hold a Jump Rope For Heart
or Hoops For Heart event in your school.

Activate New Initiatives at www.shapeamerica.org/initiatives

Advocate for HPE

TAKE ACTION:
Share your passion with
administrators, neighbors and
community groups. Make a point to
attend your school board meeting
in the next three months to share

isit the SHAPE America Legislative Action Center to view sample

letters and send at least one email to a member of Congress in the next
week. Create your account to access alerts and legislative summaries. You can
also use new and enhanced tools such as legislative talking points and advocacy
one-pagers, as well as policy development and state-specic resources.

your advocacy message.

Request congressional support

for the PHYSICAL Act

Maintain federal funding

for physical education

The Promoting Health as Youth Skills in

The Carol M. White Physical Education

Classroom and Life (PHYSICAL) Act would

Program (PEP) grants have been

designate health and physical education as core

providing funding to physical

subjects within federal education law. Send a letter asking members of

education programs across the

Congress to co-sponsor this important bill.

nation since 2001.Ask your

members of Congress to ensure
that this vital program continues
to be funded.

ACTIVE LIFESTYLES & IMPROVED HEALTH

For every
$1.00 spent
on prevention,
$3.25 is saved
in future health
care costs!

PE in Schools and Long Term Effects

41.10 %

16.30 %

Children
who have PE
are 2.5 times
more likely
to be active
adults

Aldana, S.G. Financial impact of health promotion programs: a comprehensive

review of the literature. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2001; 15(5): 296-320.
Physical Activity Council.
41,000 Interviews on
Sedentary Lifestyles. 2010.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Physical FItness and Achievement Test Performance

Average Composite of 20 Student Brains

Taking the Same Test

Increased Fitness
Levels = Higher Test
Scores!
BRAIN AFTER
SITTING QUIETLY
Hillman C.H., Erickson K.I., Kramer A.F. Be Smart, Exercise Your Heart: Exercise
Effets on Brain and Cognition. 2008.

BRAIN AFTER
20 MINUTE WALK

Hillman, C.H. The Effect of Acute Treadmill Walking on Cognitive Control

& Academic Achievement in Preadolescent Children. 2009.

Advocate at www.shapeamerica.org/advocacy

Strong in Minneapolis
Learn more about the movement to help kids thrive
at www.shapeamerica.org/50Million

Join us for the SHAPE America National

Convention & Expo in Minneapolis,
April 59, 2016, to celebrate our
accomplishments.
www.shapeamerica.org/convention

#SHAPE50Million