Fit in body = fit in mind. (Update: education news from schools, business, research and).Physical fitness advocates finally have something to hang their hats on: A large-scale analysis released by the California Department of Education The California Department of Education is a California agency that oversees public education. The Department oversees funding, testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. confirms that physically fit kids perform better academically. The analysis, which included more than one million students in grades five, seven and nine, matched standardized test A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a standard manner. The tests are designed in such a way that the "questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent" [1] scores in reading and math with performance on a six-part physical fitness test, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Debbie Vigil vigil (vĭj`əl) [Lat.,=watch], in Christian calendars, eve of a feast, a day of penitential preparation. In ancient times worshipers gathered for vespers before a great feast and then waited outside the church until dawn for the liturgy (Mass). , education consultant in the standards and assessment division. The results come as leaders in the corporate, private and educational sectors respond to an alarming phenomena: School children across the country are snacking their way to obesity obesity, condition resulting from excessive storage of fat in the body. Obesity has been defined as a weight more than 20% above what is considered normal according to standard age, height, and weight tables, or by a complex formula known as the body mass index. , Type II diabetes Type II diabetes Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and usually appears in middle aged adults. It is often associated with obesity and may be delayed or controlled with diet and exercise. Mentioned in: Diabetic Ketoacidosis , and related health conditions. Today, there are nearly twice as many overweight Overweight Refers to an investment position that is larger than the generally accepted benchmark. Notes: For example, if a company normally holds a portfolio whose weighting of cash is 10%, and then increases cash holdings to 15%, the portfolio would have an overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980, according to Action for Healthy Kids, which organized the first "Healthy Schools Summit: Taking Action for Nutrition and Fitness," in Washington, D.C., last October. Among the summit's speakers was Joyce Bales, superintendent of the 18,000-student Pueblo School District #60 in Colorado. According to Bales, her district has wellness centers in three high schools and three middle schools, where students are treated immediately for headaches or colds; a breakfast program; and fitness initiatives. The programs helped lower suspension rates and increase attendance and student attention in class. "Treat the whole child, and they are ready and able to learn," she says. While Bales' district has won awards for health education, gym classes elsewhere are threatened by tight budgets. In Berkeley, Calif., and other places, efforts to introduce healthy fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias have failed. These patterns must change, says Judith Young, executive director of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, which recently partnered with Coca-Cola to launch Step With It!, a program that challenges middle school students to take at least 10,000 steps a day, such as walking, running, dancing or jumping rope. "The focus on establishing appropriate patterns in early life is important," says Young. "Physical fitness goes hand-in-hand with teaching kids choices for healthy diets." |
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