Physical Education in Schools
PE used to be commonplace in schools across the nation, but tight budgets and pressure to achieve high scores on standardized tests have slowly displaced and even replaced PE. Illinois is the only state that requires physical education for children in grades K-12; each child must receive 150 minutes of physical education (PE) each week.
PE is not required in all schools, and even where it is, children may remain sedentary for much of the class. Although school officials do care about PE, it is usually the first class to be cut when standardized test scores begin to falter.
Programs such as CATCH (Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health) and SPARK (Sports, Play, and Recreation for Kids) strive to incorporate physical activity into the school day, increase movement in PE classes, and encourage children to be active outside of school as well.
You may also enjoy this timeline of the evolution of sports and physical education.