N.J. recess bill: Go and play, every day

N.J. recess bill: Go and play, every day:

N.J. recess bill: Go and play, every day

Want to know the deal on recess? Go to the experts.

"We can exercise!" said Collette Guerin, one in a gaggle of second graders rocking the playground last week at Zane North Elementary School in Collingswood.

"You can use up your energy so you're calmer," chimed in classmate Celia Titcombe.

Lilly Stout spoke for all:

"It's so fun!"

In time, schoolchildren all over New Jersey may join in that chorus.

A bipartisan-backed bill recently cleared the state Assembly's Education Committee that would require school districts to provide a daily recess period for students in kindergarten through the fifth grade.

The recess would have to be at least 20 minutes long and held outdoors, if possible.

"In addition to giving children time to recharge during the school day, recess allows students to develop their social skills and get some physical activity," said Assemblyman Joseph A. Lagano (D., Bergen/Passaic), one of the bill's primary sponsors.

"With more and more young people at risk for illnesses due to inactivity," Lagano said, "it's critical for recess to be part of their routine starting at an early age."

According to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 17 percent of youth in the United States were obese during the period from 2011 to 2014. That represents an increase from nearly 14 percent of youth in 1999-2000.

The rate of obese adults has risen as well, to more than a third.

If the bill becomes law, New Jersey would be one of a relatively small number of states requiring recess.

According to a 2012 report of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the American Heart Association, only about nine other states mandate recess. Among those are Hawaii, North Dakota, and Virginia.

The sport and physical education association recommends that all elementary students should be given at least one daily period of recess lasting a minimum of 20 minutes.

A majority of states require physical education in their public schools. However, only a few, including New Jersey, require the nationally recommended 150 minutes a week of physical education for elementary students, according to the 2012 report.

A number of federal sources including the Department of Health and Human Services advise that children and adolescents do at least 60 minutes of physical

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20151129_Daily_recess_bill_moving_through_N_J__Legislature.html#DrxP275M5o776oBy.99

John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…? | deutsch29

John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…? | deutsch29:

John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…?

The Charter School Approval Flea Flicker 

In March 2012, the Louisiana legislature passed Act 2, which includes language allowing for the authorization of “local charter authorizers” (LCAs)– organizations that are able to authorize charter schools in Louisiana and that are able to bypass local school boards in doing so. The charters authorized by LCAs are called Type 1B charters.

A November 2015 Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) board document includes the following summary of Type 1B charters:

Act 2 of the 2012 Legislative Session provided BESE the authority to certify eligible organizations (post-secondary institutions, state agencies, or a nonprofit corporation with an educational mission or established by the governing authority of a parish or municipality) to serve as a Local Charter Authorizer (LCA).  LCAs possess the authority to authorize charter schools similar to BESE and local districts.

LCAs are uniquely positioned in Louisiana to leverage their local knowledge, expertise, and support to authorize and oversee new high-quality charter schools that can create new educational options for students within their communities. Charter schools authorized by LCAs are known as Type 1B charter schools.  Type 1B charter schools act as a local education agency…. …

Each LCA is certified to authorize charter schools within at least one Regional Labor Market Area, as defined by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. At any time, no more than five LCAs may be certified to operate in a specific Regional Labor Market Area.

(Note: The term “high quality charter school” is used nationwide by those desiring to proliferate charter schools. It is more of a marketing slogan than an empirically-justified reality.)

On December 02 and 03, 2015, the La. BESE board had on its agenda what appeared to be a fast-tracking LCA approval for Southern University and New Schools for Baton Rouge, with the goal of approving these LCAs in the final BESE meeting before John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…? | deutsch29:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/29/15

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YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/28/15

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