Recess has been a core component of the public education experience as long as most adults can remember. However, pressure from high-stakes testing and other concerns often make outdoor playtime a casualty in the quest to improve academic performance. Some school districts have limited the amount of outdoor time students get in a school day, while a few have eliminated the practice altogether. Now, a New Jersey lawmaker is on a whole new quest 鈥 to guarantee public school students in her state get the outdoor time they need to succeed.
About S-1501
The new bill that has been introduced to the New Jersey state senate is S-1501, according to . The bill, authorized by State Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) requires all public schools to provide at least 20 minutes of recess time daily to students in grades K-5. The measure recently passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee and is now headed to the full Senate for consideration.
This bill is nothing new to Turner, who has been advocating for mandatory recess time in schools since 2009. Turner, who is also a college administrator, firmly believes that students perform better academically when they receive a 鈥減lay break鈥 during the school day. reports that Turner has plenty of experts and research in her court, backing up the idea that daily breaks should be an integral part of the learning process.
This video offers a look at mandatory recess in
