The Director of Physical Activity and Staff Involvement

Abstract

S chool leaders, faculty and staff, parents, and other key individuals need to be invested in the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) in order for the program to be effective. Faculty and staff involvement begins with the Director of Physical Activity (DPA) motivating them to "buy in" to the need for a CSPAP. The DPA will need to train staff to develop and integrate physical activity throughout the school day, encourage them to be involved in the before-and after-school activities, and create opportunities for faculty and staff to participate in activities themselves. In turn, faculty and staff should serve as effective role models in promoting physical activity and nutrition. The purpose of this article is to help the DPA in planning for and delivering the staff-oriented approaches of the CSPAP model.Because of the emphasis that classroom teachers are asked to place on core academic subject areas and academic achievement, in addition to other responsibilities, classroom teachers may not promote or offer opportunities to be physically active. It is important for the DPA to acknowledge these pressures and minimize the burden related to the delivery of physical activity. The DPA can provide professional development, activity ideas, and tactics for managing physical activity opportunities. Further, the DPA can encourage faculty and staff to participate in wellness endeavors that simultaneously improve personal health and model healthful behaviors for students. This is especially important since research demonstrates that teachers who engage in physical activity remain on the job longer and are less likely to experience burnout (Carson, Baumgartner, Matthews, & Tsouloupas, 2010). Finally, and perhaps most significant, the DPA can make an impact by convincing classroom teachers of the need for a CSPAP. For example, the DPA can inform teachers of the research linking physical activity to overall health, academic performance, the ability to concentrate in the classroom, and decreased behavioral problems among students.A limited amount of research has been conducted with teachers and worksite health promotion. However, research has shown that worksite wellness programs in other professions can improve employee job satisfaction, lower absenteeism, promote a sense of community, and improve healthful behaviors and long-term health

Physical Activity During the School Day

“…To integrate physical activity into the school day, the DPA will need to garner administrative support, justify suggested changes in the daily schedule or curriculum, and train staff on how to safely integrate developmentally appropriate activities (Heidorn & Centeio, 2012). One possible way to generate administrator, parent, and classroom teacher support is to draw on the evidence that physical activity and physical fitness enhance cognitive performance (see http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/npao/ for presentation materials).…”

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program and Physical Literacy: Exploring Preservice Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Perspectives

“…Several studies have emphasized that physical education teachers should be the leaders in implementing CSPAP in schools (Webster, Nesbitt, & Lee, 2017;Webster et al, 2016;Zhang, Gu, Zhang, Keller, & Chen, 2018). Nevertheless, to successfully synergize the CSPAP, assorted efforts and roles by teachers, parents, administrators, and school staff are essential in addition to physical educators' roles (Doherty et al, 2019;Heidorn & Centeio, 2013;Webster, Beets, Weaver, Vazou, & Russ, 2015). Elementary classroom teachers, in particular, can be vital facilitators to promote the CSPAP adoption for young children in schools (Goh et al, 2014;Russ et al, 2015;Webster, Erwin, & Parks, 2013).…”

The Physical Activity Leader and Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program Effectiveness

“…Carson [11] suggests that physical activity leaders need training and also highlights that this person should ideally be the physical education teacher. Heidorn and Centeio [22] identify the role of the physical activity leader to train school personnel to develop and integrate physical activity into academic curricula, provide encouragement, and create opportunities for school personnel to participate in activities themselves. Jones and colleagues [27] found that classroom teachers and school staff in addition to the physical education teacher provide leadership in CSPAP efforts suggesting that a group effort is needed to be successful.…”