Ohio Department
of Education

As you know, we strongly emphasize physical fitness in our schools. Daily fitness instruction has been an important part of our mission to encourage students to be physically active, healthy and strong, and above all, to be ready and eager academic learners. Often, parents and community members ask me, “Why the emphasis on daily fitness in your schools?” I get very excited when I have the opportunity to discuss the history and thought behind our daily fitness program.

Over 10 years ago, when I originally wrote the proposed charters for our schools, it was very important to me to include empirically based research in the model. It was critical that we emphasize a strong academic component that was clearly based on sound research. Of course, I and my team vigorously researched the strongest curricula in math and reading and other key academic subjects that yield the highest possible academic gains with students in grades K-8. We landed on the Open Court curriculum in reading and language arts and Saxon Math in mathematics, as well as other strong academic programs for our students.

Along the way, I learned that students who participate in daily fitness instruction are often better learners, and a narrow body of research was emerging around that time to support this idea. We incorporated daily fitness in our charter proposal to our various authorizers on a national scale, and we soon discovered that parents, community members, and our authorizers were keen to support our model.

Over the years, we have also observed firsthand how the martial arts, tennis, and soccer specifically improve academic learning in our classrooms. Increased attention skills, creating a climate of status and competition, increased self control/self esteem, and so many other skills learned in these fitness classes improve the climate of overall learning. They actually help students come to the academic classroom more prepared to focus and learn.

More recently, the body of empirical research related to regular physical activity yielding improvements in student learning has widened. More support for our philosophy that physically active kids are better learners is coming to the forefront all the time. Quite recently, this time from Europe, a report suggests that how well children perform in the classroom is linked to how physically active they are. Below is the link if you would like to access it on the internet. I have also provided a copy for your review.

“How well children perform in the classroom could be linked to how physically active they are, suggests a Dutch review of previous studies.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16363467

We are thrilled to be providing a first rate education to all of our students that includes daily fitness instruction. Look for us to continue to grow and expand this program and to continue to make it better all the time for our kids!

Yours in educational excellence,,
Dr. Myrrha P. Satow, CEO/Superintendent

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