Make the case to administrator for classroom physical activity by speaking their language

A story from Oregon

“We know from past experience working in school health that unless you have the administrator on board you’re not going to easily move forward with your efforts within the school.  That’s why we decided to start with the school principals and superintendents, find out what they were already doing around physical activity and what they saw as opportunities and barriers to implementing evidenced-based and promising practices.”

Jennifer Young, School Wellness Policy Coordinator
Oregon Department of Education

For some, administrators might seem like a group of stakeholders who are difficult to engage and gain their buy-in. However, they are a key group to engage as a way to sustain positive physical activity practices at the school and district level.

Cultivating buy-in and encouraging administrators to implement physical activity practices requires framing classroom physical activity in a language that resonates with administrators.  We talked with Suzanne Hidde, Health and Physical Education Specialist at the Oregon Department of Education, and Jennifer Young, School Wellness Policy Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Education, about their strategies to promote classroom physical activity by speaking administrators’ language. They were able to learn about what resonates with administrators through a Children’s Healthy Weight Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Network focused on physical activity, sponsored by the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists.

Key Takeaway

Make the case in their language. In order to help overcome the caution or hesitation felt by administrators, Ms. Hidde and Ms. Young found that speaking administrators’ language and putting physical activity in context helped administrators see the big picture. Specifically, they propose the following areas of emphases:

• • Linking physical activity to academic outcomes:
    • Use visual aids like Hillman’s brain scan that visualizes increased brain activity following a bout of physical activity.
    • Use CDC’s Health and Academic Achievement resources to highlight research, data points, and infographics that “tie [physical activity] into how it can improve academic performance, chronic absenteeism, and graduation rates.” (Suzanne Hidde)
  • Articulating physical activity’s place in the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model and a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program.
  • Linking physical activity to other classroom issues like social and emotional learning and health and trauma-informed practices. For example, in order to help with self-regulation, give students a chance to move during long bouts of sitting or take a walk around the track if a teacher is encountering behavior issues.