District Administration - May 2011 - (Page 68)

Starving for Recess it. Principals in districts who are doing it offer suggestions to others considering the switch—tips such as how you need to involve staff, students and parents in planning efforts, and to start with a trial period or pilot program and then make adjustments as necessary.” Thinking Outside the Sandbox According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2010 report, “The State of Play,” the vast majority of nearly 2,000 elementary principals polled nationwide by Gallup showed an overwhelming appreciation of the physical, emotional and academic benefits associated with recess. The same principals, however, reported that most behavior-management challenges occur outside of the classroom, during recess or lunch. The report recommended that schools improve supervision at recess time to diffuse potential problems. In these tough economic times, when many districts are struggling simply to maintain staffs at current levels, the thought of finding money to pay for additional supervisory personnel can be daunting. Veteran RBL advocates believe there is an affordable alternative to staffing up, an alternative that simply requires a principal’s willingness to rethink 68 May 2011 Students enjoy recess in the Las Cruces (N.M.) Public Schools, where 22 out of 25 elementary schools are on board with RBL schedules. An issue with RBL was how to ensure children had clean hands before eating. Hand sanitizers in school lunchrooms helped solve the problem. the school day. Before she reversed the order of lunch and recess, long-time principal Candy Johnson would find a postlunch lineup of kids who had gotten into disagreements on the playground waiting outside her office at Montana’s largest K8 school, Hellgate Elementary, in Missoula. Her switch to RBL had an immediate and dramatic effect. “The biggest change I noticed was that my discipline referrals were cut by at least 80 percent,” Johnson says. “Before they come to the cafeteria, the kids run off some of that excess energy, and they play with friends, which is important for developing social skills. Life is about learning, but it’s also about friendships and establishing relationships. The switch also makes it easier for the teachers, because the kids aren’t so crabby when they get in.” RBL can definitely be hard to schedule, says Johnson, who keeps watch in the cafeteria every day while 470 young children from 25 classes cycle through. “I really, really had to work on that schedule when we moved into a new building, and it’s tight. If something is off by a minute or two, it can throw hassles my way. But principals who deal with discipline are going to see a tremendous change,” she says. “I just love the recess before lunch.” Students at Hellgate Elementary School in Missoula, Mont., enjoy recess. Principal Johnson adds that RBL can be hard to schedule, as 25 classes cycle through the cafeteria. The Cleanliness Conundrum Aside from scheduling, sanitation seems to be the most common area of concern expressed by school administrators, parents and other stakeholders considering the switch to RBL. “One of the problems I had to solve was how we were going to make sure the District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - May 2011

District Administration - May 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
The Cradle-to-Career Solution
Turnaround Principals
Starving for Recess
Army Strong, Superintendent Savvy
Budgeting Based on Student Needs
Research Center
Books
Product Focus
Products
Superintendent's Insights
Crisis Response
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion

District Administration - May 2011