standup.org

Every 25 seconds, another teenager in America drops out of high school.

Close to 752,000 students this year to date have already dropped out.

The school system in America is failing and something needs to be done.

I saw an interview with Bill and Melinda Gates on television last week which pointed out the American epidemic that is our public school system. Their campaign highlights the fact that we are trying to graduate kids in 2006 from a school system that was designed for life in 1956. Jobs are different now, culture and lifestyle are different now, and public schools are still following rules and using curriculum that were designed with a different workforce in mind. The system needs major updating if we want to strengthen and train a new generation to be successful and productive in today's economic structure. With so many people dropping out of school, never finishing a high school level education or entering into college, we are severely limiting the success and growth of our community and economy. If we don't make strides to overhaul education, we will become seriously imbalanced.

There are a number of people and organizations popping up to start tackling the problem. Charter schools are generally independent from their district which allows them to make their own decisions and impliment them quickly. A great example is High Tech High here in San Diego. Their cluster of schools are amazing places where project-based learning is emphasized. Kids are also using computers and are learning advanced programs and applications used by professionals in business and technology. What schools like this are doing is giving students the current and modern tools they will need to be successful in today's rapidly changing marketplace.

What will be equally, if not more important to the changes made in public eduation is the reinstitution of physical health education to each and every day. It is the one shortcoming I see in a model like High Tech - they don't require daily physical activity in their curriculum. They offer a period three days a week called "x-block" which serves as an elective period. Teachers are required to create a class they want to teach and students choose a different one each semester. Many of the "x-blocks" are physically active; they offer a running group, sailing, rock climbing, and yoga. But, they also offer study hall, chess, yearbook, and one called kindergarten where they eat milk and cookies and take naps. I think that "x-block" is a great idea as it is always nice to give students a variety of electives to choose from, but I believe that physical education should be a daily course required by all students if we want to raise a nation of healthy, vital individuals.

Obesity and type II diabetes are becoming increasingly problematic amongst young people and children. I believe that the elimination of physical education in schools has been a major contributing factor. It simply doesn't make sense not to teach our children how to live a healthy lifestyle, especially in light of the fact that advances in technology have allowed us to become less and less active on a daily basis. Never before has physical activity been more important to our health but it is the first class or program to be cut on a tight budget. Not only does movement keep your body fit, it also keeps your mind fit. I find that I literally think better and more creatively while I am physically moving. Part of the reason why I love long distance running is because of the way it activates my thoughts. Exercise stimulates all of the systems of the body, gets blood and fluid moving and circulating, and strengthen and activates neural connections in the brain and nervous system. In short, exercise helps you think, focus and concentrate better. Exercise releases certain neurotransmitters responsible for mood and energy production in the body. Perhaps if kids were taught and encouraged to move more, on a daily basis, they would be able to tap into the motivation they need to be engaged in their studies, their work and their life.

In this day and age, exercise needs to be a part of everybody's daily routine. We simply have to make time for it otherwise our health and ultimately our productivity as a nation will suffer. Kids will make exercise a habit if adults structure it into their day (and if they see adults exercising daily themselves!). 30 minutes a day is the minimum that will help and anything more is even better. Habits are hard to break the older we get so why not instill GOOD habits into everyone from an early age? It only makes sense that we should bring physical education back into schools on a daily basis and make it a requirement, not an option. Along with the education in exercise, kids should also be taught healthy eating and lifestyle habits. We have to remember that physical education isn't recess - it is a class that teaches us how to nourish and care for our bodies. A strong and healthy body leads to a strong and healthy mind. The collapse of one will stifle the potential of the other. If we want our kids to finish school and become productive members of society, we need to give them the tools they need to succeed in life. It is time to impliment the integration of mind, body and spirit into the public school system and bring our kids back into the twenty-first century.

** The Gates' have created a foundation to support the progress of a movement to change public schools. Visit www.standup.org for more information or to get involved. **