To: Cambridge School Committee
Less Testing More Recess in Cambridge Elementary Schools
Currently our elementary schools provide students with only twenty minutes of recess each day. Cambridge can do a better job of meeting children's developmental need for outdoor play and exercise. We are requesting that our elementary schools provide students with at least fifteen to twenty additional minutes of additional recess each day. If more money is needed to make this possible, then money should be allotted for this purpose in the budget.
Why is this important?
We are requesting that our elementary schools provide students with at least fifteen to twenty additional minutes of additional unstructured, outdoor playtime each day. Teachers should be included and supported in figuring out how best to implement the recommendations, in order to best support the needs of their students. We support the teachers’ request for less testing and more learning, and we envision that adding recess will fit into those efforts.
There has been a marked increase in the past few years of the intensity of children’s emotional needs within our district. This increase has coincided with a push to increase students’ time spent on classroom instruction and on standardized assessments. Increasing instructional time and assessment time have not made a dent in the achievement gap. Meanwhile, research has shown that increasing recess time improves students’ ability to focus on academic tasks, while reducing behavioral issues in the classroom.
Children with special needs and children of color receive a much higher proportion of disciplinary action within our district. Providing more recess would be providing a more equitable system.