Physical education (PE) programs provide learning experiences designed to fulfill developmental and behavioral needs of the whole child. In the state of Illinois and across the country, however, student-centered PE programs are being limited or eliminated. Illinois laws reduced the requirements of PE and gave school district administrators the authority to decide how the programs will be implemented. Principal's knowledge and support of the PE curriculum and its implementation is pivotal in providing an exceptional educational experience for students. The purpose of PE is to create lifelong learners who focus on their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. A productive school community must focus on the whole student, and PE must become a part of the academic process. This study targeted elementary, middle, junior high, and secondary level principals from across the state of Illinois who are members of the Illinois Principal Association (IPA). Of the 2,241 members of the IPA organization, 937 members participated in the study that examined principals' knowledge of the current Illinois State Standards in PE. Urban principals from Chicago were not represented in this study because only a small percentage of Chicago Public Schools principals were members of IPA. Only rural and suburban principals participated in this study. Using a quantitative survey design, the study revealed that overall, the principals were knowledgeable about the Illinois State Standards for PE with a mean score of 3.58 out of 5, and these 12 standards were taught in the PE programs in their buildings. These findings also conveyed that overall knowledge of standards was the same for female and male principals. In addition, principals without a background in PE were just as knowledgeable about the state standards as principals with a PE background. Of the 12 questions, the 5 that focused on health and wellness received either neutral or disagreed responses, thus implying that the principals were either not knowledgeable about or were not sure if these standards were being taught in their PE programs. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are insufficient background knowledge required in curriculum for principal preparation programs, the lack of accountability for monitoring fitness, health, and wellness knowledge, and the curriculum of PE teacher-candidate programs. Data indicate that PE must be given equal weight as English, STEM, and the social sciences curricula. In addition, the relationship between a principals' knowledge and the application of the standards should be one of mutual respect between the principal and the PE teacher for their roles in educating the whole student. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]