ERIC Number: EJ1470975
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0895-9048
EISSN: EISSN-1552-3896
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The State of Elementary School Recess in Georgia: Policy, the Pandemic, and Patterns of Play
Karyn A. Allee1; Erica DeCuir2; Dawn M. Robinson3
Educational Policy, v39 n4 p878-911 2025
While we continue to see a growing push for the restoration and codification of recess in elementary schools, policy does not necessarily equal practice. Georgia recently passed legislation requiring at least 20 minutes of recess per day for students in PK-5. The purpose of this research study was to survey elementary school educators to reveal the temporal (i.e., duration, frequency, and cancellation practices) and descriptive (i.e., type, equipment, place) characteristics of recess in Georgia's public elementary schools. The results of this study, which can be summed up statistically and descriptively as less recess overall, and less free play specifically, as well as reduced access to safe play spaces since the onset of the pandemic, yield important policy implications for Georgia's school children. These implications relate to persistent disparities in immediate and long-term positive outcomes for children across multiple domains including academic, social-emotional, and behavioral.
Descriptors: Recess Breaks, Play, Elementary Schools, Educational Policy, Public Schools, Pandemics, School Safety, State Legislation, Elementary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Georgia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Mercer University, Atlanta, GA, USA; 2Albany State University, Albany, GA, USA; 3University of South Carolina Beaufort, Bluffton, SC, USA