In Defense of Recess: Why Chicago Public School Children Have a Right to Play

“They must not be hinder’d from being children, or from playing, or doing as children.” -John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1693

In my research on the history of recess in Chicago Public Schools, I have become a proponent of recess as a right, not just a privilege, for every student, irrespective of age, race, or income. It is my personal belief that to withhold such a right is cruel and neglectful treatment of the young people that schools are intended to serve. Not only do we withhold benefits to the students’ physical health by shortening or eliminating recess, we do all of society a disservice. By removing recess we implicitly teach that students' social interactions with each other are not valued. We are saying that we don’t trust them to act independent of only the most direct and constant supervision they receive in school. We certainly don’t trust them to problem solve on their own. In fact, if disagreements arise on the playground we mistakenly take that as a sure sign that children can’t handle recess, rather than the possibility that these young individuals are experimenting in the lifelong art of interpersonal relationships.

Why Recess?

While the beginning of recess and the original reasons behind it are uncertain, the benefits as well as the challenges are well documented (Pellegrini, 2005). Pellegrini has been researching recess for over 20 years. His longitudinal experiments suggest that recess improves student performance on cognitive tests, helps students adjust to school and improves social skills. In addition there are the known benefits of physical exercise, which accompanies most recess activity. Of course recess brings inherent challenges as well. As it so happens Chicago Public Schools are an exceptional case study in the challenges that recess presents.

A Sordid Story

Laura Ann Wurzberger, a Master of Arts candidate in the Loyola University program for cultural and educational policy studies, wrote a thesis hashing out the history of recess in Chicago Public Schools from 1855 to 2006. She notes that the history of Chicago Public School (CPS) recess policy begins in 1855. Original CPS policy allowed for daily recess (even mandating it for a short time from 1905-1910). From 1922-1990 recess was a regular part of each CPS school day, unless the superintendent ordered otherwise. This occurred on only one occasion, in 1947, when Superintendent George F. Cassell made the stipulation that recess must be indoors, to help conserve the coal supply (Wurzburger, 2010). Also interesting is that up until 1990, recess was not scheduled directly before or after lunch (Wurzburger). This means that students were provided at least two distinct breaks during the school day compared with one mid-day lunch/recess combination break which seems to be most common today.

In 1991 Chicago Public Schools adopted a policy that was in stark contrast to the preceding recess standard. The new policy eliminated recess altogether. After seven years of no-recess policy, the 1998 revisions allowed schools to decide for themselves how they would schedule the school day with a minimum of 300 minutes of instructional work each day. Wurzberger suggests that because the process to bring recess back was complicated (the teacher’s union representative, administration, and the local school council had to agree on reinstating recess), only one-third of schools reinstated recess (2010). Additionally, she comments that many schools undervalue recess because of the need to raise test scores. Seven years later, in 2005, the policy was not increasing the number of schools with daily recess. A Catalyst Chicago survey uncovered only 18 percent of CPS schools were providing recess (Wurzburger). So what was the school board’s motivation for taking recess out of the school day? CPS records do not explicitly identify the motivation for cutting the requirement for recess in the first place. Wurzberger suggests that the policy changes were informed by, first, violence during the late 19th century.

CPS recess violence was first documented in 1897 at Moseley School, where students were reportedly involved in race wars. Fights between black and white students happened at recess, as well as travelling to and from school. Concern for the safety of the supervising teachers who were breaking up fights may have been the precipitating factor (Wurzberger, 2010). There were also several recorded instances of bullying during the school day, with one case escalating to the point of a 13-year-old being stabbed in the thigh. Between 1927 and 1974, there were three different cases of stabbings and one shooting of a nine-year-old student, (all perpetrators were classmates) during recess. Additionally, in some areas gang violence threatened the safety of recess. In 1968 six shots were fired into a crowd of 400 students during the morning recess at Wadsworth School. In this instance, a 14-year old was shot by a rival gang member while he was playing basketball (Wurzberger). Children were also more vulnerable to assault and kidnap during recess. Cases of kidnapping and assault were documented in 1899 when a man watched students playing at Lewis-Chaplin school, eventually carrying a girl off, cutting her braids off. She safely returned to the school but the Chicago Daily Tribune reported of more serious instances of students being sexually assaulted during recess hours at several CPS schools between the years of 1939-1987.

Beyond violence, there were other safety concerns during recess. This included children who were injured or killed by cars during recess. In the 1942-1943 school year, 47 students were accidentally killed during recess when they ran into the streets. Also, stray dogs became an issue. Three students at Grant School were bit by a rabid dog during recess in 1908. Seven students were bit by a dog at Calhoun Elementary in 1943. There is little debate that students are more susceptible to injury during recess. In 1987 a serious collision during a recess kickball game at McKay School resulted in one student suffering brain damage and partial paralysis. His mother filed a lawsuit against CPS because there was over a one hour delay of medical attention. Some schools provided unsuitable play areas, including empty lots with broken glass, beer cans, and no playground at Reavis School in 1964 (Wurzburger, 2010). Undoubtedly the breadth of challenges that schools face in implementing safe recess time is daunting. And yet, few experts suggest shutting down recess altogether, yet this was the reaction from individual schools, such as Barton Elementary, even before the 1991 policy. Barton was an overcrowded school and this may have contributed to their lack of recess, with concerns about adequate supervision. Goudy School also faced overcrowding, and did not have recess starting around 1988, perhaps even earlier (Wurzburge).

That same year, the Chicago Tribune wrote an article claiming that CPS was a system of “institutionalized child neglect,” due in part to the lack of recess at some schools (Reardon et al., 1988). Near this same time there was rising national pressure to shut down recess. A study by John Goodlad at UCLA came out in 1981 saying that instructional time was being negatively impacted by long recess and lunch breaks. Another study from Michigan State estimated that approximately 42% of the school day was being absorbed by recess, lunch, transitions, assemblies, and classroom interruptions (Wurzberger). We don’t know if these findings were directly related to CPS policy shifts around recess, specifically the mandate for 300 instructional minutes in each school day, though the general societal trend toward maximizing instruction timing and minimizing all else was very likely a factor.

This year, 2012, recess is back in all CPS schools, thanks to the longer school day, which was approved in January 2012 (Shulte, 2012). At last CPS students are again guaranteed what Pellegrini describes as “one of the few places in elementary school children’s day where they can interact with peers on their own terms....Seeing the value in this natural laboratory of peer interaction, child psychologists and educators have considered the playground as an important venue for children’s social and cognitive development (Pellegrini, 1995).” And herein lies the potential for another social justice issue, beyond the cruelty of allowing no unstructured break time in a 7 hour school day: by withholding recess we may have contributed to the achievement gap between minority students and their white counterparts. We know that two-thirds of American high school students do not meet the recommended level of 60 minutes per day (at least 5 days a week) of physical activity. White students, however, are about 20% more likely to meet this recommended level of physical activity. The reasons for this are probably varied. We could consider availability of outdoor recreational opportunities by neighborhood, affordability of sports teams, gym memberships, or exercise classes, and safety of neighborhoods. One aspect that may also contribute to the disparity is that schools in under-resourced areas, which are more likely to have high minority populations, are less likely to have sufficient supervision for recess and they may feel that it is better to skip recess. The results of this action would be to further divide the educational outcomes of students, because students who have recess are better able to retain knowledge, stay in class, and perform on task (Basch, 2011). To deprive a student of recess is to cripple their opportunity for success, academically and socially.

Critiques, Challenges, and Societal Interplay

It is difficult to speak with a great deal of certainty about what recess provides to students. The research, while existent, is not extensive. From personal experience and anecdotal evidence you can gather that recess is vitally important. Students, especially in younger grades, consistently refer to recess as their favorite class (Mulrine, 2000). But how do you effectively measure the full impact of recess, or the absence of recess? Experimental designs are limited and generally ethical considerations protect students from total lack of recess for the sake of scientific studies. We don’t know all that we might lose if schools eliminated recess, but evidence does suggest that we would have very little to gain.(Pellegrini, 1995, and Basch, 2011). Additionally, a challenge I faced was that the focus of my paper changed when I started reading about the history of recess in Chicago because I decided that I would no longer focus on structured play versus unstructured play. As a result, I eliminated the interviews that I had planned with Playworks Chicago staff, because they were going to provide an angle on structured recess time, which I no longer was investigating. That may be an avenue for future research.

Personally it was difficult for me to synthesize the research on recess into a clear picture of what recess has meant for the Chicago Public School child over the decades. Evidence is scarce and many assumptions had to be made on my part as well as by other researchers who have studied the same topic (Wurzburger). The picture is not as clear as I would like it to be, but reason and intuition tell me that recess is essential. I support recess because I think recess supports the academic achievement of students, which I value. But even if academics were not improved by recess, even if students were able to achieve slightly less academically than they would without taking a recess, I would still support recess. And that is because I believe recess develops individuals. I believe recess supports creativity and character. And those are things that society cannot do without.

It is my personal opinion that recess helps develop scholars, intellectuals, high-achievers. But it is also my opinions that the world is not in desperate need of intellectuals. It is in desperate need of thoughtful, compassionate, creative thinkers. We teach students very well to follow directions and do tasks in the classroom but recess is the ideal place for student-centered, self-directed exploration, problem solving, creativity, and socializing. Recess is important because it, much more than the average classroom, mirrors the societal challenges that children will face. Matters of entitlement, friendship, diplomacy, and exploration meet at the playground. These are invaluable learning experiences that I would not deprive any person of because that individual would suffer, and our communities would suffer. As a society we need to commit to valuing the inherent creativity of our nation’s youth. We need to honor their right to express, invent, and explore how, where and what they may.

Community Map Reflections and My Identity as an Urban Educator

It is impossible not to notice the large empty lot that extends along the east side of National Teachers Academy. Despite the dry, neglected appearance, I first assumed the open field must be part of the NTA campus, sure to be better maintained during the school year, allowing for soccer games and cartwheels. This empty lot is not a part of the NTA campus. It belongs to the city and signs along the fence forbid trespassing. What a waste to have an expansive space, so rare in the otherwise urban surroundings, untouchable by the students who are instead crowded on the playground during their recess.

When you look at National Teachers Academy (NTA) it is easy to notice all the resources. It seems that there is top quality everything: gymnasium, music room, iPads, swimming pool, cafe. And yet where is the space for children to just be children, for children to talk and play and interact in a creative, genuine, unstructured way? Well the playground of course! Recess is the outlet for all the craziness and wiles of youth! After a couple weeks of experiencing the school day at NTA, I’ve wondered if recess is where we are under-serving our students. I believe that recess may be an opportunity for our school to do better in giving students what they need and deserve. Not just as scholars, but as developing individuals in the larger society. There are playground equipment, jump ropes and hula-hoops, and a large green lawn. What the students lack is time. Students are shuffled in and out of a 15 minutes recess. To clarify, I should say 15 minutes on a good day. On one day transitions from class took so long that children arrived at recess with only about 3 minutes of unstructured playtime at their disposal.

What can I do as a teacher to give my students the full benefits of recess? I will not hold recess over their head as a reward for good behavior. They will get recess everyday, and they will know how much I value their recess time. We will get to recess on time because they deserve and need it. I will not resent the rowdiness and energy that students bring back with them from the playground. I will occasionally get ahead in my classroom prep work so that I can join my students on the playground to enjoy my own dose of fresh air and physical activity. I will show interest in what my students do at recess. I will ask them about recess and I will admire them for their playfulness and problem solving. When upsets and disagreements occur on the playground I will be sensitive my student’s challenges I will encourage them in thinking of their own solutions. At National Teachers Academy we have something we call the NTA way. It says that NTA students respect others, they respect the environment, and they respect learning. I can incorporate this school culture into their behavior on the playground. I can remind them that they are exceptional students and exceptional people, and that they carry that with them wherever they go, including recess. Lastly, I will be an advocate for recess at my school and for Chicago Public Schools in general. I will emphasis in my conversations with other staff and with administration that I value recess. I expect recess to be a mandated part of CPS school days, but if the right to recess were to come into question again I would speak on behalf of my students for their recess time.

References

Basch, C. E. (2011). Physical activity and the achievement gap among urban minority youth. Journal of School Health, 81(10), 626-634. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00637.x Mulrine, A. (2000). What's your favorite class? U.S.News & World Report, 128(17), 50. Pellegrini, A. D., Huberty, P. D., & Jones, I. (1995). The effects of recess timing on children's playground and classroom behaviors. American Educational Research Journal, 32(4), pp. 845-864. Pellegrini, A. D., & Smith, P. K. (1993). School recess: Implications for education and development. Review of Educational Research, 63(1), 51-67. Pellegrini, A. D., & Bohn, C. M. (2005). The role of recess in children's cognitive performance and school adjustment. Educational Researcher, 34(1), pp. 13-19. Pellegrini, A. D., Kato, K., Blatchford, P., & Baines, E. (2002). A short-term longitudinal study of children's playground games across the first year of school: Implications for social competence and adjustment to school. American Educational Research Journal, 39(4), pp. 991-1015. Polgar, S. K. (1978). Modeling social relations in cross-color play. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 9(4, Ethnographic Perspectives on Desegregated Schools), pp. 283-289. Reardon, P., Dold, R. B., Brodt, B., Egler, D., Griffin, J. L., Houston, J. and et al. (1988, May 17). No clout and no concern add up to no education. Chicago Tribune, pp. 1. Shulte, S. CPS: Recess mandatory during longer school day. ABC News, 23 January 2012 Wurzburger, Laura Ann, "Recess Policy in Chicago Public Schools: 1855-2006" (2010). Master's Theses. Paper 506. http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/506

A Gem

On a whim, I googled "chicago recess history" and found this blurb from WBEZ about recess returning to ALL Chicago Public Schools this year. I was shocked that some schools have been without recess for 20 years! Here's a one-minute clip if you'd like to hear the story yourself: http://www.wbez.org/news/recess-back-chicago-public-schools-101692

More Pellegrini

Mr. Pellegrini Last time I posted I was excited about an article I had found from researcher Pellegrini, but I was looking for articles a little more recent than 1993. Well I found another one, from 2002, from this same gentleman, Anthony Pellegrini. Who is this man? A recess expert of some sort. Well this one is entitled A Short-Term Longitudinal Study of Children's Playground Games across the First Year of School: Implications for Social Competence and Adjustment to School and I'm looking forward to reading it. In the meantime, I've googled Mr. Pellegrini. Here's the scoop: He's a professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. He describes his teaching and research as generally being related to "children's development" with a particular focus in children's play, sex segregation, social dominance, and aggression. I want to take his course EPSY 5142-Seminar in Children's Play. And let the jokes about "child's play" roll. Most helpful, his university page lists his publications and I thereby discovered another source to investigate: The Role of Play in Human Development (2009).

Progress Report

This is my first day of the blog. Previous posts were taken from my class notes and assignments, and then backdated to show the correct date. This past week I started looking for articles related to my topic. Here is an interesting one from 1993: School Recess: Implications for Education and Development by A.D. Pelligrini and P.K. Smith. This appears to be the flagship article on recess in schools. Next I am hoping to find more articles in recent history, and perhaps focused in on Chicago, or at least urban areas.

Activity Proposal

Activity Proposal Savannah Jackson CH042 Topic: The role of play, specifically unstructured play time, in the urban school day. Potential Focuses: -Looking at historical accounts, and comparing the use or availability of unstructured play time in schools over several decades. -Focusing in on Chicago Public Schools, current as well as past mandates for unstructured play time (recess) -Positive as well as negative effects of unstructured play time -Best practices for utilizing play time in schools People to Interview: -Evan, Executive Director at Playworks Chicago, could give insight on structured play time versus unstructured playtime and his professional perspective of the importance for play in schools. -Kim Lombardi, Program Associate at Playworks Chicago, more insight on the importance of play as part of the school day, and perhaps the downsides of unstructured play. -Professor Beth-Halachmy, it sounds like she has done a good deal of research into unstructured play time. I haven't asked her permission for an interview, but if I catch her at the right time, I think she'd be happy to at least point me in the direction of some good resources. Relevancy: If I decide to look at a historical perspective, this research could provide some helpful insight on shifting views about the role of play in education, and where we currently stand in regard to play time at school. Perhaps I will unearth some areas of neglect or oversight in our current policies for play time in schools. Goals: I want to know more about play, so that I can use it appropriately in a classroom. I am learning and appreciating how powerful the element of "fun" is, and how making things into a game can be an effective teaching strategy. I wonder if play, like many things, has some "best practices," so that we can have a better chance of meeting learning objectives with students. I am also concerned about the controversy I hear from my friends at Playworks, that recess is a breeding ground for disputes and behavioral issues that spill over into the classroom. I want to know if play needs to be structured or if there are reasons for leaving it in the hands of the students.

Who to talk to?

Thinking about who I can talk with about the topic of play/recess in public schools: Kim or Evan at Playworks Finessing the topic: Role of unstructured play, historical perspective. In urban schools?

Assignment: Project Proposal

Today was the first day of my classes at National-Louis University (NLU). This blog will chronicle the planning and research conducted for FND 510: Social Justice Perspective on the History and Philosophy of American Education Our activity (research) proposal is due next week, July 19th. Things for consideration: What is my topic? How does it relate to the topics of the class? What compelled me to choose this? Who will I talk to about this topic? First impression: role of play in the educational school day...historical perspective. Unstructured play? Focused in Chicago? Historical investigation coupled with impact/importance of.