Celebrate National Walk to School Day

September 3, 2009—National Walk to School Day is October 7 – a great opportunity to promote safe walking and biking all year long in schools.  Schools or school districts that register for Walk to School Day can access tools to help prepare for the event, receive a chance to win prizes, and receive a weekly e-newsletter with tips and other resources. Plus, it’s a chance for schools to be counted among the millions of International Walk to School participants.

The number of children who walk or bike to school has dropped dramatically in recent decades, from approximately 50% in 1969 to fewer than 15% today.  Walking and biking to school not only improves student health by allowing them be physically active, but it may also help improve classroom behavior by allowing children to expend energy on the way to school, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality around schools, and reduce school district transportation costs.

Walking or biking to school is only one of many opportunities to increase students’ physical activity levels at school.  Evidence continues to support the link between physical fitness and academic achievement—a new report from New York City’s Health Department and Department of Education indicates that students who are more physically fit tend to score better on tests than their less-fit peers. 

The report examined FitnessGram scores, Body Mass Index (BMI) data, and New York State Standardized English Language Arts and Standardized Math test scores from the 2007-2008 academic year.  Results indicate that students who scored in the top third of NYC FitnessGram scores had, on average, between 22% and 32% higher improvement in test scores than students in the bottom third of NYC FitnessGram scores, depending on ethnicity. 

To register or learn more about Walk to School Day, visit the International Walk to School USA website.  You can also visit the websites of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership or the National Center for Safe Routes to School to learn more about how to start a Safe Routes to School program in your district.  To learn more about physical activity in schools, access NSBA’s School Health Programs’ “Physical Activity 101” Packet. 

Sources: International Walk to School Day website, Safe Routes to School National Partnership website, NYC Vital Signs vol.8 no.1 (June 2009)