ABSTRACT
Like proposals for schools worldwide, policy and practice proposals for physical education (PE) and teacher education (PETE) in the USA have been conservative, as announced by the terms “reform” and “improvement.” As new models for schools gain traction and new strategies for learning and healthy development increase, proposals are timely for the redesign of PE, PETE, and their relationship. Both PE and PETE must be founded on the quest for equitable opportunities and outcomes, particularly for vulnerable students who reside in and attend school in challenging places. Redesign begins with an appraisal of inherited policies and program designs; and then it proceeds via a potent combination of research findings, explicit value commitments, and the guidance provided by children, youths, parents/caregivers, and community-based providers. In lieu of standardized models and strategies that were fit for purpose in an industrial age school, equitable, nuanced programs and practices accommodate manifest diversity. Significantly, this redesign agenda also benefits PE teachers. Better teacher outcomes and student outcomes go hand-in-hand, indicating a systems change agenda. The endemic complexity and considerable uncertainty in redesign recommend research and development partnerships and international-comparative analyses. Emergent frameworks for embodied learning, life course healthy development, and physical literacy are especially promising.
