ABSTRACT
Traditional physical education is instruction in (a) physical and motor fitness; (b) fundamental motor skills and patterns; and (c) skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports including intramural and lifetime sports. The history of physical education in the United States progresses from a focus on gymnastics and calisthenics for schools in the 1800s, through a transition to a focus on sport, games, and dance at the beginning of the 20th century. In today’s physical education programs, students are encouraged to live a physically active life through skillful movement, recreation and leisure, and sports. Physical education programs should promote knowledge, social development, skill acquisition and improvement, regular physical activity, and participation in healthy activities, including games, sports, leisure, and recreational activities. Educational disparities persist in these schools, which include persistently low-achieving schools.
