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  • Let’s ensure ‘Recess for All’ law really does apply to all

    Let’s ensure ‘Recess for All’ law really does apply to all


    Recess at Redwood Heights Elementary School in Oakland.

    Credit: Alison Yin / EdSource

    When one of our sons (then a third grader) lost recess privileges for a week last school year, he came home cranky and irritable. As he put it, “Recess is the only time I can actually really play with my friends without so many rules.” Research in education, psychology, physiology, and brain science consistently points to recess as a vital part of the school day. There’s a reason most kids claim recess is their favorite subject in school.

    As students across California return to their classrooms, they will step back into healthier learning environments thanks to the landmark Senate Bill 291, known as Recess for All, which requires elementary schools — for the first time in the state’s history — to provide students with at least 30 minutes of daily recess, while also prohibiting withholding recess as punishment.

    The law is a response to the growing concerns about inactivity and the mental health crisis among our youth — challenges exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. As public-school parents and professors who study recess and school health, we applaud the effort to not only increase students’ opportunities for school-based play but also to help address the traumas and social isolation our children faced during the pandemic.

    Now we must ensure that schools implement these changes so all children have the access to recess they need and deserve.

    Unfortunately, many still see recess as simply fun and games. This view — a vestige of the No Child Left Behind era, which ramped up school testing and created disincentives for developmental activities like recess, arts, music, and civics — had led some localities to reduce or eliminate regular breaks for children. This was a major issue post-pandemic when concerns about learning loss were pitted against the healing power of play in school. Research supports the importance of taking recess breaks from traditional academic subjects like math and reading; stepping away from classroom learning to move and play can help improve students’ test scores.

    Why is recess so essential for California’s more than 3 million public school students? The play, teamwork, socialization, leadership and self-regulation that happen at recess are critical for child and youth development. Recess is the only unstructured time in the school day when students can acquire and practice these skills. Young children learn a tremendous amount through organized and imaginative play — how to create and follow rules, be inclusive, make good decisions and collaborate.

    The physical activity that occurs at recess is important for many reasons, including helping students to get their wiggles out. But brain science tells us there is more to it than just wiggles. Physical activity and social connection at recess help students regulate their behaviors and emotions. Supporting these executive functions improves students’ abilities to concentrate and learn throughout the school day. 

    Providing students with daily recess can help students deal with trauma. With the distress and isolation they experienced through remote learning, coupled with the escalating mental health concerns, we need low-cost solutions to reach as many students as possible. Research shows that people under stress act reactively, and they behave poorly as a result. Recess allows students time to practice their executive functioning skills, which can help them cope better with stress and reduce anxiety. 

    Importantly, Recess for All is an anti-racist and equitable policy. It has the potential to close the gap in access to recess that exists in California and across the country.

    Students of color and those in low-income areas routinely have less recess time than students in wealthier and whiter areas. Additionally, children of color are disproportionately more likely to be disciplined in school. By abolishing the practice of withholding recess, schools can create restorative practices that support appropriate behavior, rather than punishing students by forcing them to sit out and miss essential growth time. 

    Recess for All is vitally important for California’s youth. As California public school parents, we plan to speak directly to our principals, PTAs and school boards to show our educators how much we value school-based opportunities for play and socialization. We encourage other parents to do the same. Schools respond to the issues most important to parents and their communities. Talk to your school administrators about their plans for ensuring kids get the newly mandated 30 minutes of recess a day. Our children, and our communities, will be healthier for it.

    •••

    Rebecca A. London, Ph.D., is professor of sociology and faculty director of Campus + Community at the University of California Santa Cruz. She is author of the book “Rethinking Recess: Creating Safe and Inclusive Playtime for All Children in School” (Harvard Education Press, 2019).

    Hannah R. Thompson, Ph.D., MPH, is assistant research professor at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health. She works with school districts to study the impact of improved school-based physical activity and nutrition opportunities on student health.

    The opinions in this commentary are those of the authors. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us





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  • Let’s stop tinkering and really change how schools address mental health

    Let’s stop tinkering and really change how schools address mental health


    Credit: Allison Shelley for American Education

    What are education leaders doing about transforming the way schools address learning, behavior and emotional problems? The current answer, it seems, is: not much.

    We do see increasing discussions among education leaders about transforming education in general. Naturally, much of the focus is on improving instruction and making major changes in how schools are managed (e.g., financed, administered, held accountable). However, when it comes to improving how schools play their role in providing support when students are not doing well, proposals for transformative changes generally are not forthcoming.

    The result: As the number of learning, behavior and emotional problems increases, schools continue to react in inadequate ways.

    What’s wrong with what schools are doing now?

    All schools devote resources to coping with student problems. Some are able to offer a range of student and learning supports; others can provide only what is mandated. In the majority of schools, what is available usually covers relatively few students. More resources would help. But school budgets always are tight, and adding the number of student support staff that advocates call for is really not in the cards.

    In general, districts plan and implement student and learning supports in a fragmented and piecemeal manner, generating a variety of specialized programs and services. Over many years, increasing concern about fragmented approaches has produced calls for “integrated services” and, recently, for “integrated support systems.”

    However, by focusing primarily on fragmentation, policymakers and school improvement advocates fail to deal with a core underlying problem. What drives the fragmentation is the longstanding marginalization in school improvement policy of the role schools must play in addressing barriers to learning and teaching.

    A fundamental challenge for education leaders and policymakers is ending this marginalization. Meeting the challenge requires escaping old ways of thinking about how schools address learning, behavior and emotional problems.

    What might a transformed approach look like?

    Addressing the pervasive and complex barriers that impede effective teaching and student learning requires a systemwide approach that comprehensively and equitably supports whole-child development and learning. This involves districts and schools rethinking how they frame the practices they use to address learning, behavior and emotional problems.

    In this respect, the current widespread adoption of some form of a multitiered “continuum of interventions” (commonly known as MTSS) is a partial step in the right direction. This framework recognizes that a full range of intervention must include a focus on promoting whole-student healthy development, preventing problems, providing immediate assistance when problems appear, and ensuring assistance for serious and chronic special education concerns. But moving forward, our research has clarified the need to reframe each level of intervention into subsystems designed to weave together school and community resources.

    Moreover, our research indicates that the various programs, services, initiatives and strategies can be grouped into six domains of classroom and schoolwide student and learning support. The six arenas encompass interventions that:

    • Embed student and learning supports into regular classroom strategies to enable learning and teaching
    • Support transitions (e.g., new grade, new school, before/after school, during lunch and other daily transitions)
    • Increase home and school connections and engagement
    • Respond to — and, where feasible, prevent — school and personal crises
    • Increase community involvement and collaborative engagement
    • Facilitate student and family access to special assistance.

    Organizing the activity in this way helps clarify what supports are needed in and out of the classroom and across each level of the continuum to enable effective teaching and motivate student learning.

    We recognize that the changes education leaders are already pursuing represent considerable challenges and that the changes we discuss can be daunting.

    But maintaining the status quo is untenable, and just doing more tinkering will not meet the need.

    Transforming how schools play their role in addressing barriers to learning and teaching into a unified, comprehensive and equitable system that is fully integrated into school improvement policy and practice is essential to enhancing equity of opportunity for students to succeed at school and beyond.

    •••

    Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor are co-directors of the Center for MH in Schools & Student/Learning Supports at UCLA, an initiative to improve outcomes for students by helping districts and their schools enhance how they address barriers to learning and teaching.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the authors. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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  • Let’s redefine student success to measure what really matters

    Let’s redefine student success to measure what really matters


    Anaheim Union High School District students discuss their work with Superintendent Michael Matsuda.

    Courtesy: Anaheim Union High School District

    Traditional measures of academic success, long dominated by elite universities, have often perpetuated systems of exclusivity rather than fostering true opportunity.

    As the superintendent of a high school district in Southern California, I have frequently heard major employers express concern that graduates from top UC and private universities often lack essential skills in project management, basic interpersonal abilities and the capacity for creativity and innovation. This reveals a significant mismatch between K-12 education, higher education and the demands of the modern workforce.

    Elite universities have long depended on rigid criteria — high test scores in math and English, advanced coursework like calculus and AP classes, and curated extracurricular activities — to determine which students gain admission. But these metrics often favor those with access to private tutors, well-funded schools and the insider knowledge of the admissions process provided by college admission coaches. As a result, this system excludes many students who possess extraordinary talents but lack the means to navigate these traditional pathways.

    The narrow definition of success currently used by elite universities creates two major problems. First, it reduces student potential to a set of numbers and polished narratives, ignoring qualities like resilience, emotional intelligence and social impact. Second, it fails to recognize students who may excel in less conventional but equally critical domains, such as interpersonal skills and the ability to creatively solve problems. By relying on these outdated measures, the current system not only limits individual opportunities but also deprives society of the diverse perspectives needed to solve complex challenges.

    In response, districts like Anaheim Union High School District are pioneering new ways to assess and celebrate student success through what we call the 5Cs: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and compassion. This approach challenges outdated definitions of “college and career readiness” and offers a more holistic vision for the future.

    In collaboration with UC Irvine professor June Ahn and the nonprofit education technology organization eKadence, Anaheim Union is developing and piloting an AI-enhanced learning strategy that redefines how student talent is measured.

    Much as a student driver reflects on what went wrong after failing a driving test or how a coach has a team analyze their mistakes after losing a big game, the district is embedding structured reflection into student learning. After completing a major unit or project, students engage in written or oral reflection, considering what they did well, where they struggled and how they can improve. These reflections are then fed into an artificial intelligence (AI) analysis, designed and tested by Ahn’s team, that immediately generates a summary for both the student and the teacher. The AI not only highlights the main reflection points but also provides actionable advice for growth.

    Going Deeper

    See an example of the student input and AI analysis of one student’s project work here.

    For example, if a student works on a community-based project to address food insecurity and later reflects on how they struggled with organizing team meetings but excelled in presenting their findings, the UC Irvine AI tool will capture these insights. It might suggest strategies for better time management or offer communication techniques to improve team coordination. This iterative process ensures that students are not only gaining subject knowledge but also developing essential life skills.

    One of the most promising aspects of this AI-enhanced learning strategy is its potential to influence college admissions. Universities are increasingly questioning the efficacy of traditional criteria, especially in light of decisions to eliminate SAT/ACT test requirements. The tool we are developing provides a scalable addition to current criteria: a portfolio of AI-summarized reflections that highlight a student’s strengths that cannot be measured by test scores or in an essay.

    Imagine a college admissions officer reviewing an applicant’s portfolio. Instead of a single GPA or test score, they see a dynamic narrative of growth and impact — how a student led a community project addressing food insecurity, demonstrating compassion and collaboration, or how they developed an innovative solution to a STEM challenge, showcasing critical thinking and creativity. Such a system not only makes admissions more equitable but also better aligns with what colleges and employers increasingly value: adaptable, motivated and socially conscious individuals.

    The future of education depends on dismantling systems that reward the old factory model — which benefits some students and sidelines others — and replacing them with models that recognize and nurture diverse forms of excellence. This approach offers a road map for how school districts across California can empower all students to transcend traditional barriers and realize their full potential. If adopted widely, it could transform not only K-12 education but also college admissions, workforce development and society at large.

    The question is no longer whether change is necessary, but how quickly we can scale up innovations like this to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive. By embracing this shift, we can create a more just, dynamic and inclusive educational system — one that values every student for who they are and what they contribute to the world.

    •••

    Michael Matsuda is superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District. June Ahn is a professor of learning sciences and research-practice partnerships at the UC Irvine School of Education.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the authors. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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