Background/Purpose Despite the passage of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-265) that mandated schools to have a wellness plan by 2006, school physical education programs have not changed significantly. Although nutrition programs have improved (Action for Healthy Kids, 2008; Graber, Woods, & O'Connor, 2012b), changes in physical education have been less noticeable and both physical education teachers and university teacher educators are often unaware that legislation for promoting program improvement exists (Graber, Woods, & O'Connor, 2012a). Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, 1979), the purpose of this study was to examine if NASPE Teachers of the Year have awareness of the legislation and how their programs are impacted.
Method After obtaining IRB approval, 22 NASPE Teachers of the Year participated in formal interviews utilizing a standardized open-ended interview approach (Patton, 2002).
Analysis/Results Transcripts were analyzed inductively and deductively using open and axial coding. Peer debriefing, triangulation, and negative case searches were employed. Consistent with prior research, the results indicate that even Teachers of the Year have limited knowledge of the legislation. Their ignorance about the specifics of the legislation, however, was tempered by many proactive measures taken to improve nutrition and physical education in their schools. Measures that ranged from introducing green houses to receiving PEP grants to complete curriculum revision characterized their efforts.
Conclusions Awareness of legislation that can improve physical education should not go unnoticed by any professional, however, the programs of Teachers of the Year may be used as exemplars that demonstrate the intent of the legislation.
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