Pedometers and Aerobic Capacity: Evaluating an Elementary After-School Running Program

Childhood obesity affects 1 of every 6 youth in the United States. One contributing factor to this statistic is a lack of physical activity (PA). Demands related to accountability which are placed on educators to demonstrate academic achievement often result in resistance to allocating time during the school day for PA. One possible solution is to consider utilizing time after school to integrate PA programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a 12-week after-school pedometer-focused PA program on aerobic capacity and to examine the relationship between step count and aerobic capacity in elementary school aged children. A group of elementary students (n=24; 9.5±0.9 years) participated in a 12-week pedometer-focused PA program that included pretraining and posttraining fitness testing via the 20-meter version of the PACER test. Paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between the pretest (M=21.0 laps, SD=9.9) and posttest (M=25.2 laps, SD=12.2) scores (t=4.04, P≤0.001). A Pearson correlation revealed no significant relationship between individual step count and the difference between PACER pre- and posttest (r=0.318, P=0.130). The program improved aerobic capacity, but an increase in pedometer-calculated step count was not a predictor

Behavior Analytic Consulation for Academic Referral Concerns

Applied behavior analysis provides a technology of human behavior that demonstrates great potential for improving socially important outcomes for individuals. School-based consultation may provide a vehicle for delivering applied behavior analysis services in schools to address academic referral concerns. In this article, we propose that school-based consultants should use the principles of applied behavior analysis as a guide for their consultation efforts. We provide the conceptual rationale for the use of applied behavior analysis as a guide for school-based consultants and specific procedural recommendations for applying a behavior analytic approach to school-based consultation

Title IX Proportionality Prong: Compliance of Division I FBS Universities

https://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/9956/8848-thumbnail.jpgTitle IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (Title IX), enacted to protect individuals from discrimination based on gender in educational programs, is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights, In regard to collegiate sport, the enactment of Title IX has resulted in increased opportunities; however, sport organizations frequently fail to meet compliance with proportionality. The purpose of this study is to examine the compliance of Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference schools with the proportionality prong of the Title IX test. Results suggest that data from 2011-2012 for total athletes in all FBS conferences (M=4.59, SD=4.39) was significantly different from data in 2005 (M=9.2), N=11, t=-3.488, p=0.006. Additionally, data for unduplicated athletes (M=7.23, SD=4.63) was not significantly different from data in 2005 (M=9.2), N=11, t=-1.416, p=0.187. The actual number of Division I athletes, reflects no significant change in the proportionality gap since 2005. A positive correlation was found between female undergraduate percentage and the proportionality gap with total athletes (r= 0.760, p=0.007, α≤.05) and an even stronger positive correlation between female undergraduate percentage and the proportionality gap with unduplicated athletes (r=.0858, p=.001, α≤.05). Although changes are being made to improve gender equity within Division I, on-going consideration is needed of additional opportunities to improve gender equity in collegiate sports.</p