It is well documented that recess helps elementary schoolchildren learn and develop socially, emotionally, and physically. Rather than simply a break from class, recess offers benefits with the potential to enhance student learning. Yet many children, especially those in low-income and Black and Latinx communities, do not have the same access to recess at as their more affluent, White counterparts. Rebecca London calls for a closing of the recess opportunity gap by ensuring access to daily recess for all children at school, ceasing the practice of withholding recess and as punishment, and designing recess to ensure it supports students’ social, emotional, and physical development.
Review of Reaching and teaching students in poverty: Strategies for erasing the opportunity gap
