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Purpose: This study explored school administrators' perceptions and experiences in planning and implementing recess policies and practices in New Jersey middle schools. Method: A total of 168 surveys and 19 semistructured interviews were conducted on school administrators. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Semistructured interviews were analyzed using a phronetic iterative approach. Results: Phase 1 results showed that the participants supported and could offer recess. Major barriers included time demands and scheduling conflicts. The results of Phase 2 represented four themes: (a) the importance and benefits of middle school recess, (b) recess operation, (c) issues associated with middle school recess, and (d) resources to improve middle school recess. Conclusions: Professional development, stakeholder input, recess committees, recess plans and schedules, fundraisers/budgets, and laws are critical for planning and implementing recess policies and practices at the middle school level.

Multi-site randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide unbiased estimates of the average impact in the study sample. However, their ability to accurately predict the impact for individual sites outside the study sample, to inform local policy decisions, is largely unknown. To extend prior research on this question, we analyzed six multi-site RCTs and tested modern prediction methods--lasso regression and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART)--using a wide range of moderator variables. The main study findings are that: (1) all of the methods yielded accurate impact predictions when the variation in impacts across sites was close to zero (as expected); (2) none of the methods yielded accurate impact predictions when the variation in impacts across sites was substantial; and (3) BART typically produced "less inaccurate" predictions than lasso regression or than the Sample Average Treatment Effect. These results raise concerns that when the impact of an intervention varies considerably across sites, statistical modeling using the data commonly collected by multi-site RCTs will be insufficient to explain the variation in impacts across sites and accurately predict impacts for individual sites.

The purpose of this study was to explore elementary physical education teachers' perceptions toward prominent socializing agents (e.g. students, administrators, and parents/guardians) and related factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 15 elementary physical education teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Using conventional qualitative content analysis techniques, these themes were identified: (a) teachers' perceptions of working through the pandemic, (b) teachers' perceptions of parental/guardian support through the pandemic, and (c) thinking beyond the pandemic. Participant data highlights that the pandemic's impact on elementary physical education teachers was not uniform across all experiences. Instead, teachers' experiences through the pandemic were distilled across a continuum. This study offers additional evidence on key socializing agents' impact on physical educators and discusses future practical and research-based considerations for the field.

Purpose: There are limited school physical activity policy dissemination and implementation studies. This is a concern given the adverse mental, physical, and socio-emotional effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children and adolescents. This study explored New Jersey school administrators' experiences in disseminating recess guidelines, procedures, and policies as well as implementation strategies in their schools during the pandemic. Methods: A total of 29 elementary school administrators participated in semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed inductively using a conventional approach to qualitative content analysis. Results: In analyzing the data, five themes were identified: (a) adjustments for recess, (b) communications about recess, (c) successes and challenges of recess, (d) health and well-being among children, and (e) recommendations for recess postpandemic. Discussion/Conclusion: When planning, organizing, and implementing a recess in a postpandemic era, school leaders may want to consider establishing cohorts, developing a handbook, creating a rotation schedule (i.e., blacktop, field, playground), developing a recess committee, utilizing the physical education teacher for staff development, assigning recess equipment and bags, offering a variety of activities, and teaching children how to play.