Campus News
London advises on National Institutes of Health grant to study implementation of California’s Recess for All
By analyzing school schedules and interviewing educators statewide, the study aims to identify best practices and equity barriers to promote child health and inform future school policies nationwide.
Photo by Carolyn Lagattuta
Chair and Professor of Sociology Rebecca London is advising on a two-year National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the implementation of California’s “Recess for All” law, which took effect during the 2024-2025 school year. The law requires all public and charter elementary schools to provide students with at least 30 minutes of recess every day.
However, the law passed without additional funding or accountability measures. “Understanding how and why schools are, and are not, meeting the mandates of the law is important to make sure that we close the equity gap in access to school-based play and physical activity,” says London.
“When schools create high-quality recess environments, students have opportunities to grow socially and emotionally, to learn through play, to build relationships with peers and adults, and to have fun.”
As an international expert on recess and co-founder of the Global Recess Alliance, London will serve as the project’s primary advisor. Alongside UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Nutrition Policy Institute director and cooperative extension specialist, Hannah R. Thompson, London will review school bell schedules to determine changes in recess time before and after the law’s implementation. Researchers will also interview 125 school and district staff and administrators across the state to identify implementation strategies, best practices, and barriers to support future public policy development.
London’s research and policy brief on children’s need for recess supported the law’s passage by demonstrating the importance of structured breaks in promoting academic, social, and emotional learning. Her book, “Rethinking Recess: Creating Safe and Inclusive Playtime for All Children in School” from Harvard Education Press, traces the decline of children’s recess time and makes the case for its revitalization and implementation through school policy. She has published numerous other articles on the topic, including how equity of access and school climate shape students’ experiences in elementary school.
This project will expand understanding of how recess promotes physical activity and socialization, and how these dimensions impact cardiometabolic health and well-being in children. Providing 30 minutes of recess has been associated with doubling the odds of students participating in adequate exercise and improved social, emotional, and physical health outcomes. Because most students in the United States attend public schools, this research will provide essential evidence for improving children’s health and development and reducing the risk for chronic illnesses through better school practices.
It is also important data for improving equity for disadvantaged students. “For some students, this may be their only access to outdoor free play time and so ensuring students have the entire 30 minutes guaranteed by the law, without having recess removed as punishment, is an important way to improve equity,” says London.
Researchers hope their insights will give other states data they can use as they implement their own recess mandates.