The Status of CSPAP in the United States

Comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAP) are a whole-school approach to promoting physical activity (PA) through (a) physical education, (b) PA during school, (c) PA before/after school, (d) staff involvement, and (e) family & community engagement. Despite calls for CSPAP implementation dating back to 2008 (NASPE), little is known about the extent to which schools have adopted policies and practices aligned with CSPAP. The most recent U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth (PAA, 2024) gave schools a D-, which suggests that significant improvements are needed. However, little research has produced national surveillance data on CSPAP implementation (Greenberg et al., 2024). The purpose of this symposium is to report the results of a spring 2025 administration of the CSPAP Policies and Practices Questionnaire (CSPAP-Q), a valid and reliable instrument for collecting data on best practices associated with each of the five CSPAP components (Stoepker et al., 2021). The survey administration was a collaboration between the Active Schools Research Alliance, the School Health Map, and members of the National Physical Activity Plan Educator Sector committee. This symposium will offer an in-depth view of CSPAP policies and practices using data from nearly 2,700 survey respondents from schools across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The first presentation will share results from all respondents and discuss the most frequently implemented CSPAP best practices. Second in the lineup is a presentation that focuses on physical education. Since physical education is the foundation of CSPAP, it's crucial to closely examine whether schools are following the best practices for quality physical education, as defined by SHAPE America in 2015. The third and fourth presentations will break down the data by school level. We know there are important differences in the context of elementary schools and secondary schools that influence how CSPAP can be implemented. These presentations will take a deep dive into the extent to which schools are implementing best practices at each level. Throughout all four presentations, a lens of equity will be applied, using descriptive and inferential statistics to illuminate disparities in best practices by a variety of school demographic factors. This symposium will be the most extensive examination of CSPAP policies and practices in the United States to date and will inform future policy and research in the field.