The Challenge: Children who are physically active and fit tend to perform better in the classroom, but many schools allow little to no time for students to be active. Local school wellness policies have done little to make physical education or physical activity a higher priority in schools.

Making an Impact: Strengthening local wellness policies is an important strategy for helping students be more active while at school.

What the findings are about: This brief summarizes early research on the creation and implementation of local school wellness policies. It focuses on three key areas: physical activity requirements; nutrition standards and nutrition education requirements; and the quality, evaluation and funding of wellness policies.