Profiles of Change: Lessons for Improving High School Physical Education

This feature has told stories of high school physical educators who have refused to accept the status quo of high school physical education programs. They have identified problems, initiated innovations in their own classes, implemented changes beyond their classes, and moved toward institutionalizing improvements throughout their programs and schools. While some believe initiating change in school physical education programs to be impossible without administrative, district, or state mandates, these teachers have proved otherwise — change from within is not only possible, but rewarding. This article reviews the lessons learned from these stories and synthesizes some principles of teacher-initiated change for secondary physical education.