How Play Can Combat Bullying & Improve Learning

Researchers have found that investing in recess and organized play can prevent bullying, improve students’ behavior at recess and readiness for class, and provide more time for teaching and learning. Playworks, a national nonprofit that provides coaches who implement healthy recess and other playtime to schools in 23 cities nationwide was the focus of this research. The new study from Mathematica Policy Research and Stanford University specifically looked at what happened on the playground and throughout the school day when schools partnered with the program. San Francisco’s Mission District, home to a large Latino population, has nine schools that participate in Playworks and have seen first-hand what the research has proven.