professional organizations: physical education and health

Physical education and health teachers have a lot of options in looking at professional organizations to support their teaching. In Minnesota, the primary organization is the Minnesota Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. MNAHPERD is dedicated to effective instruction to improve the skills, knowledge, health, and well-being of Minnesota students. MNAHPERD has an annual conference, this year being held in October in Minneapolis. MNAHPERD offers grants and scholarships for members at schools in need of financial assistance in program development or securing equipment. One of the greatest resources on the site is a great list of journal articles supporting physical education. Check it out!

At the national level, there is the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, or AAHPERD, the national organization of which MNAHPERD is an affiliate. AAHPERD is supported by lots of affiliated organizations, like:

• American Heart Association
• CDC
• Coalition for a Healthy and Active America
• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards  
• National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada)
• President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
• U.S. Department of Education

AAHPERD holds an annual convention, as well as conferences and workshops on a variety of topics. The organization also funds several annual awards and scholarships.  Physical education teachers currently looking for employment can check out the Careers page for more info on job postings. AAHPERD publishes a bunch of journals, each with a slightly different focus.  For those of you interested in research, AAHPERD has a research consortium dedicated to advancing research in the area of physical education.


Also available are several additional organizations; all these organizations are all related to the parent organization AAHPERD: the National Association for Sport and Physical Education,  the American Association for Health Education, the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport and the National Dance Association.


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