The days of many years ago when fridays meant it was gym day. Not that health learning stuff, which we apparently needed but as a fifth grader I could care less about. No it was a day for kickball and tag and many other games that we never thought were actually helping our lives.

However a recent study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has shown that increasing amounts of exercise directly correlated to higher test scores in the classroom. The study also showed that students who participated in the study had a higher amount of classroom concentration and participation.

Five thousand students were surveyed in the study from kindergarten to fifth grade. Girls were found to have the most significant changes. The study showed that girls who got 70 to 300 minutes of physical education per week actually scored higher than those that did not.

Test results did not show any significant changes in boys as it was noted that may be due to the fact that boys are more likely to participate in activities after school. And as reported by the CDC, "boys are often more physically fit than girls, meaning gym-class dodge ball might not be enough to give them the same beneficial physiological effects."

So why is this important? According to Time Magazine, "Many school districts are slashing PE to meet budgets; math and reading are what count on standardized tests--and in assessing schools' performance under No Child Left Behind. As a result, most kids have gym class only once or twice a week. That lack of physical exercise could be adversely affecting girls' academic development."

No one knows for certain if gym class will be eliminated at all, but as the study shows, just cutting it down to a day or two per week could have a significant affect on classroom behaviors.