Do metro Atlanta students need more recess?

An Atlanta pediatrician and parent has launched a petition drive to get local schools to add more recess. She says some DeKalb and Fulton have shortened recess to only 15 minutes per day. The American Academy of Pediatrics cites 47 research articles that recommend 60 minutes of active unstructured play daily.

Children from Finland have some of the highest scores on international standardized tests, and their schools provide 15 minutes of recess for every hour children are in the classroom.

Should America follow suit?

To read more, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog on MyAJC.com.

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(Illustration: Jessi Esparza / AJC)

Credit: Jessi Esparaza/AJC

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)