Educating Future Leaders: D.C. Public Schools Bicycle Education Program

Educating Future Leaders - Collaborate Efforts for Social Change: An Analysis of the D. C. Public Schools

Bicycle Education Program

Presenters: Leigh Ann Von Hagen, Research Project Manager,

Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers UniversityRick Holt, Senior Trainer/Consultant, George Mason

University Mary Butcher, Associate, The Bureau of Good Roads

Fionnuala Quinn, Director, The Bureau of Good Roads

Youth Bike Education Best Practice in Research

Washington D.C. Public SchoolBiking in the Park 2nd Grader Learn to Ride

Panel DiscussionAudience Feedback –

What could D.C. look like in 5 years?

OVERVIEW

Leigh Ann Von Hagen AICP/PP

Research Project ManagerVoorhees Transportation Center

Rutgers University



Youth Bicycling: Gender Differences

Women cycle less than men Women more strongly prefer dedicated

bicycle infrastructure Women take a wider variety of trips on

bicycle, commute less Bicycling habits change over the course

of one’s life

Context

Research Question

When in a person’s life does the gender gap in bicycling emerge?

In-School, On-Bike Education in Hudson County, NJ

Student Bicycle Behavior Survey: 844 students, ages 8-15 (in our study)

Data collected as part of an on-bike skills course in PE classes

Elementary School Students in Bayonne and Jersey City

Distribution of Participant Age and Gender

Participant Genders Participant Age Categories

Results - Behavior Both boys and girls “grow out” of bicycling Girls cycle less than boys No gender difference in ability to ride No gender difference in bicycle ownership

Results - Safety Boys more likely to ride on the street Girls more likely to ride on sidewalks or

driveways No gender difference rate of falls or crashes Boys more likely to be involved in vehicular

crashes No gender difference in helmet usage

♦ 43% of boys and 46% of girls report never wearing a helmet

Implications Promote bicycling in groups Promote the idea of independence Don’t overlook family focused programs

Programs need to be more inclusive Focus on bicycling skills for riding with traffic Involve more women in programs Highlight female role models Encourage more discussion and research

Rick HoltSenior Trainer/Consultant George Mason University



Youth Bicycling-Benefits and Challenges

Benefits of Bicycling Children who bike are happier Children who bike are more attentive in

classroom Bicycling improves self-esteem Bicycling provides opportunity for

physical activity Bicycling is good for environment Bicycling improves/enhances well-being

Biking to School In 1969, 48% of children between 5 to 14 years of age walked or bicycled to school.

By 2009, that percentage had plummeted to 13%.

In 2009, American families drove 30 billion miles and made 6.5 billion vehicle trips to take their children to and from schools, representing 10-14 % of morning traffic.

Returning to 1969 levels of walking and bicycling to school would:♦ Save 3.2 billion vehicle miles♦ 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide ♦ 89,000 tons of other pollutants♦ Keep more than 250,000 cars off the road for a year.

Physical Activity Children spend less than half the time

playing outside than their parents did (Clements et al., 2004; Winter et al., 2013)

A positive association between physical exercise programs & academic performance (Álvarez-Bueno et al., 2016)

Biking to School provides an opportunity for increased physical activity (Mendoza et al., 2011; Davison, et al., 2008)

WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK.COM

Parental Influence Physical activity decreases as children grow older Concern about safety & built environment How parents influence children’s physical activity

(Holt, 2015, Welk, 1999, Welk et al., 2003, Smith, 2004)

♦ Encouragement♦ Involvement♦ Facilitation♦ Role-modeling

Physical Education Teachers Connect with what they are passionate

about & comfortable with teaching

Perceptions of bicycling & safety of the built environment may influence training outcomes

Trained at beginning of the school year

♦ Collaborative support needed from school administration, local government, non-profits and parents (Holt, 2015)

Independence/Mobility Children who were granted at least some

independent mobility had more positive physical activity profiles (Stone et al., 2014)

Encouraging independent mobility can help pave the way for overall independence & play a crucial role in a child’s growth & development (www.eparent.com/EP MAGAZINE • July 2013 51)

Promoting independent outdoor play can be a viable intervention strategy to enhance physical activity in children, especially in girls (Schoeppe et al., 2014)

Opportunities for Social Change

Mary ButcherAssociate

Bureau of Good Roads



DCPS - Biking in the Park

Bike education will be available for every second grade student in the DC Public School system enacted by the Cornerstone program as a course in PE started by Miriam Kenyon with DCPS.

There are 76 schools and thousands of students.Cornerstone Programs:

High-quality and in-depth core curricular programs where students will experience a variety of course across all grade levels in all content areas that are relevant to their lives.

Biking in the Park - Logistics

Ages/grades – 2nd graders/average age of 7 years Average length of lesson – 30-45 minutes & on average 6 lessons Format – lessons are held at the school ending with a bike ride to

a local park Teachers – PE teachers and volunteers (parents and community

members) Funding – most funding comes from DC DOT – Safe Routes to

School Helmet use – Each kid is given a helmet but they have to share. Transit of Bikes – Bikes are taken between the schools via a

trailer and truck.

DCPS Biking in the Park – By the NumbersBikes: ~ 1,000

Helmets: ~ 500

School Data: 61 out of 76

2nd Grade Students: ~ 3,500

PE teachers: 76

Lessons: 4-5 lessons of 30-45 minutes each

Miles: 5-7 miles (on average for final ride)

Goals of the Program Ensuring all students (no matter background) have

chance to learn how to ride a bike

A healthy and fun way to exercise with their family

Promotes sense of confidence, independence, and achievement

Creates a good way to get around city neighborhoods

Inspire students to ride into adulthood - creating healthy habits

Curriculum – Lesson One & TwoLesson One Objectives: List good reasons why to ride a bike Identify & demo ABCs of riding (Air – Brake – Chain) Explain & demo proper safety procedures for fitting

a helmet

Lesson Two Objectives: Recall objectives from lesson 1 Identify road signs Demo hand signals Identify proper bike attire

Throughout every lesson students are being taught to ride.

Curriculum – Lesson Three & Four

Lesson Three Objectives: Recall objectives from lessons 1 & 2 Ride consistently in a straight line without swerving Proper hand signals while controlling bike Demo how to ride safely in a group while following the

“Rules of the Road”.

Lesson Four Objective: Students will ride in a group on a 4-7 mile route through

their community safely.

Rules of the Road• Ride in a Safe Place• Ride Right• Obey all Traffic Signs

& Signals• Be Predictable• Look & Listen• Look Left, Right, &

Left Again

Throughout every lesson students are being taught to ride.

Final Ride Info PE teachers are given the

freedom to create their own routes from the school to the park.

Each trip has routes for each skill level (1-4).

Teachers use Google Maps to modify the given routes after their own field tests.

Evaluation - Data Collection Ratings of program

♦ Overall rating♦ Before and after program ratings

Program Outcomes

♦ Did you go on a final ride?

♦ Do you believe school built stronger connections with the surrounding community?

♦ Did your school gain increased parent involvement?

♦ Did you have volunteers?

♦ Positive outcomes?

♦ Number of classes?

♦ Length of classes?

♦ Did absenteeism effect program?

Student Bike Riding Proficiency Level System

Results of the EvaluationBeginning:1 & 2 proficiency level – 55%3 & 4 proficiency level – 45%

End:1& 2 proficiency level – 20%3 & 4 proficiency level – 80%

Legend:Red – BeforeBlue - After

Principals’ Rating of Program

Before &

After

Rating on a 1-5 scale 1 being the worst 5 being the best

Most principals didn’t

make it on the ride

with students and

about half want to in

the future

Storage of bikes was

an issue for most

schools

Some w

ere concerned about diffi

culty of ride or safety of route

Principals’ Rating

Rating on a 1-5 scale 1 being the worst 5 being the best

DCPS had no idea they w

ere doing something

new! M

iriam sim

ply said This is im

portant…

Why second

grade? BALANCE &

learning to rise to challenges

Setup as a PE program

and not a bike education program

.

These are the facts…

but what’s

the story?

Fionnuala QuinnDirector

Bureau of Good Roads



Local Pump Primed + Catalyst

Cornerstone Opportunity + Seed = Big Idea DDOT + SRTS On-street bike network + separated facilities Bicycling renaissance + normalization Widely-used bikeshare MoveDC + Vision Zero plan Network of biking organizations + supporters

Long-term partnerships Lines of communication Noted many students without basic skills Kernel of idea lodged with PE director

Seeds Planted + Opportunity

Urgency created by school calendar New unit + relationships + operations PE teachers interest/expertise School principals Flexibility in program design Storage + space Lots happens in a school year

Program Implementation

76 Schools, 76 Stories Schools:

♦ Differing socio-economics♦ Parental involvement

Local Environment:♦ Parks + streets + infrastructure♦ Speeds + safety + topography

Children:♦ Levels of need + ability♦ Skill levels♦ Home support

Key Start-up Assistance♦ DDOT♦ WABA

Local Volunteers♦ Equipment assembly + maintenance♦ Classroom instruction♦ Final Rides

Partnerships♦ Metropolitan Police Department♦ MedStar Washington Hospital

No Program is an Island

The Student Experience

On-street bicycling + adventure Challenge + achievement Experience + thrill of mastery Shared excitement Final ride fun Police + community Broad positivity around participation

Lessons Learned PE Teachers

♦ Training personnel changes♦ Not all teachers comfortable riding♦ Other equipment & skills

Logistics & Support:♦Storage + maintenance + tracking♦Ride logistics + mapping♦Volunteer recruiting + management

Classes♦More days + time cushions♦Additional practice time♦More time on skills, less on setup

What Success Looked Like The People:

♦ Leadership + champions + supporters♦ Rapid response + sleeve rolling

The Process:♦ Seed + Fertile Soil + Catalyst♦ April => September♦ PE + full-scale implementation

The Path:♦ Not sweating the small stuff♦ Appreciation + goodwill♦ Recognizing the achievement

Thank You

Where to Next? What could DC program look like in 5 years? What is needed to get there in 5 years? What could similar program look like elsewhere?