School

Today’s sedentary lifestyles are impacting the health and academic performance of students. Slashed school budgets and increased pressure around standardized tests are reducing physical education and recess time while technology at home and in the classroom is keeping students static and increasing screen time throughout the day. The collision of these two troubling trends is greatly influencing students’ lack of movement.

Increasing low-level activity, such as standing in the classroom engages students with their curriculum and gets them up and moving. Spaces that promote movement both energize and empower students, as well as encourage collaboration and boost engagement among classmates and educators.

Why Act Now?

Academic Performance

There is an ongoing debate around the impact of digital technology and sedentary lifestyles on students' cognitive abilities, attention spans and ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks. Science has proven that movement could be the key.

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Academic Performance

There is an ongoing debate around the impact of digital technology and sedentary lifestyles on students' cognitive abilities, attention spans and ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks. Science has proven that movement could be the key.

  • Movement, like standing, can exercise the mind. Just as physical activity shapes the muscles, it can also strengthen key parts of the brain that learn1
  • Research shows a positive correlation between physical activity and test scores2
  • Physical activity impacts cognitive skills and behavior in the classroom, which may lead to improved academic performance2
  • Studies show that movement strengthens learning and improves memory and retrieval

Physical Health

Childhood obesity rates have tripled over the last three decades,3 and with two out of every three kids deemed inactive, the statistic is at risk of growing. Active kids stay active, so introducing low-level activity in the classroom, such as sit-stand desks, can help to break this pattern.5

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Physical Health

Childhood obesity rates have tripled over the last three decades,3 and with two out of every three kids deemed inactive, the statistic is at risk of growing. Active kids stay active, so introducing low-level activity in the classroom, such as sit-stand desks, can help to break this pattern.5

  • Childhood obesity rates have tripled in children over the past 30 years – introducing low-level activity in the classroom can help to combat this problem.3
  • Standing more during the day increases blood circulation, burns more calories, and helps maintain muscle tone5 and insulin effectiveness.6
  • Prolonged sitting can introduce a number of orthopedic issues for students, ranging from neck problems, lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as metabolic issues such as juvenile onset type II diabetes and high blood pressure.

Classroom Engagement

An estimated 6.4 million American children have been diagnosed with ADHD,7 making concentrating in class more challenging than ever. In an effort to effectively educate these students, teachers can utilize tools such as sit-stand desks, as movement is a natural way to manage fidgeting and symptoms of ADHD.

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Classroom Engagement

An estimated 6.4 million American children have been diagnosed with ADHD,7 making concentrating in class more challenging than ever. In an effort to effectively educate these students, teachers can utilize tools such as sit-stand desks, as movement is a natural way to manage fidgeting and symptoms of ADHD.

  • Movement increases oxygen to the brain, which leads to greater student attention and engagement8
  • When kids move more, they exhibit better behavior and greater creativity1
  • Integrating movement into the day helps improve concentration

Active Classrooms in Action

Alexandria Country Day School

(Alexandria, VA)

Creating a Responsive Classroom Design

"I really like how the desks help you think outside the box with teaching... not only does it engage the kids, it frees you to do whatever you need to do in your room when you can easily move everything around."

- Monica Escobar,

6th grade language arts and history teacher

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Montera Middle School

(Oakland, CA)

Always in Action, Always Engaged

"Some students can sit for many hours and listen and focus - that’s great. But some can’t. So having a system that allows our students to be able to be standing and have the energy flowing and if they need to lean or they need to put it down to grab a seat they can do that also, but know that when, I stand up, I’m not causing a disruption. "

- Ashanti B.,

Montera Middle School Principal

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Dr. Kirk Lewis High School

(Houston, TX)

Maximizing Space, Effort & Time

"People tend to stay focused and more on task. The desks allow us make transitions much faster, much easier, much cleaner with fewer distractions. It gives me more classroom time to carry out whatever lesson or activity or discussion that's being done...you maximize your space, your maximize your effort, you maximize your time."

- Jason Rhodes,

9th grade AP human/world geography teacher

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Having [standing] desks in the classroom has enabled students to learn to share and make decisions, while increasing student participation, accountability and ownership."

Ryan Hoxie

Teacher and Future Ready Strategist, Beaverton Acres Elementary School (Beaverton, OR)

Student Champions

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Ergotron products include some of the first “sit-to-stand” ergonomic references for computer workstations

Sweere continues product development, basing ergonomic computer mounting products on the 1988 anthropometric military personnel data and pushes ergonomics in the workplace.

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Ergotron leads effort in researching and establishing the VESA interface

Harry Sweere organizes global industry leaders to lay groundwork for first mounting standard. As the committee’s group leader, Harry helps release the first VESA FPMPMI mounting interface standard.

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Ergotron hosts the first JustStand® Wellness Summit

The summit was designed to engage key influencers involved in research to explore the challenges our modern work culture presents when it comes to sedentary lifestyles, and discussed avenues to educate and influence global audiences.

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Engaging Partners

As part of our efforts to spread awareness around the impacts of sedentary behavior in children, we have partnered with a number of national organizations to educate and engage students, teachers, administrators and parents in active lifestyles. Through this work, we’ve met remarkable kids who have taken it upon themselves to spread the message of the importance of movement of low-level activity. Check out their stories!

Celebrate Active Schools Week! April 23 – March 4.

Our Partners:

Quick Tips

For Teachers

For Parents

For Parents

  • Encourage standing breaks in the classroom every 30 minutes
  • Before a test or quiz, have students take a 5-minute walk around the classroom
  • Incorporate sit-stand height adjustable equipment and encourage students to switch positions for a quick energy boost
  • Create a variety of learning spaces in the classroom and encourage students to use them
See how standing desks work in the classroom. Download our LearnFit Guide.
Click Here

For Parents

  • Encourage kids to stand intermittently while they are studying or doing homework or consider investing in a sit-stand desk for the whole family
  • Get outside with your children to break up time in front of the TV, computer and mobile devices
  • Create a variety of learning spaces within the home and encourage kids to use them
  • Mount TV screens in front of treadmill and stationary bike
Do you know how much your kids are sitting? Use our Sitting Time Calculator.
Click Here

Did You Know?

15% More Calories

Children may burn up to 15% more calories at standing desks9

5.24 Percentile

Standing desks in the classroom can slow the increase in elementary school children’s body mass index (BMI) by an average of 5.24 percentile points9

18,000 Calories

When a child stands up, they burn about 15 calories an hour more than when sitting. Over the course of the school year, that’s approximately 18,000 calories, or 5 lbs. of fat10

Exercise Critical Thinking

When compared to traditional lecture-based instruction, active learning improves students’ abilities to retain information and exercise critical thinking

How to Get Started

Teachers and principals:

School and district administrators:

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