Traci Korhonen

My name is Dr. Traci Korhonen, and I am a life long educator and school leader with a BS in Special Ed, MA in Reading Ed, and Ed.D. in K-12 Leadership. I have founded two charter schools in the state of NH, one that opened in 2025, and another aimed to open in 2027. Both support at least an hour outside each day. All public school children need access to outdoors for longer periods of time and to be considered learning time. The value of recess is supported by theoretical frameworks, as well as experimental and longitudinal research, which demonstrate that recess breaks enhance children’s cognitive performance and their overall adjustment to the school environment (Pellegrino, 2005). A benefit of nature is that the outdoor environment naturally inspires children to be active, and there is rising evidence that physical activity supports learning, memory, concentration, mood, and creativity which all influence students’ academic performance (Satterlmair & Ratey, 2009). D’Alessio (2012) suggests that children need regular exposure to green spaces starting at a young age to connect with nature. When children feel connected to nature they are apt to spend more time outdoors, which supports behavioral and cognitive development for improved school performance. Researchers have found increased enthusiasm for learning, improvement in standardized test scores, and higher GPAs in 92% of the schools who integrated the outdoor environment into their curriculum (Blair, 2009). Studies among school-aged children display a positive correlation between physical activities and cognitive performance: perceptual skills, intelligence quotient, achievement, verbal tests, mathematics tests, developmental level/academic readiness, and other learning skills (Satterlmair & Ratey, 2009). All children should be guaranteed protected time outside each day as part of learning, as recess is a vital component to overall learning and academic success. Thank you for hearing my testimony.