Auburn College of Education alumna helps shape national guidance on recess in schools

An Auburn University College of Education doctoral graduate is helping guide national conversations about children’s well-being and learning through her work on a revised policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics that underscores the critical role of recess in schools.

Charlene Brickman, who earned her doctorate in Early Childhood Education from Auburn in 2021, is an author on the academy’s updated position statement, The Crucial Role of Recess, which reaffirms recess as an essential, daily component of a child’s education and development.

The revised statement draws on more than a decade of research across disciplines, including neurophysiology of learning, adolescent health, executive function, social-emotional development and peer engagement. It emphasizes that recess supports not only physical health, but also academic performance, mental health and overall well-being for children and adolescents. It also cites work jointly published by Brickman, C. Ramstetter — a leading researcher on the benefits of recess — and Brickman’s major professor, Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator Sean Durham.

“This policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics is an updated version of their 2013 policy statement on the practice of school recess,” Brickman said. “It strongly supports recess as a daily practice that should be treated as a child's right. Further, the policy statement supports recess as a benefit to children not just physically but also academically and socio-emotionally.”

A Crucial Break

According to the statement, recess provides students with a crucial break from sustained academic effort, helping maintain concentration, morale and instructional effectiveness. These breaks allow students to manage stress, engage socially and return to the classroom better prepared to learn. The policy also positions pediatricians as natural partners alongside parents, educators, school nurses and administrators in advocating for protected recess time.

Brickman’s path to contributing to the national statement began at Auburn, where her scholarship focused on play-based learning and the steady erosion of recess in elementary schools.

“As a graduate student at Auburn, my research focused on the value of play in K-5 schools,” Brickman said. “That work led me to study recess more closely, especially why it has steadily disappeared.”

Her research raised difficult questions about how and why recess is often withheld from students.

“Most people agree that children need recess, yet it is often taken away as punishment for behavior or missing homework,” she said. “Ironically, the students who lose recess are often the ones who need it most. That raised an important question for me: why is recess used as a form of classroom currency?”

While examining existing research, Brickman cited the previous AAP policy statement and reached out to one of its lead authors. That connection eventually led to her involvement in the national effort to reevaluate and revise the guidance.

“Over time, I joined the team that reevaluated the statement, and together we concluded that it needed to be updated,” Brickman said. “I am honored to have contributed to this work.”

Durham said Brickman’s effort on the revised policy statement speaks volumes about her expertise, and it reflects the mission of Auburn’s Early Childhood Studies program.  

“A primary objective of the graduate program in early childhood education is to empower professionals to synthesize their practical expertise with theory-based research strategies that address critical issues in the profession,” Durham said. “Early Childhood Studies impact so many diverse areas that directly impact human beings during the most critical period in human development. We attempt to infuse an advocacy orientation within our courses — so that students can identify an area of early childhood that they are passionate about and go forth as stronger professionals and change agents. Dr. Brickman is certainly a strong example of someone impacting policy and making a difference!”

Advocating for Recess

Through the updated policy, Brickman hopes to influence decision-making well beyond academic circles.

“I hope parents and educators will read the policy statement and help restore the kind of recess many of us experienced as children,” she said. “I also hope school boards will use it to shape district policies and support implementation at the school level.”

She also emphasized the role of communities in advocating for children’s needs.

“Just as important, I hope community members will be inspired to advocate for the children in their neighborhoods,” Brickman said. “You do not need to have a child in school to speak up for them.”

Brickman’s professional journey is deeply connected to Auburn University. She initially attended Auburn as an undergraduate in the mid-1980s before family circumstances led her elsewhere. Decades later, she returned to campus with renewed purpose. She earned her doctorate in 2021, an experience she describes as both challenging and transformative.

“Returning to the Haley Center after such a long detour was deeply meaningful to me,” Brickman said. “My office overlooked Samford Hall, and that view often helped me reset during the day.”

A New Perspective

Her time at Auburn expanded her perspective as an educator and scholar.

“As a career educator, I already loved teaching, but working with undergraduate students and supervising their field placements in the early childhood undergraduate program gave me a new perspective on my own pedagogy,” she said. “My professors pushed me to think differently and engage with challenging ideas.”

She added that the demands of doctoral study prepared her far beyond the classroom.

“Earning a Ph.D. demanded resilience, and that experience has prepared me both inside and outside the classroom,” Brickman said.

Since graduating, Brickman has launched her own consulting firm — Recess & Play — focused on schools, educators and families. Her work includes professional development, instructional coaching, family advocacy and hands-on tutoring that emphasizes play-based, experiential learning.

“We design and deliver professional development for schools and districts, provide instructional coaching for educators, and advocate for families,” she said. “We also tutor students using a hands-on approach with no worksheets or technology.”

More information about Recess & Play is available online. Looking ahead, Brickman encourages future and current Auburn College of Education students to approach their preparation with curiosity and intention.

“Loving children is not enough on its own,” she said. “Before entering a college of education, you need opportunities to work with learners of different ages, explore various subject areas and observe a range of teaching styles.”

She offered similar advice to those currently enrolled.

“Don’t just check off the assignments,” Brickman said. “Stay curious and make the most of being around experienced researchers. Be bold enough to ask questions, and give yourself room to grow instead of simply getting through the program.”

As her work on the AAP policy statement illustrates, Brickman’s Auburn education continues to shape her impact on children, schools and communities nationwide — advancing research-informed advocacy that positions recess not as a luxury, but as a fundamental part of learning and development.