OPEN has taken us on an indescribable journey over the past 7 months. However, thanks to the #PhysEd community and the support of US Games, we’re about to shift gears yet again and accelerate the sharing.

A little less than a year ago, US Games and the OPEN Development Council set a 12-month goal to provide curriculum support to 2,500 teachers with a positive reach to 1 million students. More than a few people told us we were crazy.

Today, less than 7 full months after OPEN’s launch, we’ve provided curriculum support to over 5,500 teachers who have downloaded over 63,000 documents with an overall reach of approximately 2 million students. The OPEN Tribe has become a growing community of physical education professionals who are sharing, seeking professional growth, and then sharing some more. I couldn’t be more grateful for the support and overwhelming love that this new Tribe continues to display for one another.

The OPEN Development Council, the OPEN National Trainers, as well as every member of the US Games team have committed to a singular and focused mission: to provide equity of access to quality curriculum tools for every physical education program in the United States (and the world). Our work has really just begun. Here’s what’s next.

Introducing the OPEN Community Curriculum Coach Development Program.

We have an amazing group of National Trainers. However, we can’t reach every physical educator in the world with only 12 people. So, thanks to the support of California AHPERD and others, we’ll be launching a new professional development initiative in 2016.

All physical education professionals who register and attend the California AHPERD Conference in Santa Clara or the SHAPE America National Convention in Minneapolis will be invited to attend a 3-hour trainer development session in order to earn certification as an OPEN Community Curriculum Coach. These 3-hour intensive certification experiences will equip participants with the tools and support they need to return to their home districts and provide free professional development and curriculum support to colleagues as well as schools and districts in their local geographic regions.

Other than the cost of your conference registration and travel, this experience and all ongoing program support will be completely free to all physical educators. We have an amazing team of trainers – but we believe in the power of the greater physical education community. We know that there are thousands of physical educators who are equipped with the skills and passion needed to inspire others through OPEN professional development opportunities.

What grade levels will this “train the trainer” program cover? Thank you for asking!

These two conference events will be held just days after we launch OPEN Secondary PE content, allowing us to provide this PD experience for grades K-12.

How’s this all going to happen? OPEN content development is typically fueled by caffeine and cynics. But to make all of this a reality, we’ve assembled an amazing team of secondary contributors who have agreed to volunteer their time in order to create outcomes-based modules that secondary PE programs will be able to download and implement the minute they’re launched. Thank you to all OPEN contributors!

It’s also important to thank all of you for supporting OPEN through your purchase of US Games equipment. A portion of every beanbag, hula hoop, and critter sold is used to sustain the OPEN Curriculum Project. The total value of the curriculum tools that US Games has provided to the PE community is valued at $4 million dollars. The goal for 2016 is to increase the value of that public service to $14 million. Every purchase you make from US Games is an investment in the entire physical education community, and we truly appreciate your continued support.

I hope you’re excited and inspired by the movement of sharing that continues to wash over the #physed community. If you want to get involved with OPEN, here are 3 things you can do:

  • Contact your State AHPERD/SHAPE organization and ask them to host an OPEN Community Curriculum Coach event. Organization officials can use the OPEN Contact Page to reach out to us.
  • Contribute K-12 activities and resources to be included in next Spring’s OPEN upgrade. Keep in mind that this is a selective and collaborative process. The development council will screen and revise all content so that everything we deliver is outcomes-based and includes concepts and strategies that promote academic rigor.
  • Share the OPENPhysEd.org link with all physical educators in every school and every district in the world. This is not an exaggeration. Our members live in all 50 states and more than 130 countries worldwide.

That’s what’s happening with OPEN today. Thanks for your support and inspiration.

Keep working hard. Keep having fun.

Aaron