Introduction: In the United States the traditional classroom environment seats students facing forward at desks for hours daily. This prolonged sedentary position may diminish student engagement since children have a natural propensity to move (Hinckson, 2012). Alphabetter Dynamic Standing Desks (DSD) allow children to stand and actively swing a footbar. Movement-permissive desks may positively influence student engagement and physical activity throughout the day.

Methods: In this Active Classroom Engagement project (ACE), 120 DSD and 60 stools were installed in five 3-5th grade classrooms. Each student’s desk was individually sized. Students were encouraged to stand and sit when they preferred. Three control classrooms used traditional furniture, one at each grade level. Over one week, all children who assented and whose parents consented, wore Omicron pedometers daily to count steps. On those same days, all students rated their level of engagement on a Likert scale using three questions (in the moment effort, focus, and enjoyment during learning) before and after the DSD intervention. The DSDs were provided for 4-month’s time. Focus groups with teachers and students assessed their experiences.

Results: Use of DSDs increased physical activity levels and/or student engagement for some but not all grades. Teachers did not feel children’s movement disrupted their learning. However, some voiced concerns over desk size and noise of swinging bars, especially with vigorous use. Unexpected positive benefits reported included students’ improved social skills, advocating for their needs when sharing stools, and students’ spending less off-task time roaming the classroom. 

Conclusion: Dynamic standing desks appear to be a feasible school-wide solution to help increase student physical activity, allowing movement in the classroom while maintaining or enhancing student engagement.