The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between managerial time and the academic learning time - physical education (ALT-PE), and to examine the decision making process preservice teachers in the Gym and Swim Program sponsored by Ball State University.Two methods were employed in this study to collect data on teacher classroom managerial behavior and student motor engagement (ALT-PE). The ALT-PE instrument (Siedentop, Tousignant & Parker, 1982) was utilized to record the managerial time and the time spent on subject matter content (e.g., motor category) The ALT-PE system employed an interval recording technique allowing a 6-secord period of time for observation and an equal amount of time to record the observed behavior. In addition, a brief self-report was administered immediately after each observed class to elicit teacher perceptions of classroom management and the impact of management decisions on ALT-PE.The results of this study indicate that effective classroom management (decrease of managerial time) can enhance effective teaching by means of increasing student subject learning time (ALT-PE), shortening student waiting time, and minimizing' student off-task behavior. For example, four of the instructors, in this study, spent less than 18% of the time on management, more than 30% of the time on ALT-PE, and only 3.20 or less on disruptive student behavior (off-task behavior). These findings suggested that there is a need to incorporate training about effective classroom management into preservice teacher preparation programs.