Now let us discuss… Athletic Participation and Academic Achievement

1. Now let us discuss… Athletic Participation and Academic Achievement ODENBURG

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The emphasis on achievement in schools has always maintained the number one priority in all school districts. However, recent history has shown an increasing emphasis on state assessment scores, new APPR teacher evaluations, Local and SLO (Student Learning Objective) exams, as well as AYP (annual yearly progress). Education continues to be scrutinized in the public eye as pension and benefit costs soar and school budgets become more difficult to subsidize without continually piercing the tax cap. District Boards and Administration are consistently looking at ways to run more fiscally responsible while maintaining programs, extra-curricular activities, and athletics. However, the sustainability of such programs remains at the forefront of much discussion year after year. Consistently, athletics are examined as a cost cutting measure in order to maintain the academic programs the school districts are attempting to preserve. While academics remain the priority in each and every district, the literature will look to investigate if indeed there is a strong correlation between academic achievement and athletic involvement in schools among students in schools.

3. SO……WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? In this changing economic climate, school districts are forged, more than ever before, to be fiscally responsible while maintaining current academic programs. While working to maintain these programs, school districts across Long Island have the unenviable responsibility to produce a budget to the public for approval. In fiscally crunching times, most Long Island school districts are faced with difficult decisions on where and how to find funding to not only maintain academic programs but to continue to fund extra-curricular and athletic programs. This research demonstrates the correlation of academic achievement with participation in athletic programs. When it is time to make those arduous cuts to school budgets to maintain the foundational academic programs, how will school districts determine what goes and what stays? Do you think that athletic programs are a foundational part of school culture or have these programs exceeded costs that have now crippled educational programs?

4. PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW!! School district policy has historically included athletics and extracurricular activities in the budget process. A portion of the school districts budget is allocated for such programs. On Long Island, "pay to play" athletics in school districts is prohibited by section policy governing the county. Although, in the early 1990's, "pay to play" was a permanent fixture in many school districts operating on a contingency budget. The purpose of the study is to examine the correlation between participation in athletic programs and academic achievement. The POTENTIAL variables examined are socialization and athletic participation; race, athletic participation and achievement and; gender and academic performance. Based on the information researched in this study, school districts will be provided with a clear picture on whether athletic programs in schools are potentially beneficial to academic achievement.

5. POSSIBLE FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

6. QUESTIONS FRAMING FUTURE RESEARCH How does special education students perform academically in Math and ELA when involved in any athletic program? How do male and female athletes perform academically in Math and ELA when involved in any athletic program? How do African-American Students perform academically in Math and ELA when involved in any athletic program? How do Hispanic students perform academically in Math and ELA when involved in any athletic program? Does the number of sports played in one school year correlate to academic achievement in Math and ELA? How does the overall GPA of a non-athlete compare to the GPA of an athlete?

7. LESS THAN 1% OF A SCHOOL DISTRICTS TOTAL BUDGET/EXPENDITURES ARE ALLOCATED FOR ATHLETIC PROGRAMS ATHLETIC PROGRAM SERVICES: 562-WHITE 226-HISPANIC 117-BLACK 51-ASIAN 20-MULTIRACIAL 2-INDIAN DISTRICTWIDE Total-978 Students Athletic Budget

8. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY RACE: Minorities then perceive athletic involvement and accomplishments as one of the few plausible means for social and economic mobility; consequently, they develop a more positive attraction toward athletic involvement than do whites (Speitzer & Synder, 1990). However, although the social mobility aspects of athletic participation were higher in minorities, achievement amongst black athletes was significantly lower as compared with their white counterparts (Ballantine, 1981). GENDER: Since the enactment of Title IX, female participation in athletics has increased and has become a fixture on American culture and cultures all over the world. In most of the research conducted, the participation of women in athletics has had positive and non-detrimental effects (Lippert, 2003). Hanks (1979) found that athletic participation had a significant impact on the females' educational orientation and college-oriented behavior.

9. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY (cont’d) Among the many benefits to athletic participation, social awareness and social prestige accompany athletes as they make their way through their high school careers. Lippert (2003) states that athletics is a high-status valued activity. Due to the status associated with extracurricular sports, athletes tend to have much greater power, prestige and status attainment among their peers (McNeal, 1995). Extracurricular activities, most specifically athletic participation, afford relevant socialization occurrences for students who endeavor to increase their social mobility. Therefore, student participation in athletics predisposes students to develop a broad range of physical, interpersonal, leadership, and intellectual skills and attitudes which facilitate educational aspirations and college attainment (Spady, 1970). Socialization, Athletic Participation and Academic Achievement